Research Assistant
The closing date is 29 August 2025
Job summary
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is seeking to appoint an experienced researcher to join our delivery team within the research and development department at Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder will support the delivery of a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded project, titled 'Improving Access and Care for South Asians with Psychosis' (SAFE PATHS). The primary objective of the SAFE PATHS study is to develop community and intersectoral partnerships to promote involvement in mental health research for people from South Asian backgrounds.
The post holder will collect data for the SAFE PATHS study using semi-structured interviews and will lead qualitative analysis of data obtained. The post-holder will also lead in all aspects of conducting a systematic review involving running thorough searches, selecting relevant studies, extracting data, assessing study quality, synthesizing results, and reporting findings. Full training will be provided.
Maintaining good working relationships with service users, carers, healthcare staff and other stakeholders will be key to the success of the role. The successful candidate should be organised, capable of independent work, with strong interpersonal skills and a good awareness of the spectrum of mental illness.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will be based at The Lantern Centre, Preston with regular presence in EI services across the Trust. They will hold an honorary contract at the University of Manchester and work under the supervision of the local Principal Investigator.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is a large community and mental health Trust employing over 7000 staff and serving a population across the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System. The Trust provides inpatient and community specialist Mental Health services to children and young people, adults and older adults and also delivers forensic mental health services. Additionally, the Trust provides a range of physical health care community services and children's services. The Trust delivers a wide portfolio of high-quality research including this important study.
You must have at least a degree level qualification in a relevant discipline and knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research designs including clinical trial designs with recruitment and retention targets. You will need to be competent in qualitative methods. Experience of working collaboratively in clinical trials and service users/relatives, clinicians and service providers, would be a definite advantage. We are looking for an energetic dynamic, self-directed and committed individual with an interest in becoming a key part of our research team.
About us
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Details
Date posted
15 August 2025
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 5
Salary
£31,049 to £37,796 a year per annum pro rata
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
12 months
Working pattern
Part-time
Reference number
351-CS2755-MF
Job locations
The Lantern Centre
Preston
PR2 8DW
Employer details
Employer name
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Address
The Lantern Centre
Preston
PR2 8DW
Employer's website
https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Supporting documents
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