Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Research Support Worker

The closing date is 09 March 2026

Job summary

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is seeking to appoint a Research Support Worker/Assistant Psychologist in Mental Health Research, to work in close partnership with the Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research at Lancaster University, in the delivery of an NIHR funded trial Mouth Matters in Mental Health Study

The post starts in April 2026. The support worker would receive training and supervision to deliver a 'link work intervention' offering practice and motivational support to people with severe mental health difficulties around attending a dentist. This is an excellent opportunity to develop research and clinical skills, and work with a multidisciplinary research team that includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and dentists. The post-holder will receive clinical supervision and training from experienced clinical academics (e.g. Clinical Psychologists) working in the field of mental health research. The position is 1 FTE for 33 months (renewed every 12 months subject to funding) and could be a secondment or fixed-term contract.

All research through Spectrum is conducted with people with lived experience to ensure that it is focused on priorities relevant to them. The Spectrum team takes an active approach to implementation to influence practices through working at national policy levels as well as training clinicians. See https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/health-and-medicine/research/spectrum/

Main duties of the job

We are looking to appoint a motivated Research Support Worker to work on the exciting NIHR funded Mouth Matters in Mental Health Study. People with severe mental health difficulties (e.g. psychosis, bipolar disorder) often experience poor oral health and find it difficult to attend the dentist. This project aims to improve access to dental services in people with severe mental health difficulties. Our ultimate aim is to reduce health inequalities in people with mental health difficulties.

The support worker would receive training and supervision to deliver a 'link work intervention' offering practice and motivational support to people with severe mental health difficulties around attending a dentist. This is an excellent opportunity to develop research and clinical skills, and work with a multidisciplinary research team that includes clinical psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and dentists. The post-holder will receive clinical supervision and training from experienced clinical academics (e.g. Clinical Psychologists) working in the field of mental health research. The position is 1 FTE for 33 months and could be a secondment or fixed-term contract. We are keen to support the ongoing career development of the post holder. The post starts in April 2026.

About us

LSCFT values diversity and inclusion, recognising that talent from varied backgrounds creates a flexible, creative, and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from all, regardless of age, disability (including those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Our aim is to reflect the communities we serve, so we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. If you'd like to discuss your application, please ask.

We also welcome individuals with lived experience relevant to the role or service area, as your insight brings authenticity to our services.

LSCFT support 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 and flexi-time.

The wellbeing of our people is at the heart of everything we do. We offer a wide range of resources, tools and support to help you thrive both in and out of work.

Explore our full wellbeing offer here: Keeping our workforce well

Date posted

23 February 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£27,485 to £30,162 a year per annum

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

351-CS2860-CL

Job locations

Academic Research

The Lantern Centre

Preston

PR2 8DW

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications and Training

Essential

oBSc(hons) Psychology (2:1 or above) or equivalent (e.g. post graduate conversion course accredited by the British Psychological Society
oor equivalent in a relevant subject (e.g., Public Health)

Knowledge

Essential

oAn understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with psychological/mental health difficulties or other disabilities.

Experience

Essential

oContact with people with mental health difficulties and/or other disabilities.
oExperience of working in a community setting. Experience of working in a way where people feel listened to and heard.

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential

oAbility to undertake psychologically informed research projects under supervision.
oGood communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work across a number of different settings.
oUse of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel etc.
oOne to one and group communication
oAbility to work with people from different backgrounds and of different ages.
oAn ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

Other

Essential

oAbility to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.

Person Specification

Education, Qualifications and Training

Essential

oBSc(hons) Psychology (2:1 or above) or equivalent (e.g. post graduate conversion course accredited by the British Psychological Society
oor equivalent in a relevant subject (e.g., Public Health)

Knowledge

Essential

oAn understanding of the needs and difficulties of people with psychological/mental health difficulties or other disabilities.

Experience

Essential

oContact with people with mental health difficulties and/or other disabilities.
oExperience of working in a community setting. Experience of working in a way where people feel listened to and heard.

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential

oAbility to undertake psychologically informed research projects under supervision.
oGood communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work across a number of different settings.
oUse of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel etc.
oOne to one and group communication
oAbility to work with people from different backgrounds and of different ages.
oAn ability to interact effectively with staff from all disciplines.

Other

Essential

oAbility to accept and use supervision appropriately and effectively.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Academic Research

The Lantern Centre

Preston

PR2 8DW

Employer's website

https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Academic Research

The Lantern Centre

Preston

PR2 8DW

Employer's website

https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)