Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Research Assistant

The closing date is 30 June 2025

Job summary

Do you have an interest in research? Are you passionate about improving the care for people newly diagnosed with dementia, and their carers?

If yes, we are looking to a appoint a new Research Assistant on the DETERMIND Programme.

Running since 2019, DETERMIND is the largest cohort in the UK exploring and seeking to improve the post-diagnostic care pathway for newly diagnosed people with dementia and their carers in England (www.determind.org.uk).

The DETERMIND Programme seeks to answer the following questions:

What is it that enables one family to live well with dementia and another with ostensibly the same illness and challenges to have an awful experience?
Which groups have better or worse outcomes following diagnosis of dementia and why are there inequalities in care and outcomes?
What can we learn from the experiences of people with dementia and their carers to deliver care and support that maximises quality of life for all?

As a Research Assistant you will be involved in collecting novel data and supporting the publication of high quality, internationally recognised research that has already contributed to important policy changes within dementia care research.

The post is ideal for people interested in a future career undertaking a PhD or Clinical Doctorate, and many of our previous Research Assistants have been successful in obtaining these positions post-DETERMIND.

Main duties of the job

As Research Assistant, you will be based at the Centre for Dementia Studies, University of Sussex (Falmer), although during the week you will be required to travel extensively across Sussex, Surrey and Kent to undertake home visits with DETERMIND participants.

Completing these participant visits are a key component of this role and are crucial to the success of the project and so it is likely you will be 'in the field' for a large proportion of your time.

Other key duties ill include:

Updating the DETERMIND participant database
Recruiting any new eligible participants to the study
Booking in participant home visits and completing the delivery of research questionnaires.

Our researchers are encouraged to work flexibly to accommodate the wishes of DETERMIND participants when setting up home visits. This may involve earlier starts or later finishes. However, there will be opportunities to claim-back' these hours during the week.

Following the successful completion of these key responsibilities, you will be offered numerous opportunities, such as:

Involvement in the publication of research in high impact academic journals.
Analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data
The systematic review of literature and the write-up of papers

Many of our previous Research Assistants have been co-authors on our publications and have been encouraged and supported to take a lead on papers in areas of interest to them.

About us

You will be one of a small team of Research Assistants working on DETERMIND, under the supervision of the Principal Research Fellow and DETERMIND Programme Manager, Dr Ben Hicks. The programme also has researchers at recruitment sites in London and Newcastle.

The team is friendly and highly motivated to improve the lives of people with dementia and their carers through research. There is a trusting and collegial atmosphere within the team and researchers have a lot of autonomy over their job role.

Many of our previous DETERMIND researchers have been supported both academically and financially to write-up and present papers at national and international conferences; offering them opportunities to network with other academics working in dementia care and develop their own research interests.

Date posted

16 June 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 4

Salary

£26,530 to £29,114 a year pro rata

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

9 months

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

354-CO-21644

Job locations

Trafford Centre

University of Sussex

Brighton

BN1 9RR

Job description

Job responsibilities

To be successful in this role, you will need:

A keen desire to work collaboratively in a small team to ensure that the research is delivered successfully
Experience working with people with dementia and their carers or other potentially vulnerable populations, and be able to demonstrate the soft skills and communication abilities to work in an empathetic and collaborative way
Some experience delivering research measures to participants or undertaking qualitative research
A willingness to travel to participants homes
Experience managing and updating databases containing participants personal information

Job description

Job responsibilities

To be successful in this role, you will need:

A keen desire to work collaboratively in a small team to ensure that the research is delivered successfully
Experience working with people with dementia and their carers or other potentially vulnerable populations, and be able to demonstrate the soft skills and communication abilities to work in an empathetic and collaborative way
Some experience delivering research measures to participants or undertaking qualitative research
A willingness to travel to participants homes
Experience managing and updating databases containing participants personal information

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Diploma or Higher National Certificate in Research

Desirable

Hold a relevant undergraduate degree, or equivalent experience

Personal Attributes

Essential

Mobility to travel across sites / region

Experience

Desirable

Minimum of 2 years administration experience
Training / facilitation experience
Research experience
Experience of working with people with dementia

Knowledge, Skills, Competencies

Essential

Knowledge of research methodologies
Participate in & contribute to team discussions
Database and analysis skills
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and members of the Multidisciplinary Team
Ability to educate and support colleagues, patients and carers

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Diploma or Higher National Certificate in Research

Desirable

Hold a relevant undergraduate degree, or equivalent experience

Personal Attributes

Essential

Mobility to travel across sites / region

Experience

Desirable

Minimum of 2 years administration experience
Training / facilitation experience
Research experience
Experience of working with people with dementia

Knowledge, Skills, Competencies

Essential

Knowledge of research methodologies
Participate in & contribute to team discussions
Database and analysis skills
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and members of the Multidisciplinary Team
Ability to educate and support colleagues, patients and carers

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information