Job responsibilities
RESPONSIBILITY:
Key objectives will include a lead role in the co-production of the development of our Research themes
To ensure lived expertise is weaved through research design, management, data collection, data analysis and dissemination of studies.
The post holder will be expected to contribute to funding applications to grant-awarding bodies and take a strategic role in the development of research infrastructure and culture within the trust and develop our programme across PPI and co-production in Research.
The post holder will manage and supervise those involved in Service User & Carer Involvement and will additionally provide supervision as appropriate on specific studies/ projects for Research Assistants, Clinical Research Practitioners, Research Nurses or Peer Researchers.
The post holder will be bound by trust and Research and Innovation (R&I) policies and procedures. They will contribute to the development of R&I policies and procedures ensuring the involvement of Service Users and Carers in their development.
They will lead on the development of R&I procedural documents concerning involvement in research. They will make decisions and develop policies within their research area that will influence the strategic direction of research and will influence the direction of the research groups in the Trust.
Communication and Networking
- Promote co-production in research and innovation within the Trust at all levels;
- Oversee dissemination of relevant research findings both within and outside the Trust;
- Produce research reports and publications;
- Present information on relevant research progress and outcomes to relevant stakeholders (including regulatory bodies);
- Prepare and present papers on coproduction in research across the trust and external stakeholders.
- Prepare and present papers to national/international conferences.
- Make internal and external networks to develop coproduction knowledge and understanding and form relationships for future collaboration;
- Communicate effectively with the Head of R&I manager and the Research Director to ensure that the Trust wide P&I strategy is integrated into R&I activities.
- Communicate effectively with coproduction and PPI consultants, often involving the communication of highly complex information relating to the research protocol and the participants condition in an accessible format.
- Communicate effectively with peer researchers and clinicians about individual plans to support their emotional safety and the emotional safety of Research Participants, often involving communication of highly sensitive or hard to hear experiences.
- Communicate effectively with clinicians and doctoral and masters students, identifying the areas where coproduction and PPI can add quality and relevance within the individual research methodology. This will involve negotiations with a wide range of approaches and perspectives on complex information relating to the research protocol and the participants condition.
- Communicate effectively with other team members and NHS colleagues across the health and care system
- To provide expertise and specialist advice, guidance and consultation to other professionals (e.g., academic and third sector) in undertaking research studies.
- To communicate to academics, researchers, clinicians service users and carers in a highly skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the research protocol.
- Facilitate constructive communications between Service Users, Caregivers and Researchers in consultations sometimes involving the management of conflicting interests and challenging perspectives.
Decision Making, Planning and Problem Solving
- Make use of best national PPI and coproduction guidance, evidence and policy to inform decision making and planning and identify gaps in best national practice.
- Create and pilot novel solutions to gaps in relevant guidance, evidence and policy as part of PPI and coproduction planning.
- Make use of own experience of using services and or providing care, PPI research findings and consultations with experts by lived experience to inform decision making and planning.
- Create and offer novel solutions as part of the R&I department in part, but not exclusively, on any problems arising in integrating PPI and coproduction to strategic direction of research in the trust.
- Create and oversee the implementation of novel solutions to any problems arising in integrating trust wide PPI strategy into the development and delivery of specific research studies and infrastructure.
- Develop and lead own programme of research
- Co-ordinate own work with that of others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort;
Analysis and research
- Make use of existing research techniques and methods, to capture research PPI and coproduction activities.
- To utilise specialist statistical packages (eg. SPSS, STATA) in the analysis of research data and to use this data in the interpretation of findings.
- Ensure that results from PPI research are disseminated and promoted internally (to senior managers, clinicians and research participants study participants) and externally (to Department of Health (DH) research networks, universities, PPI conferences and peer reviewed Journals to influence policy and practice changes.
Clinical
- To combine best national guidance on PPI, lived experience of using services and/or providing care and reported experiences from service user and carer consultants to advise clinicians upon the recruitment and participation of service users and carers within the design and conduct of individual research studies.
- To ensure all research design and interactions you have oversight of meet Health Research Authority (HRA) requirements, ensuring that clear lines of clinical responsibility for the research activity are in place.
- To ensure that support is in place to enable all peer researchers to participate safely at all levels of research studies in the Trust.
- To apply PPI and coproduction knowledge and lived experience of either using services or providing care to a service user to consulting with service users who are experiencing a broad range of mental health conditions and caregivers. This will require a demonstrated ability to engage with a great deal of sensitivity with the broad range of service users and carers who are recipients of care in the Trust.
- To identify, assess and manage risks/hazards encountered during the conduct of research studies.
- To communicate when appropriate information about service users and caregivers to care coordinators and relevant members of the care and research team.
Teaching, training and supervision
- Supervise and help development of, those embarking on coproduction / lived expertise research as appropriate.
- Provide specialist advice, consultation and training to other members of the research team.
- Explore and if necessary develop, training options for service user and carer consultants and peer researchers.
- Take part in opportunities for continued professional development and continue to develop expertise.
Management
- Develop policies for the involvement of service users and carers in trust wide research activity.
- Develop a programme of coproduction PPI research, including advising both service and academic management on those aspects of the research programme where PPI management issues need addressing.
- Understand the Trusts key priorities and those of the R&I department and translate these into key priorities within co-production research.
- Complete annual Appraisals for line managed staff which reflect these key priorities.
- Understand the key priorities of service user and carers and translate these into key priorities within research.
- Identify areas of agreement and disagreement between R&I strategy and Lived expertise priorities and maintain balance between them.
- Undertake a leadership role in integrating co-production in the development of the R&I department.
- Be responsible for meeting research governance and HRA approval for the programme of coproduction / PPI research studies.
- Be responsible for deciding whether all Trust generated research has implemented the co-production / PPI strategy to an acceptable level as part of the research governance of all Trust generated research.
- Lead and oversee the development of systems of monitoring and recording of co-production /PPI in all research activities.
- Lead and oversee the development of service user led audit of participant experience of research studies.
- Responsible for small research budgets for all studies within the programme of research, including payments for equipment, travel expenses and training.
- Take responsibility for ensuring that those with lived experience who work with the R&I department have access to appropriate training and payments.
- Attend and contribute to relevant meetings.
