Job overview

We are seeking to appoint a research assistant to work on an externally funded research study at South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. This is an 18-month fixed-term position that offers flexible working hours. There will be some options for hybrid working depending on the needs of the study. The successful candidate will work closely with the Chief Investigator Dr. Samantha Jones on an innovative project called CIRCLE: Community Rehabilitation for Day Case Limb Joint Replacement.

The post provides the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in working with a broader research team, and training opportunities to develop skills in the research methods detailed below. Additionally, there is potential to build a career in community rehabilitation and Allied Health Professional research, with support available from the research team to develop fellowship applications if desired.

During the study you will work with patients, their relatives or carers, and clinicians to better understand patients’ rehabilitation needs and experiences after day-case Hip and Knee Replacement. The aim of the study is to co-design a needs assessment and clinical practice recommendations to optimise their outcomes and recovery. 

The post holder will work collaboratively with the Dr Jones, research and wider multidisciplinary teams and be accountable for delivering the study and its objectives. 

Main duties of the job

Phase 1: support protocol development and completion of a systematic review, preparing ethics applications, attending a research ethics committee meeting, and facilitating study set-up.

Phase 2: in-person identification and screening suitable patients through the process of attending clinics/screening notes; collecting data; interviewing participants and facilitating focus groups.

Phase 3: organising and facilitating co-design/public partnerships meetings with patients, relatives, carers, clinicians and managers. 

Throughout each phase the post-holder will support and oversee participant flow, support patients recruited from different sites, manage data entry/analysis, interpret findings with the research team and liaise with other participating sites.

There will be opportunity to take part in quarterly NIHR Community Rehabilitation Research incubator meetings, present findings at national meetings and conferences and co-author peer-reviewed publications.

Working for our organisation

St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC). 

 After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000-strong workforce.