The NIHR Oxford cognitive health Clinical Research Facility (OH CRF), based at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford, is the only NIHR supported CRF dedicated to mental health and is hosted by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. In partnership with the University of Oxford, we deliver patient-orientated non-commercial and commercial early phase experimental clinical research that has the potential to discover new ways of understanding and treating cognitive health challenges. The OHCRF has recently been awarded more than £4 million over the next five years by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The OH CRF is one of 28 facilities across England to benefit from nearly £161 million that has been awarded to expand early phase clinical research delivery in NHS hospitals.
The post holder will be an ST1 or above, and provide protocol specific medical cover as well as general medical support to the OH CRF. The post is primarily based at the Warneford site, an eight-bed unit fully equipped for carrying out high intensity clinical research with laboratory and pharmacy facilities, sleep rooms and staffed by experienced medical and nursing staff. The post-holder will work with the OH CRF staff complement and will be supported and supervised by an OH CRF Consultant grade. The OH CRF has ‘satellite’ facilities at the OHFT Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury where provision of medical activities and cover may also be needed infrequently.
This is an exciting time to join Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and become part of the Oxfordshire adult service.
If you relish a challenge, are enthusiastic about improving mental health of patients and want to join a friendly and ambitious service which is modernising and expanding at pace, then OHFT has all the right ingredients.
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust provides physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible
Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
Excellent opportunities for career progression
Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
Competitive pension scheme
Lease car scheme
Cycle to work scheme
Employee Assistance Programme
Mental Health First Aiders
Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Under the supervision and direction of the consultant, the post holder will be responsible for:
Day-to-day provision of medical activity and cover for 1) research participants (patients and healthy volunteers) on the CRF, including those attending the CRF for research visits on a given day as well as any queries generated in between visits; 2) protocol driven activity that requires medical input such as explaining studies and receiving informed consent, physical and neurological exams and specialist assessment using rating scales (protocol-driven), assessment of eligibility for study enrolment; 3) managing the physical and psychiatric care of participants when required and if appropriate; making referrals to appropriate agencies if required. The post holder will be expected to contribute towards CRF Study Coordinator meetings, provide medical input in assessing feasibility, set up and ongoing management of clinical research studies, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) development and management, and may be asked to undertake venepuncture and cannulation and other medical procedures required by specific studies’ (training provided if needed).
Data recording and management . Under GCP, timely recording of accurate research data and response to data queries is essential. Recording information in the E.H.R such as visit details including consent and any other information relevant to clinical care. Completing all activity recording as required by the CRF Data Manager using the ‘CRF Manager’ software (training provided). Providing timely correspondence to GPs and other professionals when required.
Work collaboratively with other agencies , in particular clinical teams from OHFT (mainly Adult and Older Adult Directorates), Research & Development OHFT, Principal Investigators and other researchers from UO and OHFT, commercial partners (e.g. pharmaceutical company study sponsor) and the local Clinical Research Network. Liaison with researchers at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust may also be required.
The post holder will provide daytime medical cover to the level of Immediate Life Support with the other members of the CRF team (training provided).
The post holder will be expected to participate in and attend relevant training for research activity, such as GCP and study-specific training. Additional training opportunities supporting the professional development of the post-holder in their clinical research role are encouraged (subject to agreement with the Line manager).
The post holder will contribute towards research Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPI/E) activities on the CRF.
Workload in terms of numbers of studies and participants seen varies between studies, some studies are much more intensive than others. The workload is usually very predictable as the CRF delivers a clinical research service that is by necessity very tightly timetabled and dependent on closely monitored resource capacity

Please refer the Job description for details