Research Assistant/Associate in Transitions of Care

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 to £38,205 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 23 April 2024

The Role

Many patients feel anxious when returning home after being in hospital. They may have concerns about recovering at home and be worried about how they will manage their daily activities.

The government recognises that short-term help after hospital discharge is needed so people can settle back at home safely, recover well, and manage living independently. Health, social care and charitable organisations need to work together to identify these patients, plan for their hospital discharge and make sure the right support is in place, so the patient experiences a timely, safe and smooth hospital discharge.

Across the country, these organisations are approaching the challenge differently, with little evaluation and in a way that is not supported by evidence.

Applications are invited for a Research Assistant/Associate to work to develop and test a model of discharge care that integrates health and social care as a patient leaves hospital.
This would provide benefits to patients, carers, and the wider health and social care system.

The project is the result of collaboration between Newcastle University, the University of Oxford, University of Leicester and University College London. The post-holder will be employed by the School of Pharmacy at the Newcastle University with affiliation to Population Health Sciences Institute.

You will be responsible for delivery of a project, funded by NIHR Programme Development Grant. You will undertake the planned work for the 12 month duration. You will report to Dr Hamde Nazar and will be provided with support, guidance and (if needed) realist review methodological training by members of the project team.

The project is led by Dr Hamde Nazar, research focussing on transfer of care from hospital to home and also a practising pharmacist. The other team members include, Prof Geoff Wong, Dr Fabiana Lorencatto, Prof Andrew Husband, Dr Clare Tolley, Prof David Wright, Dr Elisa Crayton who bring expertise in transfer of care, realism and health systems research. A PPI representative, Wade Tovey will assist the post-holder with ensuring the project remains patient focused. We are also collaborating with Age UK and ConnectVoice Haref. 

Work will involve:
Building our research team, establishing a group of patients, carers and professionals to advise is, develop a plan to ensure our research is culturally sensitive, develop a realist protocol to review the evidence about what works and how, and develop an NIHR Programme Grant for Applied Research.

This role is fixed term for 12 months (April 2024-May 2025).

Key Accountabilities
•    Manage research and administrative activities. This involves small scale project management, to co-ordinate multiple aspects of project to meet deadlines
•    Develop a realist review protocol in conjunction with and support from the project team, which includes: developing and refining a programme theory; search strategies; accessing, selecting and reviewing research papers and other documents; managing databases; analysing and synthesising data and refining theories as appropriate
•    Update relevant knowledge and undertake any further training that may be required to undertake the project
•    Organise and lead stakeholder meetings/PPI to plan the research and develop the NIHR PGfAR application
•    Present findings from the project at internal and external meetings and/or conferences
•    Draft scientific papers from the project and participate in other dissemination activities
•    Work with the research team in developing follow-on and related funding applications
•    Assist in the supervision of interns or students
•    Other reasonable duties as required

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 
•    Hold a relevant Master’s degree, together with relevant experience (especially in secondary research)
•    Ability to manage academic research and associated activities
•    Previous experience of contributing to publications/presentations
•    Ability to tolerate the ambiguity, uncertainties and non-linear processes intrinsic to realist reviews
•    Experience of co-ordinating and delivering stakeholder and/or PPI activities
•    Track record of presenting at conferences and writing papers (appropriate for career stage)
•    Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write for publication, present research proposals and results, and represent the research group at meetings
•    Proven organisational skills
•    Strong administrative skills
•    Possess sufficient Information Technology (computer) skills to meet the needs of the project
•    Willingness to learn new research skills
•    Willingness to work flexibly in order to meet project’s demands
Desirable
•    Hold (or be near to completing) a relevant PhD
•    Possess sufficient specialist knowledge or research experience in the topic and/or methodology
•    Experience of independently managing a discrete area of a research project
•    Experience of actively collaborating in the development of research articles for publication

Attributes and Behaviour 
•    Ability to prioritise competing tasks
•    Ability to work independently, taking initiative and being pro-active, as well as working as a supportive team member
•    Ability to communicate with a diverse range of audiences, including patients, carers and healthcare professionals
•    Ability to carry out research project work within agreed timelines, meeting project milestones and producing research to an appropriate standard
•    Ability and willingness to travel locally and within UK, if required 

Qualifications 
•    MSc/MA/MPH for Assistant - or for appointment at Associate level, a PhD - in health sciences, public health, psychology, social sciences or a related field

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are aDisability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26896

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