CRP Bulletin - September 2024
Welcome Tiffany Stewart
First AHCS-registered CRP in Scotland!
Highlights in this bulletin
CRP Engagement Webinars
The Yorkshire and Humber CRP Engagement Leads are running some Yorkshire-wide engagement sessions for prospective CRP's and their managers, and are pleased to invite you to attend.
The next sessions coming up are on 30th October and 28th November.
Please get in touch to sign up
admin.crnyorkshumber@nihr.ac.uk.
Update on the Experienced Practitioner Gateway
The Experienced Practitioner Gateway was launched in January 2023, as a time-limited route for experienced Clinical Research Practitioners who do not hold a degree to access registration.
Since this date, 93 Clinical Research Practitioners have successfully passed through the Gateway and 57 of these eligible CRP’s now have progressed fully onto the Clinical Research Practitioner Register and the rest are in the process.
Following agreement to a proposal presented to the CRP Register Advisory Group, we are pleased to announce that the Experienced Practitioner Gateway will remain open for another year, till January 2026. Continued operation will be reviewed in line with standardised education-based routes of access to registration currently in development. In the meantime however, applicants who don't have a degree, but do have the required amount of practitioner level experience and wish to become registered, are advised to begin their Experienced Practitioner Gateway eligibility application without delay.
We would also like to say a huge thank-you to the verifiers who continue to support the Experienced Practitioner Gateway panels. The CRP workforce will continue to play such a vital role in the continuing national research effort and the strategy for future growth.
Over the upcoming months, we will be releasing anonymised examples of eligibility forms for the Gateway to enhance current application guidance. Please find the guidance here - https://www.ahcs.ac.uk/our-registers/clinical-research-practitioners/about-the-experienced-practitioner-gateway/
All applications need to be submitted five weeks prior to the Gateway panels, please refer to the website for panel dates: https://www.ahcs.ac.uk/registration/psa-accredited-register/clinical-research-practitioners/about-the-gateway/
Please be aware when submitting your portfolio on or close to the deadline, if there is any information missing, this may result in your portfolio going to the next panel, we will let you know if this is the case.
Please read all documentation in particular eligibility criteria before applying.
To start your Gateway application, please visit: https://crpregister.ahcs.ac.uk/
The Academy and the NIHR hold online drop in sessions via MS Teams, these dates can be found here.
You can locate your local Clinical Research Practitioner engagement lead here, they support the growing profession.
For help and guidance regarding the process, please email: crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk
Connecting Clinical Research Practitioners across the West Midlands
By Ruth Johns and Rachel Evans, AHCS-Registered Clinical Research Practitioners.
The West Midlands Clinical Research Practitioner (CRP) Engagement Lead and LCRN Workforce Development team have worked in collaboration with CRPs and managers in the region to create a forum to support the development of a local community of practice. The CRP Forums were launched on 10 April 2024, and to date three online forums have successfully been held.
These forums have provided a space for colleagues working in a CRP role and their managers, to learn and ask questions regarding the eligibility criteria and process of joining the CRP directory and application for registration on the Academy of Healthcare Science (AHCS) accredited register.
The first forum featured guest speaker Deirdre Brooking, providing a national CRP update.The forums have gone on to include a CRP’s reflective journey through the gateway route to registration and senior Research and Development managers have shared their inspiring CRP journeys. Along the way, hints and tips have been shared from registered CRPs and a CRP verifier on how to write and create a body of evidence for both application and continued registration with the AHCS CRP accredited register.
To date these forums have been a great success, with approximately 30 attendees at each event. They have received very positive feedback and provided suggestions for future areas of discussion. After a summer break, the West Midlands CRP forum is returning in September for a full day event to connect CRPs across the West Midlands.
National FREE Research and Development Conference hosted by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust
As in previous years the aim of this conference is to showcase some of the fantastic work that's happening in the research world (Monday 14 — Wednesday 16 October) as well as giving staff and local partners from Herefordshire and Worcestershire a platform to showcase their work (Thursday 17 October), and the Launch of the Memorandum of Understanding between our Trust and University of Worcester (Friday 18 October). I’ve attached the conference poster and some blurb below:
This FREE Research and Development conference, hosted by Herefordshire & Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust, is open to EVERYONE (including people outside the NHS) and gives you the chance to hear from national research experts as well as catching up on what’s happening more locally in the research world. An event not to be missed!
There are daily virtual sessions starting at 10.30am and themes:
Monday 14.10.24: Strengthening and Conditioning; MSK; and Behavioural Change
Tuesday 15.10.24: Psychosis
Wednesday 16.10.24: Dementia
Thursday 17.10.24: Local researchers including REN (Research Engagement Network)
Friday 18.10.24: Launch event of the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between our Trust and University of Worcester.
Speakers include:
Keynote: Dr Claire Minshull; Professor Matthew Broome; and Dr Emma Wolverson.
And: Professor Joanna Moncrieff; Professor Vanessa Raymont; Dr Serena Simmons; Adam Smith; Professor Danielle van der Windt; Dr Natasha Lord; Saffron Davies.
Tickets can booked here: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DSXB
Please view the conference agenda in full along with the speakers, bios and presentation titles here: https://www.hacw.nhs.uk/evidence-based-practice-conference
If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch: alice.madden1@nhs.net
Come along to a CRP drop in session
Need help completing your Clinical Research Practitioner register application or you are supporting someone to complete their application? Then come along to one of our drop in sessions. No need to book, just turn up and stay as long as you like. Bring along any questions or reflections you may have.
Friday 26 September between 09:30-10:30: Click here to join the meeting
Friday 29 November 2024 between 15.00 – 16.00: Click here to join the meeting
Any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk or you can check out the resources on our website
Step-by-step Guidance on Accredited Registration for applicants
Model templates
And if you would like to connect with your local CRP Engagement Lead find their details on the CRP community site
Develop your leadership
Leadership e-learning modules
The free modules are suitable to those new to leadership or experienced. Those new to leadership and experienced leaders will benefit from these modules. The latest three modules will help you learn how to:
Lead change
Overcome imposter phenomenon
Encourage safe conflict
Find out more by registering or logging into NIHR Learn, and selecting Leadership Development, and then Leadership e-learning Modules.
Keeping details accurate
Please make sure your locality details are recorded accurately when applying to join the CRP Directory, and keep these up to date. This information is key to help best support you and the CRP Community.
If you are already listed on the CRP Directory and are ready to join the AHCS Register, you can begin your application for registration through your online AHCS portal site. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in contact with crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk
Connect on social media
Check out the latest tweets on X (Twitter) using the hashtag #CRPractitioner - you can:
Follow the @CRPractitioners handle run by a group of CRPs
Join the Facebook page (CRP Support Group) to share questions, achievements and more
Join this CRP Group on Linkedin