CRP Bulletin - April 2026

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Interview with Dr Janice Paterson 

What was your motivation to develop the professional Clinical Research Practitioner (CRP) job role?

The CRP journey began in 2015 and grew out of discussions with Fiona O'Neil and Dr. Susan Hamer and the then Department of Health regarding the growing workforce of "non-nurses" who engaged with patients in research but lacked consistent professional identification. 

At this time, I held the role of Workforce Intelligence Manager in the NIHR Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre (CRNCC) and there were more than 2,000 job titles for roles across the research delivery workforce. I used job role, title and pay band analysis to identify different strata of roles aligning to assistant, practitioner and more senior levels. The project to explore professional identity for "non-nurses" followed an initial proposal made to the then Department of Health (DH) at the end of 2017.  

Mapping out the demographics of the research delivery workforce set the foundation to follow a staged plan under Dr Fiona O'Neill's mentorship as the then Head of Workforce and Learning at the NIHR CRNCC and in close productive partnership with the Academy of Healthcare Science (AHCS). The importance of collaboration was a critical factor in the success of shaping the CRP role.  Firstly, we set about building a community with the CRP Directory, then co-developed scope and standards through collaboration, and finally achieved Professional Standards Authority (PSA) recognition confirming inclusion of CRPs on the AHCS PSA-Accredited Register as an identified profession in April 2020, and professional registration opened in April 2021.  

What were the challenges in workforce development and the role of professional identity?

A big challenge was that the CRP workforce grew quickly in an unplanned and inconsistent way, sometimes without adequate development, leading to potential safety risks, and no identified role responsibility or pathway. The focus of developing what we now known as the CRP professional identity was key to establish, including forming a clear description of the role scope and understanding how it related to the role responsibilities of other health service professionals as part of a team. 

What was your strategy and approach to development of a professional identity? 

Our step-by-step approach to communications and engagement cultivated an understanding of the CRP role, and piloting professional registration with the AHCS began as an experiment.  Decisions to proceed to the next step were based on whether there was interest and uptake.  We gained traction and support, viewing every step as a learning process to shape processes appropriately. Once we had successfully established building a community platform to determine interest, we then began discussing what a professional registration would entail, including standards of practice. The model of the AHCS PSA-Accredited Register provided for processes and thresholds to be set and operated according to PSA requirements for voluntary registration and regulation of health and care professions in the UK where statutory regulation is not in place.

How did you develop standards and engage the public?

Defining the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs to join the AHCS PSA-Accredited Register was a foundational element and we held workshops attended by practitioners, senior nurse leaders and managers and the public to iteratively craft, edit and develop a draft description for open consultation before arriving at a published document.  The NIHR Integrated Workforce Framework helped to guide, inform and structure this process.  Engagement with public ambassadors also confirmed support for the development of CRPs as a profession to become registered with the AHCS, with this providing assurance that they will have demonstrated that they "know what they're doing".

What will be the future milestones and how will you ensure sustainability?

For legitimacy, credibility and long-term sustainability of the CRP profession, standardised education and training needs to be in place and aligned to the AHCS requirements for professional registration.  This is being developed currently, and anticipated to be introduced next year as an apprenticeship programme.  The NIHR currently advocates on behalf of CRPs and will be supporting CRP Leaders to establish an independent professional body that is CRP-led.  This is a further key milestone to accomplish for self sufficiency of the profession long-term. 

What were the challenges in developing an apprenticeship pathway? 

We are currently working with Skills England and reviewing the existing "Clinical Trials Specialist" occupational standard.  An apprenticeship curriculum aligned to this standard is generally tailored to roles supporting LifeSciences Industry employers in particular, and has been adapted in the NHS, but there is room for improving this.  Clinical skills training are specifically not included as part of the programme and so the next steps are to progress development of a Clinical Research Practitioner occupational standard and an associated training scheme. The immediate challenge for design of this lies in addressing both the reciprocal training needs of graduates (who need practice development) and those entering without a degree (who need critical thinking development).  Modular programmes offering choices that tailor to learning need are therefore essential and need to be shaped in parallel for access of opportunity to join the profession to be as broad and open as possible.   

What is your vision for the future of the CRP role?

The professionalising approach to developing CRPs has been embraced in recent years and the vision now is for AHCS-registered CRPs to be recognised as a profession active across the NHS.  This is hopefully achievable within the next few years and we should take every opportunity to celebrate the value that CRPs add to delivering more studies, faster.  Key to a sustainable research workforce that is ready to deliver research across all specialties and settings, CRPs are positioned to grow and elevate research capacity and capability for the future.

Insight into the Clinical Trial Recruitment through Digital Innovation and Inclusive Practice 

Ibiyemi Sadare - Senior Clinical Research Practitioner (Cancer), CRP Engagement Lead, South London

Aim

To improve recruitment volume, speed, and inclusivity by introducing digitally enabled and equity-focused recruitment method.