CRP Bulletin -July 2023
Your July CRP bulletin is here!
This month we welcome Deirdre Brooking the Strategic Engagement Lead for CRPs in the CRNCC. Deirdre talks about her plans in her new role and why you shouldn't let go of your registration if you move into a leadership role. Also this month Milly Brittain from AHCS provides an update on changes to their website including additional guidance for the Experienced Practitioner Gateway process. A reminder too that the CRP drop in sessions are still running, we have dates in the calendar right through until the end of the year, find these in the article below.
Would you like to submit an article for the newsletter or is there a particular topic you'd like to see covered? Then please contact workforceandprofessionscrn@nihr.ac.uk we'd love to hear from you.
Welcoming Deirdre Brooking as Strategic Engagement Lead, CRPs
I'm absolutely delighted to introduce myself as the new national Strategic Engagement Lead for CRPs. I’ll be in this post for the next nine months and will be working 0.5 fte alongside my regular role as Workforce Development Lead at CRN North Thames. You may think a post for such a short time is rather odd. But this role is a critically enabling piece of the jigsaw. The Department of Health and Social Care and NIHR Coordinating Centre see it as a key focus of activity intrinsic to embedding the newly recognised CRP workforce into research being delivered within the NHS, HEIs and Life Sciences Industry.
The project began to gather pace in 2019 as CRPs were recognised for their invaluable contribution to the research landscape and an essential workforce to deliver the NIHR initiatives, particularly during the Covid pandemic. There have been many milestones along the way but the launch of the Register in 2021 was a game changer. To date we have 210 registrants. In order for the register to be self-sustaining it needs more CRPs to join and invest in their future.
The CRP programme has illustrated how difficult organisational change can be with concerns about existing hierarchical posts, CRP job descriptions and banding, lack of vision and understanding of the role. The resources available and the infrastructure to develop CRPs are only a few of the barriers faced. Then there are the multiple layers of approvals needed in the NHS to do anything, and the need to gain consensus can slow things down. Nevertheless, CRPs have many allies, and this is where my new role comes into play. I will be looking to harness top level leadership support in NHS organisations to enable CRPs to have the resources they need to develop. I will be engaging employees to foster a culture where CRPs are valued, invested in, and encouraged to be senior leaders.
Looking back, I never saw myself in a leadership role at all, well yes, maybe in a clinical setting supporting colleagues in a new study or a clinical technique. But I had little interest in management or long term strategy. That is, until I found myself having to explain my training and competencies and I found this rather insulting. It was time to take action.
It was around 2016 that I stepped up to be part of the early stages of the CRP initiative, joining a committee of like minded individuals who wanted to champion and create a professional community for CRPs, and found I rather liked it. CRPs are brilliant team players and I really liked being part of this new team, albeit completely different from the clinical environment I was used to.
In 2021 I left my delivery role and became the Workforce Development Lead for North Thames, managing the new Agile Workforce for 15 months, together with working closely with our partners to develop training and career opportunities as the Workforce Lead.
This secondment at the National Coordinating Centre is really exciting. I would like to share some key areas from my plan of action with you:
Examine the national data set for applications to the Directory and the Register (provided by AHCS), looking at both the highest application rate but more importantly the lowest registration rate.
Understand numbers of CRPs in LCRNs and their banding, deciphering if there is a trend for lack of development in particular areas.
Working with LCRNs, co-design, develop and implement a survey to gather intelligence on specific barriers and enablers to supporting CRP registration and/or developing CRP roles
From this information, plan site/regional visits for dialogue with R&D Departments in Trusts, sharing examples and competency frameworks to offer guidance to support access to registration and career development opportunities.
I will be working closely with NIHR CRN CRP Engagement Leads so please update them, or contact me directly, with any good news you would like to share in relation to increasing engagement with development of CRPs in your organisation.
Finally I'd like to stress that this role does not relinquish my CRP registration, I can satisfy the yearly continual professional development requirement by my management activity and my involvement in training. So, for all the CRPs out there who want to mix up their role a little, speak to your line managers and see how you can get involved in leading your team.
Academy for Healthcare Science website update
Milly Brittain, Project Administrator, AHCS
Over the last month, several updates have been made to the Clinical Research Practitioner area of the Academy for Healthcare Science website.
In particular, the Eligibility Form for the Experienced Practitioner Gateway has been updated to provide some additional guidance in relation to the "current work" section and also it presents the CPD in a more effective way to highlight the learning throughout the research career. In addition, a word count has been implemented to gather a broader description of the applicant's current work.
More information is now available on the Experienced Practitioner Gateway page in relation to the upcoming gateway panel dates. An applicant will be notified via email that there application has gone to the panel. Although, if you are unsure about the status of your application, please don't hesitate to get in contact with crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk
The Directory criteria has been updated to reflect an applicant's transition into a Clinical Research Practitioner role. The criteria is as follows:
Not registered to a healthcare profession.
Working in a research delivery role that involves direct contact with patients, or other study participants, in a clinical environment or other health and social care research setting in the United Kingdom.
A registered, or previously registered, healthcare professional seeking to join the CRP Register in relation to a transition in their individual scope of practice*
N.B. 1. A listing on the CRP Directory does not guarantee eligibility to join the CRP Register;
*2. Joining the CRP Directory, or seeking to join the CRP Register, will not serve statutory registered professionals involved in delivery of research as they will already be best served by their existing regulator and/or professional body. Where individual scope of practice may be transitioning to that of a CRP, dual registration, or registration solely on the AHCS Accredited Register for CRPs may be appropriate and will be considered by AHCS on a case-by-case basis.
Come along to our CRP drop in sessions
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.
Wednesday 30 August 2023 between 15.00 – 16.00: Click here to join the meeting
Monday 2 October 2023 between 12.00 – 13.00: Click here to join the meeting
Tuesday 31 October 2023 between 16.00 – 17.00: Click here to join the meeting
Wednesday 29 November 2023 between 14.00 – 15.00: Click here to join the meeting
Friday 22 December 2023 between 11.00 – 12.00: 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 for Accredited Register 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.
FAQs
Q1) What is the difference is between a ‘professional’ and ‘organisational’ boundary referred to in the reflective account 1.1, Working Across Boundaries document?
A. A professional boundary are those rules that relate to the scope of practice for a defined professional role, the relationship between that professional and other professionals and also their relationship with the participant / patient so that responsibilities and expectations are clear, and these do not become blurred. An example of this could be gaining permission from another member of staff to involve a specific study participant in a trial.
An organisational boundary is maintained by processes, policies and procedures that are in place within departments or in organisations to ensure patients are kept safe while receiving care in that environment. An example of this could be a requirement to gain patient information from another organisation, such as a patient's GP practice, to aid assessment of their eligibility for a trial.
Q2) I have recently joined the Clinical Research Practitioner Directory, what are the next steps?
A. The next steps from joining the Clinical Research Practitioner Directory is to apply for registration.
The entry criteria for the Register is as follows:
Be listed on the CRP Directory.
Hold an undergraduate degree or have a pass through the Gateway: Any degree is accepted (If the degree was awarded overseas, a UK ENIC is required). Alternatively, the applicant needs to have a pass through the Experienced Practitioner Gateway within a 6-month period.
Hold a current Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certificate (Dated within the last 3 years).
Work in a Clinical Research Practitioner role at the practitioner level for a minimum of one year.
Please see the diagram outlining the routes to registration.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, please email crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk with a brief overview of your current role and history and the team will be in contact.
NIHR Team science
The 1st Round of NIHR Team Science has launched. The first stage of the programme is the Team Science Camp. Team Science aims to bring together individuals to form teams to address a research challenge from different disciplinary perspectives. The theme for the 1st Round is Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC).
The deadline for expressions of interest is August 25th. Please forward the information to any and all relevant stakeholders. We need diversity and representation for Team Science to work, so the further this opportunity is disseminated, the better.
Any questions, please contact academy-awards@nihr.ac.uk.
What's happening around the regions
East of England - Regional CRP reflective writing virtual workshop with Q&A
Held by the Library team at Royal Papworth Hospital and will be attended by a registered CRP on :
Thursday 3rd August at 11.00
To book on please get in touch with Emily Knightbridge e.knightbridge@nhs.net
Yorkshire and Humber - Leeds Teaching Hospitals R & I Clinical Research Practitioner newsletter
Want to find out what's happening within R & I in Leeds Teaching Hospitals? Take a look at their first newsletter which has plenty of stories from CRPs.
CRPs on social media
Check out the latest tweets on Twitter using the hashtag #CRPractitioner
Follow the @CRPractitioners twitter 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
