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Technical Service Support

The delivery of compliant and successful research requires the expertise and facilities from NHS and academic services.  The range of services supporting research can include:

  • Clinical trials pharmacists
  • General pharmacy
  • Imaging and radiology services
  • Nuclear medicine
  • Pathology
  • Clinical informatics
  • Information governance
  • Medical physics and devices
  • Laboratories

These services are integral to delivering studies, and to ensuring studies are conducted in a safe and compliant manner. Research activities may include risk assessments, feasibility, costings, and quality and compliance against national and local standards and practices. Senior staff may also write policies and develop oversight and quality systems to support research as well as managing teams and overseeing effective study management.

The information below gives a snapshot of some of the research related careers available within this broad category of technical and service support. Including insights from staff currently working within the field at UCLH.

Staff interested in academic career opportunities available to technical and service groups should refer to the pages related to investigators. Staff with an interest in transferring to central support and business functions can also find information on our Research Support and Business Functions webpage.

Other useful links include:

Clinical Trials Pharmacy

Clinical Trial Pharmacy teams are an essential part of the set-up, delivery, and oversight of clinical trials. Trial Pharmacy’s work on all research studies which involve medicinal products including those which are classified as investigational medicinal products (i.e., tested as part of a research study). Their work includes conducting the necessary reviews and checks to ensure pharmaceutical aspects of trials are conducted in accordance with good clinical practice (GCP), good manufacturing practice (GMP), local policies and SOPs, statutory national and international standards, and clinical need.

A clinical trial pharmacy team will be involved in the development and maintenance of quality systems to manage clinical trials, ensuring products are stored correctly and are dispensed and/or manufactured in accordance with requirements. They will also assess studies for compliance, feasibility, and costing. In some cases, clinical trial pharmacists will be involved in the content for pharmacy manuals for research studies.

Roles within clinical trials pharmacy may include clinical trials technicians, trials pharmacists, production technicians, and trials officers. Senior roles will also include Lead Pharmacists for Clinical Trials, Principal Pharmacists for R&D and Leads for Quality Assurance. Clinical Trial Pharmacy are often based within, and accountable to NHS Pharmacy departments.

Given the nature of the work, clinical trial pharmacy careers require staff to be registered pharmacists with experience in NHS (or equivalent) pharmacy. Some roles may not require direct clinical trials experience.

Clinical trial pharmacists with an interest in academic research careers may find the resources and support from the CMORE at UCLH/UCL helpful.

Find out more about the work of clinical trials pharmacy at UCLH by reading a blog on the work and experience of the Principal Pharmacist for Research and Development, Chi Chung.

Imaging and Radiology

Formal review and approval are required where a research study involves the use of imaging or radiation procedures (exposures). Research exposures can include novel procedures as well as those considered standard care, additional exposures, diagnostics, control arms, undertaken prospectively to confirm eligibility, and image-guided procedures. Medical Physics Experts (MPEs) and Clinical Radiation Experts (CRE) within the NHS will verify procedures related to radiation and other exposures related to research studies. The MPE will perform a radiation dose risk assessment. CRE’s assess radiation exposures at the site and advise on the suitability and clinical justification for additional exposures. For MRI-based studies, the wide range of possible types of scans can mean MPEs are often involved at the planning stages of research studies and will advise on matters such as the trade-off between scan time and image information.  Research studies involving radioactive substances will additionally require the sponsor to obtain approval by the Administration Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee (ARSAC).

In support of this workforce, NHS Trusts may also employ imaging coordinators and managers, who oversee the review of studies, collaborate with MPEs, CREs and ARSAC, conduct feasibility assessment and arrange for exposures once studies are live. These coordinators and managers often provide advice on costs and discuss the viability of any complex procedures with sponsors. They will also advise researchers on radiation reviews, identify and omissions and undertake risk assessments. Most senior managers will also provide oversight to multiple trials, and provide direction to a wider team. Additional information about the reviews for research can be found on the HRA website.

Reviews can work for sponsors or within NHS organisations. Some reviewers may also work for the HRA conducting central technical reviews on behalf of other Trusts. For more information on Medical Expert Reviewer roles, please see the NHS Health Research Authority webpages.

A career as an MPE or CRE require HCPC or MPE registration supported by the relevant experience. Imaging coordinators and managers often have a background in a related field, although depending on the responsibilities of the role (e.g., non-specialist coordinators), a background in imaging may not be required specifically.

Find out more about a career in research imaging, by reading a blog from Robert Shortman, a current UCLH Imaging Research Manager.

Clinical and Research Informatics

Data is essential for any research, and indeed many research studies are set up as data-only studies.  High quality research requires high quality data, which in turn needs support from a wide range of data professionals including data engineers, software developers, project managers and operations managers.

These groups work together to enable interoperability between systems, create bespoke systems to serve research purposes, define data pipelines to improve data quality and deliver data securely for research, and oversee the prioritisation and KPIs associated with these goals.

Candidates for these areas would normally have qualifications specific to the role, or equivalent NHS experience, but would not necessarily require both.  Therefore, there are roles suitable for senior staff as well as new starters and those looking for a change in career within the NHS.

If you would like to find out more about research informatics at UCLH, visit the webpages for the UCLH Clinical and Research Informatics Unit (CRIU).

Read Duncan Cartner's blog post to find out more about the work of the CRIU Data Concierge.

Information Governance

The sharing of data for research needs to follow good data and information governance practices. The role of information governance in research is therefore crucial. NHS patients are increasingly interested in how their data is being viewed, used, and shared and it is the role of the Information Governance (IG) team to ensure to ensure their data is treated correctly, securely and in line with national requirements.

IG teams working on research will review research proposals and advise on data matters including the use of data, the categorisation of data, data security and compliance to laws. They also provide inputs to IRAS and CAG applications, produce DPIA’s and data sharing agreements. Transparency and meeting patient’s expectations is a core component of the work.

Candidates for IG related careers can be drawn from multiple professional backgrounds. Entry level positions require administration backgrounds, with development possible into more senior positions. Senior positions require experience in IG related fields and in some cases and IG/DP qualification.

Read Matthew Hall's blog post for more information on Information Governance at UCLH.