“Like a nurse but not a nurse”: Clinical Research Practitioners and the evolution of the clinical research delivery workforce in the NHS

Abstract

Background Clinical research is increasing across the United Kingdom. Within the context of a shortage of nurses, trusts have struggled to maintain research capacity. In order to meet staffing demands, trusts have increasingly turned to Clinical Research Practitioners (CRPs) to assist in the delivery of clinical research. Initially an ad hoc workforce, the CRP role is being formalised and professionalised. This study is a close examination of the clinical research delivery workforce at one research-intensive acute trust in the United Kingdom, with a focus on the emerging CRP staff group. Methods The study was conducted in a large inner-city teaching hospital (acute trust) in London, United Kingdom. Data were collected between September and December 2017. Twenty-five staff were interviewed across 11 different directorates. Interviews were semi-structured with an overall focus on research staff backgrounds and roles, as well as their perceptions and experiences of careers in research. The data were managed using NVivo 11 software and analysed thematically. Results CRPs are drawn from a wider pool of educational and employment backgrounds than their nurse colleagues, and actively seek out work in health research. CRPs receive on-the-job training to acquire the competencies that are necessary for them to carry out their work. The CRP role, which began in an ad hoc manner, has become regularised, yet remains to be well defined, which can be a source of frustration for CRPs and those who work with them. Conclusions The professionalisation of the CRP workforce represents an opportunity for the health research system to employ research workers who possess a range of in-demand skills and to shore up research capacity in the context of the shortage of nurses.

Development of a core competency framework for clinical research staff

“…Some views expressed by members of the focus session echoed that of the CRPs in Faulkner-Gurstein and colleagues' study [9]. For example, there was a great overlap of duties between band 4 and band 6 research staff in the focus session, similar to that described by the CRPs where they are expected to have clinical skills, provide admin support and data management across the research delivery pathway.…”

“…A recent study highlighted some of the challenges faced by clinical research practitioners (CRPs), who now comprise a large segment of research delivery teams in the NHS. Many CRPs describe a lack of available training that is specific to their roles [9]. They can also feel limited in utilising their clinical skills due to their non-registered position, which can have consequences on their professional development, morale and motivation.…”

Boundary spanning and identity work in the clinical research delivery workforce: a qualitative study of research nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in the National Health Service, United Kingdom

“…At the same time as feeling that clinical colleagues and patients do not always understand and value their research delivery activities, a further challenge to the ongoing establishment and progress of the R-NMAHP workforce comes from initiatives to professionalize non-HCPs to deliver research. In the United Kingdom, clinical research practitioners (CRPs) have been identified as a new cadre involved in multiple stages of the research process [ 9 ]. The recent establishment by the NIHR of the CRP Directory represents efforts to define, identify and accredit a group within research delivery that exists alongside, but is not the same as, research nursing; however, this approach may be shifting.…”

“…Recent growth in clinical research activity—in the United Kingdom particularly through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)—has generated the new professional roles of research nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (R-NMAHPs) who now play an important role in delivering clinical research [ 9 ]. In this paper, we consider the identity work of R-NMAHPs as a relatively new professional cadre, in the context of their boundary-spanning roles requiring them to work across and between the boundaries of different groups.…”

The role of clinical trial nurses: Transitioning from clinicians to clinical research coordinators

“…In accordance with the value of clinical trials, global competitiveness in government‐level clinical trials is being encouraged in many countries that strive to become a global clinical powerhouse. In an international context, year‐on‐year increases in the number of such clinical trials worldwide contribute to research, whereas numerous new studies add to the portfolio (Faulkner‐Gurstein et al, 2019; Ness & Royce, 2017).…”