The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is an international leader in cancer research and development and is one of the largest cancer treatment centre of its kind in Europe.
We are pleased to invite applications for a Clinical Research Matron role within our R&I Division. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to lead and inspire our Renal, OG, and Surgical research teams, overseeing a diverse and established portfolio of studies. The post offers the chance to drive innovation and excellence in research dedicated to advancing the treatment of patients with oncological cancers.
As Clinical Research Matron, you will hold operational responsibility for the delivery and performance of your allocated disease teams, providing visible, effective leadership across the service. You will line manage Senior Clinical Research Nurses and Research Portfolio Support Managers, fostering a high performing, collaborative environment.
You will be part of an experienced peer network of Clinical Research Matrons, with line management from a Lead Research Nurse. Professional accountability sits with the Associate Chief Nurse for the R&I Division, ensuring strong strategic oversight. A tailored induction and ongoing mentorship will support your success.
This role suits a motivated, forward thinking senior research nurse with significant experience in line management and operational delivery. You will be an excellent communicator, collaborative in approach, and aligned to The Christie’s values.
In this role, you will:
- Translate strategic priorities into effective operational delivery.
- Provide inspirational leadership to drive performance and quality.
- Work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
- Oversee disease specific research teams within your portfolio.
- Champion a proactive, solutions focused approach.
This is a key opportunity to contribute to advancing cancer research and improving patient outcomes. Informal discussions are welcomed, and further details are available in the supporting documents.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services.
We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Planning and organisational duties
- Provide professional and management leadership to support the development of clinical research activity for defined research teams.
- Supports the development and implementation of the R&I strategy and objectives.
- Supports the design and implementation of relevant strategies within the trust including the NIHR Nursing strategy, and Trust Nursing & AHP Strategy.
- Foster strategic links and work in close partnership with appropriate key stakeholders to ensure all local, corporate, and national initiatives and research targets are met.
- Ensure appropriate processes are in place to oversee and influence the performance of teams.
- Conduct trial feasibility to assess the impact on workload in defined research groups and the Trust to establish whether there are adequate resources available to meet clinical trial activity.
- To have full oversight of clinical trial submission process within teams and overall responsibility from feasibility through to closing out of a team portfolio of clinical trials.
- Provide divisional representation on relevant trust wide committees relating to governance structures and operational management, where appropriate, including Nurse Leaders Forum and Quality and Safety Group.
- Work autonomously in all areas of practice relating to clinical research.
- Take a proactive approach in ensuring local and national performance and recruitment metrics are adhered to and met.
- Work with Trust R&I department and research staff to ensure regulatory and governance frameworks are adhered to.
- Ensure staff are appropriately trained to undertake delegated activities.
- Identify strategies for recruiting patients to clinical trials and support team members in implementing these strategies.
- Identify workforce requirements to meet the divisional objectives and have overall responsibility for the recruitment processes within defined area of responsibility.
- Ensure all Trust-wide policies and practices are adhered to and implemented within teams.
- Work in collaboration with the clinical teams daily. Monitor and action decisions in relation to clinical areas ensuring nursing skill mix in relation to activity and acuity. Manage and report any risk issues to the Divisional Associate Chief Nurse in a timely manner.
- Organize and plan your own day to day workload or activities to meet the demands of the job role.
- Ensure that day to day staffing and resources are deployed across the division to meet the needs of services in conjunction with the divisional Lead Research Nurses.
- Use information obtained from patients, families and staff to make changes to the patient environment and care where appropriate or necessary.
- The clinical research Matron will be accountable for the assessment, planning, implementation provision and evaluation of patient care; ensuring that nursing and corporate standards are implemented, maintained, monitored and improved upon where necessary. This includes assuming all overall accountability within their teams for the monitoring, review, improvement and provision of evidence and assurance relating to patient care.
Patient / Service user related duties
- Oversee the management, implementation, and facilitation of clinical trial delivery.
- Set up processes/patient pathways in specialist research areas to promote a cost-effective timely service for individual protocols (including specialist clinics)
- Assimilate complex information relating to clinical trials and communicate this information to patients and staff at a level appropriate to their understanding.
- When required, work clinically as a resource and role model, ensuring a reasonable balance between need, area of expertise and own research.
- Promote and adhere to the EU directive and ICH/GCP.
- Demonstration of expert knowledge in specialist area to maintain clinical excellence.
- Supports in the divisional objectives relating to EDI and PPIE, ensuring these programs of work are seen as a key part of divisional workplans and strategic objectives.
- Ensures effective communication channels exist between patients and relevant stakeholders at all levels.
- Ensures patients and their families are treated with dignity and respect and information is conveyed to them in a timely and understandable manner.
- Be a visible leader who is accessible and assists patients/service users/carers/relatives during incidental contacts.
- Accountable for ensuring the appropriate and effective development, delivery and monitoring of patient care and service across areas of responsibility.
- Monitor the quality and timeliness of nursing care and service provision in accordance with relevant professional and local standards.
- Responsible for ensuring that care is delivered in a safe, efficient, effective, and timely manner.
- Responsible for providing senior nursing advice across areas of the Trust as required, including participation in Duty Manager Rota for evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
- Support Lead Research Nurse colleagues to ensure the most appropriate distribution of staffing resources to balance risks and to ensure the safe and smooth running of the division.
Responsibilities for human resources
- Support new or less experienced work colleagues to adapt to the workplace.
- Ensure self and others practice is in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Code of Conduct.
- As an ambassador of the nursing profession, ensure self and others practice to the highest professional standards.
- Responsible for the informal and formal appraisal of direct line report staff and for ensuring that they are trained, supported, and developed accordingly.
- Ensure that all direct line report staff have clear and agreed performance objectives that support the delivery of the Directorate and the wider Divisional and Trust objectives.
- Participate in skill mix review, workforce redesign and recruitment and retention strategies to develop and modernise the workforce in conjunction with the divisional Senior Nursing and Management team.
- Responsible for the effective management of staff sickness and absence as well as maintaining an overview ensuring absence percentage targets are not breached, acting where required.
- Responsible for overseeing HR management within their areas of responsibility including recruitment, sickness absence, training etc.
- Overseeing and monitoring the quality, timeliness, and development of nursing care in accordance with relevant professional standards.
- The Clinical Research Matron will provide professional advice and support to specialty teams and service line colleagues to ensure the delivery of the highest quality of patient care and service delivery.
- As a senior team member within the Division, the Clinical Research Matron will act as a professional role model to all nurses and will take corrective action to uphold the standards required of the Trust and the profession.
- The clinical Research Matron will be required to deputies for the Lead Research Nurses as required and appropriate.
- Participate in training and development activities that are relevant to the job role.
Responsibility for financial resources
- Manage and negotiate research budgets for defined research teams, ensuring oversight of all invoicing and income.
- Work with the research income and costings team in forecasting projected income to secure funding for the retention and expansion of Clinical trial team nursing and administration posts.
- Develop business plans to secure funding for the provision of resources as required.
- Ensure appropriate use of trust funds in line with SFI’s, inc. pay and non-pay resources. Including formulating and delivering remedial action plans where adverse variances arise.
- Ensure oversight and active management of aged debt within teams.
- The Clinical Research Matron is responsible for ensuring that all equipment in their department is well maintained and cleaned and replaced in accordance with relevant professional and corporate standards, ensuring accurate records are maintained.
