Job Description

Interview will be held on 19th Nov 2025



We have an exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic Clinical Research Assistant to join our welcoming research team. The successful applicant will assist in the pro vision of clinical research within Berkshire Healthcare across several special isms.



You will support research across the whole of Berkshire and travel is therefore an integral part of the job. Additionally, you will actively promote research and the work of the N ational I nstitute for H ealth and care R esearch amongst clinicians, service users and the wider NHS. You will work with the research team to drive clinical research delivery performance within the Trust and help the Trust to achieve research targets.

Work Pattern:

Usually Mon-Fri 9-5 but some flexibility may be required .



In preparation for your interview, you may feel that you would like to learn more about the National Institute for Health and Care Research and clinical research you may want to look at the following:



Transforming lives through research



Research awareness for NHS staff



Embedding a research culture | NIHR



If you feel you want to know more the following online courses are also open for anyone to complete. See the links below for further information:



Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research



Improving Healthcare Through Clinical Research - FutureLearn



What is Health Research



What is Health Research? Online Course - FutureLearn



You will be trained to support a wide variety of research studies and working in conjunction with colleagues from within the Berkshire Healthcare Research & Development team, will support the Clinical Research Team with day-to-day activities for current research studies.

Although this role will present with some opportunities to be involved in the delivery of treatments and interventions in line with Research projects (e.g., shadowing assessments, interventions, co-facilitating outreach workshops/groups), this is a primarily research support focussed role.

The role requires excellent organisational skills and a meticulous approach to work. Main duties include support to implement research protocols, identification, recruitment, and support of patients through the research process as well as providing research support as necessary to study teams and clinicians

The role involves collecting accurate data, management of tissue or other biological samples, carrying out clinical assessments, and document generation and control. You will be required to be trained in venepuncture for this role and a keen eye for detail is required .

Flexibility between Mental Health, Dementia and Community based Portfolio studies is required .



This post is based at University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, but you will be required to travel as required by the job role and as such a time efficient mode of transportation is essential.



Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated 'outstanding' by the CQC, we're committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we're committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

Caring for and about you is our top priority



Committed to providing good quality, safe services



Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions



Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:



Flexible working options to support work-life balance



27 days' annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell



Generous NHS pension scheme



Excellent learning and career development opportunities



'Cycle to Work' and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles



Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services



Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants



Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality



Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave



Free parking across Trust sites

The "must haves" for this role:

Experience of supporting healthcare research in an NHS setting



Excellent communication and organisational skills



Previous management experience



Excellent IT skills



For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.



We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.



We're committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed .



We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call: Emma Donaldson on 07795 047962 or email: research@berkshire.nhs.uk who will be delighted to help.



Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.