Recruitment, Training and Supervision of Trust Clinical Research Fellows

Guidance for Managers and Clinical Supervisors

  1. Purpose of guidance
  2. This guidance sets out essential requirements for the recruitment, training and supervision of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust clinical research fellows, also known as trust research doctors.

1.2.This guidance focuses on requirements of the research component of the role.

  1. Background
  2. The Trust recognises the importance of research to the successful promotion and protection of health and wellbeing. However, research can involve an element of risk and therefore proper governance of research is essential to ensure that the public can have confidence in, and benefit from, high quality clinical research.

2.2.As clinical research fellows are not part of a national training programme or academic trainee scheme, the Trust wishes to ensure that these members of staff are adequately supported and supervised in conducting the research element of their role, in order to undertake research safely and according to required research governance standards, whilst developing their skills further through access to high quality research training.

  1. Role summary
  2. The clinical research fellow role is a non-training grade sub-consultant medical role employed on Hospital Medical and Dental Staff (England and Wales) terms and conditions of service.

3.2.Trust clinical research fellows are distinct from academic trainee and clinical fellow posts and do not possess a national training number. Most of these posts combine research and clinical commitments. The research component may be linked to acquisition of a higher degree such as MD.

3.3.The duties of the post combine day to day clinical service requirements in the appointing CSU or department, with research and research training.

  1. Research requirements
  2. Research is an integral part of the clinical research fellow role and post holders must be supported in undertaking research projects and given access to appropriate research training.

The following minimum requirements apply:

  • Protected research time

An agreed proportion of the role (recommended minimum 0.4 WTE) must be protected time for research and research training.

  • Allocation to specific research project or programme

At the time of appointment, the clinical research fellowshould be assigned to an identified research project, ideally linked to an established research theme or programme within the department.

  • Supervision

The clinical research fellowmust have a named clinical research supervisor, with appropriate experience of research methodology and governance, to oversee their research activity and training (see section 10).

  • Research training

Clinical research fellows must register for, and undertake, appropriate research training (see section 7).

  1. Recruitment
  2. Clinical research fellows should be recruited using Trust medical staffing recruitment processes. Medical staffing is available to provide support and advice as well as undertaking elements of the recruitment process.See

5.2.Job advertisements and job descriptions should make clear that the post is not part of a national training scheme.

5.3.Contracts must be a minimum1 year duration to allow post holders to undertake clinical duties, take part in research and undertake research training.

5.4.Job descriptions for recruitment of clinical research fellows must include the following standard information:

  • Proportion of time to be spent undertaking research (recommended minimum 0.4 WTE).
  • Whether there is a requirement to register for formal post graduate research training (MD, PhD, Mphil, MSc, Postgraduate certificate). Funding arrangements for the training should be made clear, for example, if funding for the training is available or if the individual will be expected to fund his/her training.
  • Description ofan established research theme, programmeor particular research project to which the post is linked.
  • Assignment to a named clinical research supervisor.
  • Requirement to have awareness of GMC’s Good Research Practice guidance (General Medical Council, 2010).
  • Requirement to register and undertake basic research governance training provided by/via the Trust R&I Department.

See appendix 1 for template job description and person specification.

  1. Induction
  2. New clinical research fellows must take part in Trust and departmental inductions. At local induction the post holder should be assigned to an identified research project or programme and to a named clinical research supervisor.

6.2.The Trust R&I Department will issue an information/induction pack to all new clinical research fellows.

  1. Training
  2. Clinical research fellows should be encouraged and supported to register for a postgraduate research degree. See This ensures academic supervision and access to formal research methodology training. The type of training will depend on length of the post holder’s contract, for example:
  • 1 year contract - Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research (UoL)
  • 2-3 years - MSc
  • 4-6 years - MD/MPhil/PhD

Funding arrangements for the training must be discussed with the post holder as early as possible in the recruitment process (departmental, external grant, individual).

7.2. Clinical research fellows must also register for research governance training to ensure they understand how to undertake research safely and to required national standards. Training should include:

  • Good clinical practice and informed consent
  • Research ethics applications through the IRAS system

See The clinical research supervisor should ensure the postholder accesses the required training, assessing evidence of training during routine review meetings and appraisal.

  1. Research, audit and service evaluation
  2. Theclinical research fellow role must include research in addition to audit and service evaluation. The primary aim of research is to derive generalizable new knowledge.Audit andservice evaluation measure standards of care as part of normal clinical practice and are a requirement for appraisal and revalidation.
  1. Appraisal
  2. The Trust is responsible for the medical appraisal and revalidation of clinical research fellows where the Trust is their primary employer.

9.2.As part of the appraisal process, doctors are asked if they are undertaking research, and if so, are required to upload supporting data for discussion at appraisal.

  1. Supervision of research - clinical and academic
  2. Trust medical appraisal provides support and supervision around fitness to practise and personal development, including research. However, regular and comprehensive supervision of clinical research fellows’ progress is crucial to ensure research progresses satisfactorily, safely and to required governance standards.

10.2 Satisfactory progress by the fellow with their research requires ring fencing of their time for research and research training. It is the responsibility of clinical research supervisors to ensure the fellows have adequate protected time for research.

10.3 The supervisor should set formal objectives and research study milestones, including registration for research training.

10.4 Supervision should take the form of regular, minuted, one to one meetings between the clinical supervisor and clinical research fellow. Meetings should include discussion of progress of the research project, includingresearch protocol development and research ethics and R&I applications. Research training and registration for a higher degree (where appropriate) should also be discussed and evidence of registration/attendance provided.

10.5 Clinical research fellows should also be encouraged to present their research activity at regular departmental research meetings.Where the post holder has registered for an MD or PhD s/he will be allocated to 2 academic supervisors (seeFaculty of Medicine and Health Graduate School at

11Assurance

11.1 The R&I Department will maintain a central register of Trust clinical research fellows (including name, specialty, length of contract, supervisor/s, research project and training details) and will share relevant information with individual CSU R&I leads and management teams to facilitate CSU oversight of clinical research fellows.

11.2 Clinical Research supervisors need to record academic activity of their trainees including a record of their research time, outputs and progress. These are useful if there is any disagreement as to the benefits accrued from the post.

12Guidance and further information

Further information is available on the R&Iwebsite at

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