Senior Fieldworker

The role

Bristol Vaccine Centre (BVC) is a team of doctors, nurses, administrative and laboratory staff working together to develop new, better ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases. We conduct commercial and non-commercial clinical trials to evaluate novel drugs and vaccines, from small early-phase safety studies to large efficacy trials. We also carry out clinical research to find out more about the naturally occurring carriage of bacteria and/or viruses in healthy individuals, and how this changes in illness. This work can take the shape of large epidemiological studies or smaller lab-based research projects that use human tissue samples, which are obtained via donations to the Bristol Biobank, which is coordinated by BVC staff.

BVC studies are carried out under the auspices of the University of Bristol and/or the local NHS trusts, with each institution leading on different studies. Some studies run in a hospital setting, but a number of BVC research studies are conducted in community settings and involve liaising with local schools, colleges and/or nurseries, as well as individual participants and/or their parents.

We are seeking applications from motivated, reliable, and hard-working individuals for the role of Senior Fieldworker to join our friendly and rapidly expanding team. These posts will be supporting a new study looking at respiratory infections presenting to primary care. The post-holders will be supporting recruitment across 2 (of 6) participating GP practices each (Nailsea & Avonmouth / Little Stoke & Yate / Montpelier & Barton Hill) by conducting home visits to obtain consent, collect samples and complete questionnaires with patients who are not able to come to the practice, so must be able to travel independently.

What will you be doing?

• Explain research study to potential participants and obtain informed consent
• Carry out home visits to collect samples (e.g. respiratory swab, saliva & urine) from study participants who have been identified as having a respiratory infection
• Assist participants with the completion of questionnaires and/or symptom diaries
• Coordinate day-to-day/regular study activities (clinics, sample collection)
• Respond to participant queries and expressions of interest
• Contribute to delivery of projects to time and target
• Ensure work is carried out in line with regulatory and legislative requirements (REC/HRA/MHRA, ICH GCP, Human Tissue Act etc)
• Provide training to junior team members
• Make a positive contribution to the team by assisting colleagues and providing cover for other team members, as needed

You should apply if

• You have experience of explaining research aims to members of the public and conducting informed consent discussions with potential participants
• You have experience of taking/obtaining samples from patients/study participants
• You have experience in clinical research administration in a University or NHS setting
• You have knowledge of Good Clinical Practice (ICH GCP) and the Human Tissue Act
• You will ideally have, experience of using RedCAP databases
• You have experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team
• You have a responsible approach to own work, and ability to work constructively with others to achieve team targets
• You are able to travel independently in order to conduct home visits across a wide area
• The ability to speak languages other than English would be advantageous, as the study aims to be as inclusive as possible in the recruitment of ethnic minority patients

We welcome applications from all members of our community and are particularly encouraging those from diverse groups, such as members of the LGBT+ and BAME communities, to join us.