Digital Research Facilitator

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties and responsibilities 

 Communication 

Act as a key liaison between the Commercial Research Delivery Centre, clinical teams, Kent, Medway, Sussex Secure Data Environment, GP practices,  the Research Delivery Network (RDN), and any other digital services that are appropriate,  ensuring seamless communication to facilitate the identification and recruitment of research participants. 

Proactively engage with and solicit feedback from a diverse range of stakeholders to refine digital workflows and ensure processes are fit for purpose. 

Work closely with the CRDC Sussex PPIE stakeholder group to ensure recruitment pathways are inclusive, transparent, and meet the needs of diverse regional communities. 

Translate complex digital data sets and feasibility metrics into clear, actionable reports for clinical teams and commercial sponsors to strengthen Expressions of Interest (EoIs) and recruitment strategies. 

Influence and persuade primary care partners to adopt new digital workflows, overcoming barriers to engagement by demonstrating the reduction in administrative burden and benefits to patient care. 

Communicate the importance of health equality and regional data usage to stakeholders, ensuring that recruitment strategies are designed to reach traditionally under-represented groups. 

Responsible for producing high-quality documentation, risk reviews, and performance updates regarding the new digital pathway, presenting findings to the Digital Research Access Manager and regional heads of service. 

Service delivery and improvement 

 Lead the operationalisation of a new digital workflow connecting hospital-led research with primary care data, converting complex manual processes into a streamlined, scalable digital pathway. 

Continuously evaluate and test new processes for participant identification, producing relevant documentation and adapting workflows based on feedback from a range of stakeholders 

Take responsibility for a 2-day invitation turnaround, ensuring that for at least 80% of eligible studies, potential participants are contacted within 48 hours of study opening. 

 Produce comprehensive monthly activity reports to track progress against regional and national recruitment targets. 

Through proactive pre-screening across the community, monitor performance against UK government metrics for commercial research, including the first recruit in less than 30 days target is met for >/80% of eligible studies. 

 Conduct regular risk reviews of the digital recruitment pathway, implementing corrective actions and process adaptations to mitigate bottlenecks and improve the reliability of trial feasibility data. 

Contribute to service improvements that specifically target previously less well served communities in areas such as Crawley, Eastbourne, and Hastings, ensuring the service model promotes equity of access to clinical trials. 

Maintain and update the local portfolio management system (LPMS), ensuring all study data is accurate and timely. 

Support the study set-up dashboard, providing real-time visibility of feasibility assessments and recruitment milestones to the wider Research Delivery team. 

People management and development 

Responsible for carrying out duties in line with the Trust’s e-rostering processes, including managing rosters, supporting staff allocation, and contributing to effective budget reconciliation and workforce planning 

Patient care delivery 

Act as a guardian of patient data, ensuring that all digital identification and pre-screening processes adhere to the highest standards of data protection and confidentiality. Ensure that the use of data is conducted ethically and in full alignment with Trust information governance and "Patient First" values. 

Directly contribute to patient care by using digital tools to identify and include under-represented populations and seldom heard communities. This ensures that access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials is determined by clinical need and regional equity rather than geographic location or GP practice capacity. 

Collaborate with PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) stakeholders and the Surrey and Sussex Research Engagement Network to ensure that digital recruitment pathways are respectful, accessible, and designed with the patient experience at the forefront. 

Support the delivery of high-quality research by ensuring the rapid identification of participants, thereby accelerating the timeline for patients to access novel therapies and interventions that can improve health outcomes across Sussex. 

Learning and development 

Identify learning and development needs within Primary Care and community settings regarding digital research workflows; design and deliver targeted training or guidance to GP staff and researchers to ensure the effective use of the new digital recruitment pathway. 

Act as a regional subject matter expert for digital participant identification, providing consultancy and support to the South East Research Delivery Network (SERRDN) and wider care settings to help staff adopt new digital tools, share best practices, and standardise recruitment processes across Sussex. 

Attend mandatory training updates as required. 

Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process. 

Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales. 

Identify own learning needs and jointly plan training requirements with your line manager 

Participate in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service. 

This job description is an outline of the role and responsibilities. From time to time due to the needs of the service, we may ask you to flexibly undertake other duties that are consistent with your role and banding, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover. 

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the department and the organisation.