Research Fellow

Research Fellow

Evaluation of Buckinghamshire Community Mental Health System

The key purpose of this post is to support the delivery of a local evaluation based upon three data collection cycles, with local data collection involving different stakeholders and feedback to teams. You will actively promote opportunities for rapid learning amongst clinicians, service users, carers, community and voluntary sector partners and the wider NHS. This post is part of a national team (Universities of Plymouth and Sheffield and the McPin Foundation) working on an evaluation of the NHSE Community Mental Health Transformation Programme as key policy initiative.

You will primarily undertake qualitative research: workshops and focus groups, in depth interviews, observation work in meetings in clinical and community settings within Buckinghamshire. You will also support quantitative descriptive data analysis with supervision and support, and be involved in the publication and dissemination/utilisation of findings both locally and within a consortium of up to five pilot sites. An important aspect of this role will be working with researchers, employed in a similar research and evaluation role, in other implementer sites (Frimley and Somerset). The post will be working as embedded researchers in the Buckinghamshire health system and be part of the Community and Primary Care Research Group. It will include working from home and significant field work in Buckinghamshire. Researchers will have honorary contracts with key organisation(s) in Buckinghamshire.

You will exchange information with lead Investigators and work with the local site to devise and implement the local evaluation of the new model of community mental health care in Buckinghamshire. You will also provide, receive and present information about the project to team members/staff/peers within the collaboration and other external bodies as required. In this project, this will include building generalisable theory with researchers in other evaluation sites and the national collaboration team (based at the McPin Foundation, University of Sheffield and University of Plymouth).

You must hold an Undergraduate degree in psychology, health care or a related social science. You must also hold a Post-graduate qualification, or equivalent research/evaluation experience, in mental health, applied research or social science.

Experience of applied research/evaluation experience – data collection, data entry, data analysis, and writing up research. You must have management experience of qualitative data, and it is desirable that you also hold quantitative data management skills. Previous experience working within a multidisciplinary team, ideally with the health and social care settings is desired along with an ability to collaborate with a wide group of stakeholders.

For an informal discussion please email margaret.hart@plymouth.ac.uk to arrange to discuss the post with Professor Richard Byng

Interviews will take place via Zoom on Friday 9 December and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted or not.

This role will require a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This is a part-time position working 22.2 hours per week on a fixed-term basis for 17 months due to funding.