Mood Disorders Research Fellow
About us
At Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust we provide a range of mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, primary care and other specialist services designed around the needs of people in our city.
We have a dedicated and skilful team of people caring in Sheffield, which you could become a part of.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. These are: working together for our service users, respect and kindness, everyone counts, commitment to quality, improving lives.
Job overview
At SHSC NHS Foundation Trust our vision is to improve the mental, physical, and social wellbeing of people in our community, and the role will play a crucial part in helping us achieve this. We are looking for someone who really shares our values of working together, respect and kindness, everyone counts, commitment to quality and improving lives of the people we support.If this is the kind of organization you want to work for then, we really want to hear from you. Sheffield is a unique place that offers the best of city life, with the countryside on your doorstep – it’s why we are known as the ‘Outdoor City’.
It’s a fantastic place to live, work and bring up a family. There are some great schools and colleges as well as two
Universities with whom we have close working relationships and there are good transport links whether you are travelling by car, train, bus, tram or bike. Whatever stage of your career you are at, we know that you will have passions and ambitions and at SHSC we are keen to support you with these, through educational, leadership, research and other developmental offers.As well as being rewarding we know these roles can also be challenging and we want to reassure you that we put the health and
wellbeing of our staff first. We are often able to offer flexible working arrangements and a work life balance that puts you first. You will have access to a range of support offers including regular supervision and a coaching and mentoring service.
Main duties of the job
Sheffield Health and Social Care has been selected as one of 15 sites working on the Mood Disorders Workstream of the Mental Health Mission. This project aims to increase local clinical research capacity by expanding our ability to recruit to and deliver clinical trials in mood disorders.It will increase future capacity by training early stage doctors in clinical research delivery, with a focus on developing the skills needed
to work on commercial clinical trials.
This project will build on our existing strengths as a centre of excellence in mood disorders research. We have recently established a Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at the Longley Centre, equipped with the necessary equipment, processes and facilities to support mood disorder research.This facility includes a Psychedelic Treatment Suite and is covered by a Schedule 1 drug license for the use of novel psychoactive investigational products. We are currently delivering 3 clinical trials using
these facilities, with a further 4 trials at various stages of set up for the future.
Working for our organisation
At SHSC, we prioritise the well-being and safety of both our service users and employees. It is our policy and a condition of employment that all employees must join the DBS Update Service. This service carries an annual fee, which employees are responsible for paying up front.However, employees may claim this cost back through the Trust's Employee Expenses Reimbursement Policy. For those requiring a Basic DBS check, it is necessary to register for a DBS Online Account.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will assess patients referred to our Mood Disorders Research Clinic. Patients will be screened for eligibility first and will be offered an appointment if they: a) have evidence of major depression, bipolar or generalized anxiety disorder, b) lack significant psychiatric risk or substance abuse, and c) express some initial willingness to consider participation in a research study.Under supervision of the Clinical Lead, you will conduct a research-informed comprehensive mood disorders assessment. This will include a detailed review of their presenting complaint, psychiatric/medical history, treatment history, social/occupational history, and current mental state.
Your assessment will include structured clinical assessment tools. After discussion with the Clinical Lead you may make treatment recommendations to the GP, who will be responsible
for ongoing care. You will remain familiar with local study eligibility criteria and apply these criteria to your assessment findings. If participants are eligible for current research studies you will offer initial participant information ahead of a study specific screening visit.
Person specification
Knowledge & Skills
Essential criteria- Competence in basic clinical procedures
- Able to priorities clinical need, time and workload
- Aware of own limitations
- Understands the principles of patient confidentiality and data protection
- Understand the importance of working effectively in teams
- Ability to assess, recognise and initiate management of the acutely ill patient and play an effective part in advanced life support
- Understanding of the basic principles of audit and clinical governance
- Ability to undertake a full psychiatric assessment including mental state examination
- Understands the criteria for diagnostic categories for common mental disorders
- Knowledge of UK health systems, practices and values; awareness of current issues in the NHS
- Computer literate
- Understands the importance & impact of information systems in health care
- Ability to practice evidence-based medicine
- Evidence of continuous professional development
- Contributes to teaching and learning of others
- Active participation in clinical audit
- Understanding of research methods and clinical trial procedures
Training & Qualifications
Essential criteria- MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
- Fully registered with the GMC with a licence to practice
- Satisfactory completion of F1 & F2 or equivalent or completion of core training in psychiatry.
- MRCPsych or equivalent
- Additional degrees e.g. MSc, PhD
- Distinctions, scholarships, prizes
Experience
Essential criteria- Clinical experience within a mental health setting
- Wide range of experience relevant to the post within NHS or comparable service
- Evidence of experience in medical audit and understanding of principles of clinical governance
- Able to use and appraise clinical evidence
- Demonstratable experience of leadership and initiative within clinical environments
- Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
- Experience of health services research and/or clinical trials including commercial trials
- Teaching/presentation experience (e.g., conference presentation, EBM, research experience) to a range of audiences.
- Extensive clinical experience with mood disorders
Other
Essential criteria- Understanding of importance of multi-disciplinary service provision, and collaborative working across teams for the benefit of service users.
- Sensitivity to needs of different ethnic and minority groups
- Understanding of and ability to deliver care in collaboration with service users to promote recovery
- Highly effective communication skills
- Team player, strengths focused, skilled in developing positive, professional relationships.
- Reflective, insightful to own learning and communication style, willing to learn and develop.
Please think about your personal values and how these align with our values when you are applying. Find out more about our organisation through our website.
We are a Disability Confident employer level 2 and hope to achieve level 3 this year. We offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria for a role. When you apply you will have the opportunity to let us know if you require adjustments to be made, please contact us if you are not sure or if you require adjustments to the application process itself.
Our six staff network groups welcome new members, these are:
- The Ethnically Diverse Staff Network Group
- The Disability Staff Network Group
- The Lived Experience Staff Network Group
- The Rainbow Staff Network Group
- The Staff Carers Staff Network Group
- The Women’s Staff Network Group
We know how important flexible working can be to applicants and therefore we encourage you to discuss any working arrangements as part of this process. We will always aim to accommodate requests, wherever possible.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children and as part of our safe recruitment practice the successful applicant(s) will be subject to a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if it is deemed appropriate for the role.The cost of the DBS check (currently up to £48.23) must be met by the successful applicant(s).
When applying for this post you will redirected to complete your application in our preferred applicant management system, Trac. If you are successfully offered a role, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.In addition, in submitting an application, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.
Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting statement.
While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge, and experience. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice.
Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting statement is not advocated by SHSC and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.
For example, AI responses…- usually lack relevance and fail to address the key criteria outlined in the job description and person specification.
- may come across as generic and fail to distinguish you from other applicants.
- may be ambiguous or open to misinterpretation. Without careful review and editing, the supporting statement could convey messages that are unclear or misconstrued by hiring managers.
- may include qualifications, skills, knowledge or experience that you do not possess, potentially leading to misrepresentation.
Supporting Statement
The supporting statement is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person.
Recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. Managers will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations.Share work-related successes and challenges you’ve navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.
Consider structuring your statement with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.