Clinical Fellow for the National Prostate Cancer Audit

Job Title Clinical Fellow for the National Prostate Cancer Audit

Salary Pay Scales for Specialist Registrars in England up to ST5 (£49,909 - £61,825 (plus London weighting); in a full-time position, depending on qualifications and experience.

Contract Type –Full-time, Fixed Term Contract

Location - We fully support flexible working, either from our superb offices in Holborn or from home (subject to role requirements)

About us

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is the professional body for surgery. Our mission is to build the future of the surgical profession and improve the delivery of surgical care. We do this through education, training, examination, supporting surgical research and providing support and advice for surgeons at all stages of their careers.

About the role

The fellowship provides a unique opportunity to work with an expert clinical / audit team at the national centre of excellence to help strengthen NHS cancer services and reduce variation in prostate cancer care. The role is based at the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre (NATCAN) within the Clinical Effectiveness Unit (CEU), jointly run by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

The position would be suitable for a urological or clinical oncological trainee with an interest in prostate cancer. The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team, analysing national data collected at scale starting in 2013 to carry out population-based research whilst developing advanced analysis and research skills. The research hub is housed at The Royal College of Surgeons in London but remote / on-line working will be available for a proportion of the working week.

The National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA) archive contains a large and detailed outcome-linked dataset which is available to undertake research for patient benefit and with the potential to generate academic papers with national / international impact. The post-holder is expected to lead on writing journal articles and conference presentations and work towards an MD or PhD thesis submission. All study will be supported fully by senior clinicians, epidemiologist, statisticians and the infrastructure integral to NATCAN. The NPCA has an excellent track record of success in MD and PhD submissions. Fees for higher degrees will be reimbursed by the CEU.

Responsibilities

Development of the National Prostate Cancer Audit

The successful applicant will work closely with the NPCA’s senior team, including Professor Jan van der Meulen (Epidemiology), Dr Alison Tree (Clinical Oncology) and Professor Noel Clarke (Urology), as well as NATCAN team members based in the CEU in developing the Audit. This work will include: 

1.    Describing patterns of prostate cancer care and patient outcomes by analysing national datasets on hospital care, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy from the Audit’s data providers in England (NHS England) and Wales (Wales Cancer Network, NHS Wales Health Collaborative)

·      Reporting on the variation in the treatment and outcomes of patients with prostate cancer in web-based quarterly reports, State of the Nation Reports, conference presentations and papers for peer-reviewed publications

·      Supporting the dissemination of the Audit findings to key professional and patient stakeholders 

2.    Collaboration with NHS England and Wales Cancer Network, NHS Wales Health Collaborative and other relevant organisations to improve quality and timeliness of data, and increase the engagement of staff within NHS hospitals

·      To liaise with NHS England and Wales Cancer Network, NHS Wales Health Collaborative in order to support the project management and data collection

·      To liaise with staff in participating NHS hospitals in order to publicise the Audit and its findings and to respond to clinical queries

·      To liaise with all professional bodies involved in the management of patients with prostate cancer and to represent the Audit at regional and national meetings 

3.    Quality improvement and communication

• To contribute to developing and implementing plans for the Audit healthcare improvement activities including: improvement events, workshops and webinars
• To promote engagement with trainee networks and professional bodies including BAUS and BUG
• To produce, with the NATCAN team, audit communications including newsletters, emails and social media posts
• To contribute, with the NATCAN team, to the Audit’s communication strategy and identify opportunities to improve quality of communications with commissioners and other stakeholders
• To support and facilitate communication with, and meetings of, the Audit Patient and Public Involvement Forum 

About you

• Membership / Fellowship of a relevant Royal College
• Relevant clinical experience in oncology, urology or radiology
• Basic experience in analysing clinical data
• Basic understanding of health-related research methods
• An understanding of basic statistical principles
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to think systematically and critically
• Computer literate and proficient with office software
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work in a team 

Desirable

• Experience of research or clinical audit projects in a hospital setting
• Evidence of peer-reviewed publications
• Evidence of presenting research at professional conferences
• Experience of analysing large electronic datasets
• Understanding of epidemiological research (study design, data collection and analysis) 

What we can offer you

• 27 days paid holiday + bank holidays and up to 4 college closure days
• Flexible working
• Enhanced contributory pension scheme & other leave entitlements
• Variety of learning and development opportunities
• Wellbeing programme & Employee Assistance Scheme 

Interested Candidates: 

If you wish to apply or if you have any questions about this position please email your CV together with a cover letter to RCSHR@rcseng.ac.uk. 

Any personal data collected from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us in accordance with our recruitment processes. If unsuccessful in your application, your information will be held by us on our database for a period of 6 months before deletion. If you would like your information removed sooner, please contact RCSHR@rceng.ac.uk 

Closing date: 

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are open to all talent and we actively ensure that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regards to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. 

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is committed to protecting your privacy. We are registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). All College employees are responsible for records held, created and used as part of their work for the College including patient/client, corporate and administrative records. Records are managed according to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and ensure confidentiality. The College ensures that staff are trained to handle the information you submit to us with care and discretion, seeking advice where necessary.