Staff Development and Sustainability Group

Group Remit

Clinical Trials Units have demonstrated their effectiveness as centres of trials excellence. Building the strength, stability, and sustainability of member units is important in ensuring that they are able to continue to deliver high-quality non-commercial clinical trials research in the UK both now, and in the future. Well-trained and appropriately developed staff are key to this endeavour.

This group will identify recommendations around staff training, development and retention to ensure registered CTUs have, and keep the best staff. This group will also focus activities on promoting careers in clinical trials to ensure that registered CTUs are recruiting and developing the excellent trialists of the future. Some activities are being undertaken collaboratively with the UK Trial Managers Network in relation to recruitment and retention of Trial Management staff.

Current Activities

The group has recently undertaken a survey to to gather data on the reasons why CTU staff value non-commercial trials, and why colleagues leave and/or return to the academic research environment. This received over 500 responses. Work is now ongoing to review the data and decide on next steps.

Outputs

Group Membership

• Helen Evans (Chair) – UKCRC Registered CTU Network Programme Manager
• Victoria Allgar – Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit
• Gina Cranswick – Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit
• Lucy Culliford – Bristol Trials Centre
• Melanie Ferrao – MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
• Rhian Gabe – Barts Clinical Trials Unit
• Matthew Hammond – Norwich Clinical Trials Unit
• Helen Hancock – Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit
• Helen Hickey – Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre
• Fiona Hogarth – Tayside Clinical Trials Unit
• Nigel Kirby – Centre for Trials Research
• Eleanor Mitchell – UK Trial Managers’ Network
• Caroline Murphy – King’s Clinical Trials Unit
• Claire Snowdon – Institute of Cancer Research Clinical Trials & Statistics Unit

Return to Task & Finish Groups homepage.