Staff & Recruitment

Key Documents

Authorisation

Stage 1 Authorisation

All vacancies within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (including vacancies within the Health and Social Care Partnerships).

The Vacancy Request Form must be authorised and signed by:

Hiring Manager
Head of Finance
Service Director or Chief Officer

Stage 2 Authorisation

Some posts will require additional authorisation from senior officers within the Board. Please use the drop-down sections below to ascertain whether the vacancy requires additional (stage 2) authorisation.

Administrative services

New posts

In addition to the stage 1 approval process, these vacancies will require authorisation from the Financial Improvement Programme (FIP) Group. This group meets every Wednesday and further clarification may be sought on vacancy requests. The Vacancy Request Form (and accompanying documents) must be emailed to: recruitment.vacancies@ggc.scot.nhs.uk for the FIP Group’s consideration.

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

In addition to the stage 1 approval process, these vacancies will require authorisation from the NHSGGC Chief Executive. The Vacancy Request Form (and accompanying documents) must be emailed to: vacancy.authorisation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk for the Chief Executive’s consideration.

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Allied Health Professions

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Executive Level

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Health Science Services

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Medical and Dental

Consultant (replacement) positions

In addition to the stage 1 approval process, these vacancies will require authorisation from the Chief of Medicine within the relevant area.

Senior Medical positions and new Consultant posts

In addition to the stage 1 approval process, any new proposed: Consultant-level posts, Lead Clinician, Clinical Director, or Chiefs of Medicine posts will require authorisation from the NHSGGC Deputy Medical Director (Dr Scott Davidson).

The Vacancy Request Form (and accompanying documents) must be emailed to the Recruitment Service: Recruitment.Vacancies@ggc.scot.nhs.uk for authorisation.

Other Medical and Dental positions

No additional approval is required.

Medical and Dental Support

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Nursing and Midwifery

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

In addition to the stage 1 approval process, these vacancies will require authorisation from:

The Chief Nurse (or equivalent) within the relevant area; and
The NHSGGC Nursing Director Professor Angela Wallace. The Vacancy Request Form (and accompanying documents) must be emailed to: angela.wallace@ggc.scot.nhs.uk for the Nursing Director’s consideration; and
The NHSGGC Chief Executive. The Vacancy Request Form (and accompanying documents) must be emailed to: vacancy.authorisation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk for the Chief Executive’s consideration.

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority I addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 6 and Band 7

In addition to the stage 1 approval process, these vacancies will require authorisation from the Chief Nurse (or equivalent) within the relevant area.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 5

No additional approval is required.

Personal and Social Care

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Senior Managers

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Support Services

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Therapeutic Services

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

If the post is jointly funded by the local authority, the post will also require authorisation from the Chief Executive of the local authority in addition to the Board’s Chief Executive.

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

No additional approval is required.

Your application form will play a key part in deciding whether you will be short listed for interview for the post you apply for. It is important that you take the time to complete it as fully and as accurately as possible.

Please read the guidance notes in the candidate information pack for the job carefully before you start. You should also read the Job Description/Person Specification for the post that you are applying for.

Apply for vacancies online

Before you submit your application please check that all of the relevant parts of the NHS Scotland Application form have been completed.

Application Form – Personal Details and Criminal Convictions Declaration

This section provides our Recruitment team with contact details and confirms your eligibility to work in the UK and requires the declaration of any criminal convictions for posts exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

Data Protection

Any data about you will be held in completely secure conditions, with access restricted to only those involved in the administration of the post have applied for.

Your Equalities Opportunities Monitoring information will not be accessible to anyone involved in the shortlisting/interview process.

It will be understood that by submitting the application form you are giving your consent to the processing of your data in the ways described above.

Eligibility

It a criminal offence for any employer to hire a new employee whose immigration status prevents him or her from legally working in the UK.

This applies to all types of NHS employment, including part-time, temporary or bank posts. All applicants, regardless of nationality, will be asked to produce evidence of eligibility to work in the UK and these will be verified at interview and again should you be successful for a post. More information about immigration and the sponsorship process can be found at the UK Government website.

Application Form – Employment Details

You must give us details of your current or most recent employer.

Please provide details of previous employment including part-time, temporary, clinical attachments, honorary posts or voluntary work.

Qualifications and Training Details

Please provide details of all relevant education, qualifications & training courses. You should expect to provide copies of relevant qualifications in the event that you are offered a post.

Assessment Form A – Questions

Applicants who can demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, experience, and clinical competencies required for the job give themselves the best opportunity of being shortlisted and selected for interview.

Make sure you review the job description/person specification for the post that you are applying for as that will detail the skills, abilities, clinical competencies and experience required for the post.

It is important to provide evidence that you can meet each of the requirements in the job description/person specification, by giving specific examples of what you have done and how you believe you meet each requirement. Remember the person reviewing your application form won’t be able to second guess your skills and experience unless you outline it. Unless you provide evidence that you possess all the requirements, supported by relevant examples, you may not be included in the shortlist.

Your application will be considered by a Clinician(s), who will decide who to select for interview on the basis of the essential criteria for the post. It is important, therefore, that you work on your application to ensure it reflects the job description and the recruitment advertisement.

Remember to be accurate and honest when you complete your application as the information you provide will be verified at various stages of our recruitment and selection process.

Referees

If you are shortlisted for interview, our Medical Recruitment Team will contact your referees. Satisfactory references must be received to an acceptable standard before any new employee can commence employment. If you are in employment, or have been in employment, please make sure that at least one of the referees you nominate includes your present or most recent employer and should be your Line Manager/Educational Supervisor/Clinical Lead. We do not accept referees from family members or friends.

Please ensure you provide accurate contact details including an e-mail address for your referees and most importantly don’t forget to get their permission to be contacted by us.

The Selection Process & Shortlisting Stage

Upon submission of your application, you will receive a notification that it has been received and awaits the process of shortlisting. Shortly thereafter, you will either be invited to select an interview slot or, if you have been unsuccessful at the shortlisting stage, you will be notified by email that your application has failed shortlisting.

Interview Stage

If you are selected for interview, you will be asked to attend a panel interview either in person or via Microsoft Teams. In addition to a set of interview questions, candidates may be asked to deliver a presentation, or provide a response to a clinical scenario. Candidates will be advised in advance of the interview what they will be expected to do on the day, so will have time to prepare.

You will be asked to bring the following original documents to interview: Passport, biometric card (where appropriate,) Medical Degree Certificate, GMC Certificate or letter, and 2 utility bills to confirm your address.

Equal Opportunities and Equality Monitoring

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s staff are our most valuable resource. By ensuring we have good recruitment practice that will make a significant contribution to ensuring we promotes a culture of person-centred care, placing the patient at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to attracting the highest calibre of job applicants through a fair and consistent recruitment process, treating all our candidates fairly to ensure we recruit the best person for each vacancy.

We endeavour to ensure we do not discriminate during any stage of the recruitment process and in particular comply with the Equality Act 2010 which makes it illegal to discriminate against protected characteristics i.e. age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation.

We are required to gather data for both applicants and employees to ensure that our policy on Equality and Diversity is effective and meets statutory requirements. All applicants are therefore required to provide the information requested in the Application Form’s Declarations section – this information is not made available to the shortlister(s). .

Finally we hope you find the guidance we have provided useful and we wish you good luck if you decide to apply for a post at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde participates in 2 schemes aimed at supporting the employment and career development of disabled people :

Job Interview Guarantee (JIG) scheme means that if a candidate declares a disability , and meet the minimum/essential criteria outlined within the Person Specification for the post then they will be guaranteed an interview.

Job Centre Plus Two Ticks symbol: the two ticks scheme is a recognition given to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde by Jobcentre Plus because we have agreed to take action to meet five commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees. It is represented by the two ticks disability symbol (displayed right) that participating organisations in the UK are authorised to display. As a symbol user, an interview is guaranteed to any candidate with a disability whose application meets all of the minimum/essential criteria for the post.

Pre-Employment Checks

Disclosure of Criminal Convictions

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2013
The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland Act ) 2007 The 1997 Police Act

Criminal Convictions – Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

NHS Scotland is exempt from the 1974 Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exclusions & Exceptions) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2015. This means that unless stated in the job description, person specification or application pack, you must tell us about any previous unspent convictions along with only those spent convictions that relate to Disclosure Scotland’s ‘Offences which must always be disclosed’ list. If you are offered employment, any failure to disclose such convictions could result in withdrawal of the offer of employment dismissal or disciplinary action. Any information you give will be considered only in relation to the post for which the application you submit refers to.

Information will be verified by Disclosure Scotland for relevant posts.

Please note; you are not required to tell us about any previous spent convictions that relate to Disclosure Scotland’s ‘Offences which are disclosed subject to the rules’ list.

Please refer to Disclosure Scotland’s website for further guidance and details on the two lists relating to spent convictions.

Certificate of Good Standing

If you have been living out with the UK for a period of more than a year within the last 5 years, you will require to submit a Certificate of Good Standing from the police authority in that country.

General Medical Council (GMC)

To be eligible to practice medicine in the UK, you will require a licence to practice through the General Medical Council. If you are applying for a substantive Consultant post, you will require to be on the specialist register for your particular specialty. You can find out more on the GMC and specialist registration website.

Revalidation

All doctors who do not have a National Training Number require to undergo revalidation, this includes all non-training career grade doctors in secondary care who have a substantive, locum or honorary contract with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It does not include doctors in training (including Foundation Year trainees, Specialty Registrars, Core Trainees and those who hold Locum Appointment for Training posts), for whom NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the body responsible for revalidation.

Information from the GMC on revalidation for doctors in training

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Responsible Officers are as follows:

Responsible Officer: Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director

Please note: General Practitioners (GPs) who carry out the majority of their clinical work within Secondary Care should undertake a single appraisal within Secondary Care, which also covers their Primary Care practice. All GPs are required to work an average of fifty sessions per year to demonstrate that they are maintaining their clinical skills.

If you have a specific query or question regarding Medical Revalidation or Appraisal please email medical.revalidation@ggc.scot.nhs.ukand a member of the Medical Staffing Team will get back to you.

Doctors in training with queries regarding revalidation should contact NES for clarification: trainingcontacts@nes.scot.nhs.uk.

Consultant Posts: Certificate of Completion of Training – Criteria for Interview

To be interviewed for a substantive Consultant post, those trained in the UK should have evidence of higher specialist training leading to CCT and be within 6 months of confirmed entry from date of interview or have been awarded Specialist Registration via the Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) . Non-UK applicants must demonstrate equivalent training.

Criteria before taking up post

Before commencement in a Consultant post you require to be on the GMC Specialist Register for the relevant Specialty or the GDC Specialist List for the relevant Specialty.

Details of Scottish Medical Training

Guidance on Consultant Appointments

Consultant Appointments must be carried out in accordance with the Scottish Government’s General Guidance on Medical & Dental Appointments

Overarching Principles for Consultant Recruitment within NHS in Scotland:

The consultant recruitment process is owned and determined by the Health Board as the employer.
The management of and decisions taken regarding the consultant recruitment process is the responsibility of the Health Board.
It is recognised that externality provides a valuable contribution to the objective assessment of applicants and the role of an External Adviser is included within this consultant recruitment process

Summary Guide

Consultants carry ultimate clinical responsibility for every patient seen under their care. The public is therefore entitled to expect that all consultants will have reached the highest standards of skill and knowledge and this is guaranteed by means of a statutory appointments procedure for recruitment of consultants laid down in regulations. The regulations and supporting guidance were revised in July 2009 (The National Health Service (Appointment of Consultants) (Scotland) Regulations 2009).

While the majority of the actions within the consultant recruitment process, which were previously subject to regulation, now lie with the NHS boards who hold responsibility for the process, some key elements are still subject to regulation and remain under statutory control.

The statutory element includes the appointment of a trained External Adviser from a different NHS board as a full member of the consultant assessment panel: this is intended to ensure the clinical quality of appointed candidates is maintained. The External Adviser will have been trained in selection processes and, with experience of other appointments, can provide advice on the appointment from a different perspective than the local clinical team.

Key Roles within the Recruitment Process

Within the recruitment process it is for the recruiting Board to determine the staff and their roles within the process; however each recruitment process should include the following key roles:

The Board Lead Officer

The Board should identify a Lead Officer to manage an individual recruitment process with support from the HR department. Within the recruitment process it is anticipated that this Lead Officer will often be a medical manager or dental manager, who may, depending on the size of the Board, or the specialty involved, choose to either directly lead the recruitment process or identify who will. Other possibilities for this role include a lead clinician from within the service or the clinical service manager.

Chair

The Chair of the panel has delegated authority from the recruiting Board to make an offer of employment. This authority is contained within the regulations. Boards may choose to appoint the Lead Officer as Chair, or may alternatively choose a senior manager or non-executive director to chair the assessment panel.

External Adviser

The regulations require a single External Adviser is included on the assessment panel for consultant appointments within NHS in Scotland. The role of the External Adviser will be to advise the recruiting Board on each stage in the process, including commenting and advising on the job description, person specification, the selection methodology and participating in the selection process. This External Adviser is identified from the list of External Advisers maintained by the Academy, and must be external, i.e. not employed by the recruiting Board, and must be in the same specialty as the post being appointed to. In rare instances of small specialties it may be necessary to seek an External Adviser from out with Scotland.

The Assessment Panel

The assessment panel is convened by the Board to conduct the candidate assessment. Within this recruitment process, as the Boards determine the selection methodology for appointing to consultant posts, the Assessment Panel is also to be determined by the recruiting Board to best support and facilitate the methodology chosen to assess the suitability of candidates. This assessment may include profiling, aptitude tests or multi-station interviews. The panel must include at least one consultant from the specialty. Where possible that consultant should be from the employing Board.

Depending on the nature of the post and the extent of any undergraduate teaching or training duties the Board may include University representation on the assessment panel and requests for University representatives should be submitted to the Dean.

While there is no set limit on the size of the panel, under the regulations it remains that the panel must include a Chair, with delegated authority from the Board, an External Adviser as outlined above and one other consultant from the specialty

Planning and Advertising a Consultant Post

When recruiting to posts it is advised that the planning for a consultant appointment begins well before the post is to be filled. Consideration should be given to service needs, the amount and level of training that may be required, teaching, supervision of junior staff, continuing professional development, research and any special interests and produce a draft job description and person specification which must be sent to the External Adviser for their advice and comment.

All potential applicants should have access to the job description; the person specification; information from the board with details of arrangements for practice, e.g. units, clinics etc; details of staffing and relevant services covered; where appropriate, information about undergraduate or postgraduate medical/dental teaching; and the relevant TCS including pay. A Job Plan must also be available for the consideration of candidates for appointment to a consultant post.

We must ensure that we look to advertise details of vacant posts widely which will include the use of the NHS Scotland online job portal www.jobs.scot.nhs.uk , medicaljobs.scot.nhs.uk and where necessary other online professional job portals and journals e.g. BMJ ( British Medical Journal ) .

Eligibility for appointment and specialist register

On successful completion of specialty training, doctors are awarded a certificate of completion of training (CCT), allowing them to practice across Europe as recognised ‘specialists’. The GMC recommends CCT holders for inclusion on the specialist register, which it administers. The specialist register includes the names of all CCT holders together with those of other eligible specialists, and shows their specialty and, if requested, any particular field of expertise within it. Eligible specialists are defined as:

European Economic Area nationals holding recognised specialist qualifications
Overseas nationals holding specialist qualifications that are deemed equivalent to the CCT
Doctors who have followed academic or research training paths, resulting in a level of knowledge and skill consistent with NHS consultant practice in that specialty.

From 1 January 1997 it has been a legal requirement for all doctors to be on the GMC’s specialist register before they can take up a consultant appointment.

In the case of consultant dental posts, individuals must be a registered dental practitioner or a fully registered medical practitioner. However, trainees may explore the possibility of post-CCT careers as soon as it is apparent that a CCT will be awarded in the near future. Consequently, SpRs and StRs are able to apply for a Consultant appointment provided the expected date of award of their CCT (or recognised equivalent, if outside the UK) falls no more than six months after the date of interview for the consultant post. The consultant assessment panel must also be satisfied that the applicant is sufficiently near to the completion of training to enable them to judge the applicant’s suitability for a consultant post.

Membership of the Assessment Panel

The assessment panel is convened by the appointing board to conduct the candidate assessment. This assessment may include profiling, aptitude tests or multi-station interviews. The panel must include at least one consultant from the specialty. Where possible that consultant should be from the employing board. Depending on the nature of the post and the extent of any undergraduate teaching or training duties, the board may include university representation on the assessment panel. While there is no set limit on the size of the panel, under the regulations the panel must as a minimum include a Chair, with delegated authority from the Board, an External Adviser and one other consultant from the specialty.

External Adviser

The regulations require that a single External Adviser is included on the assessment panel for consultant appointments within the NHS in Scotland. The role of the External Adviser is to advise the recruiting board on each stage in the process, including commenting and advising on the job description, person specification, the selection methodology and participating in the selection process. This External Adviser is identified from the list of External Advisers maintained by the Academy of Royal Colleges and Faculties in Scotland, and must be external i.e. not employed by the recruiting board, and must be in the same specialty as the post being appointed to. In rare instances of small specialties it may be necessary to seek an External Adviser from outside Scotland.

All newly appointed External Advisers undergo training before they are included on the adviser list, and if reappointed to the list again, should undergo refresher training.

This training is coordinated by NHS Education for Scotland and includes:

detailed training on equality and diversity issues;
refreshers on specialty training curricula and assessment methods used;
updates on selection methodology and tools that have been used successfully;
the option to shadow an External Adviser and observe the process, although it should be emphasised that observers will play no role in the recruitment process.

Process

Under the regulations, recruiting boards will appoint a Chair for the assessment panel. The Chair will hold delegated authority to offer the post on behalf of the board once the panel has considered the candidates.

Boards should draw up a policy on the use of visits as part of the employment process and communicate this policy to all applicants. Visits are intended to inform the applicant regarding the department and the requirements of the post. Depending on the nature of the post the policy on visits should look to offer applicants an opportunity to visit the department and meet with key staff. The option of a visit, and the timing of such a visit, should be determined by the board, and should be made available to all applicants at the same point in the recruitment process.

Once the assessment panel has made a decision on which candidate(s), if any, should be offered the post, the Chair and the Recruitment Service will then take responsibility for offering and contracting with successful candidates .

All members of the assessment panel hold equal responsibility for raising concerns at any stage within the recruitment process with the Chair. In these instances, it is for the Chair to assess these concerns and to determine whether or not to proceed with the recruitment process. If the decision is taken to proceed to appointment, the Chair should note the concerns raised and indicate the basis on which the decision to proceed was taken. If the Chair decides not to proceed, this decision is reported back to the board, outlining the basis on which this decision was taken. It is for the board to decide on next steps and whether to re-run the process.

For more information visit :

We wanted to inform you that all Scottish recruitment data relating to your study/studies from the 1st April 2019 onwards is now visible on the UK Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS).

The benefit of reviewing your Scottish recruitment data within CPMS is for you to be able to confirm your local site data as accurate or not accurate and provide you with the benefits of tracking your recruitment data at all sites across the UK. This will also help provide NHS Research Scotland and the Chief Scientist Office with accurate recruitment data for Scotland.

What is CPMS?

CPMS is a UK platform which collates local study site recruitment information from local portfolio management systems (LPMS). Since the 1^st April 2019 our Scottish R&D offices have been collating recruitment information from your local study teams across Scotland and uploading this to our LPMS. We have now established links between our LPMS and CPMS which means you will be able to login, track and view all Scottish recruitment data to your study at each site since the 1^st April 2019. You are kindly requested to confirm if this data is accurate or not accurate using the below attached guides. England, Northern Ireland and Wales have already been live with their recruitment data in CPMS since 1^st April 2019.

My study has sites only in Scotland

To reduce the burden of confirming a backlog of recruitment since the 1^st April 2019, the Chief Scientist Office has agreed for the NIHR to automatically confirm recruitment data on CPMS for your study during the FY 19/20. Any studies which recruited from the 1^st April 2020 we would like to request that you access CPMS and confirm recruitment from this date onward on a monthly basis. You can do this using the attached guides.

Recruitment data for your study will continue to upload into CPMS (including zeros for months where a site did not recruit) and we would request that you access, review and confirm or reject the data on a monthly basis as long as your study is open to recruitment. Once your study halts recruitment please inform your lead R&D office so that they can update the study records.

My study has sites in other UK Nations as well as Scotland

If your study has sites in other nations you will be requested to also confirm recruitment from sites in other nations as well as recruitment from Scotland, if you are not already doing so.

To reduce the burden of confirming a backlog of recruitment since the 1^st April 2019, the Chief Scientist Office and Health and Care Research Wales have allowed portions of recruitment data to be automatically confirmed. Scottish and Welsh recruitment data for FY 19/20 will be automatically confirmed on your behalf. If you have sites in England you will be asked to complete the backlog of recruitment from 1^st April 2019 or when your study opened if this is later.

Training and Help

Individuals who can confirm recruitment must be associated with your CPMS study record. Those individuals who are copied in on this email all have associations with the CPMS record to confirm recruitment. If you wish to add another member of your team to perform this function you must contact your local R&D office and inform them that you require a name added to the CPMS record. You can access your study record here https://cpms.nihr.ac.uk/ and use the email which has been used to contact you in this email to login. Attached is also guidance to help you login.

Attached are a quick start guide which provides an overview of how to confirm recruitment and the full Research Activity Confirmation Guidance which provides more detailed information to help you navigate the confirmation process including help on viewing your recruitment and explanations of the differences between nations where they exist.

There are short videos and guidance which can be found by logging into NIHR learn using your CPMS login details.

************************ Many of the R&I team are working remote from our core offices – please use email or Teams as primary method of contact *************************

In order to gain R&I approval as quickly as possible, we advise that you submit to R&I in parallel with your ethics submission. This will allow us to look at your application and progress while under review by the REC.

In order to define the appropriate contact in the R&I Office for your study, please find contact details for your portfolio team here.

This section provides links to documents and process will support you across all stages of the recruitment process.

Completing the application form and the Recruitment process

Completing the Application Form

Your application form will play a key part in deciding whether you will be shortlisted for interview. It is important that you take the time to read the advert and the job description/person specification for the post and complete the application form fully and as accurately as possible.

Applications are made online through the NHS Scotland job site. When you click the ‘Apply for job’ button on the advert, you will be asked to create an account using an email address or social media account. For returning candidates, you you can copy from a previous application or create a new one. If you prefer to copy, make sure that you go through each section to ensure that the information is complete and up-to-date.

The system will timeout after 30 minutes of inactivity so please save your application regularly. You can save your progress and come back later if you wish, just remember your password so you can log back in.

Please note:

Remember to review your application prior to submission as you will not be able to make changes once you submit the form.
Be accurate and honest on your application form as the information you provide will be verified at various stages of our recruitment and selection process .
Your email and contact telephone number must be correct as these will be used to contact you. The primary method of contact for all updates is via email.
Some recruitment may include initial screening questions to verify that you meet the requirements for the job e.g. UK Professional registration
Curriculum vitae (CVs) will NOT be accepted as part of the application process unless you are applying for a Medical Staffing (Doctor, Consultant etc) Position
The Job reference number is an important information to take note of as this is the unique ID of the post. This will allow us to identify which post is being referred to.
You should save an electronic copy of the advert, job description/person specification, and the candidate pack for future reference
On the Assessment section, you may find it helpful to prepare your answers in a separate document and copy and paste your answers into the online form. You will also be asked to provide your National insurance number on this section.
All adverts close at midnight on the closing date unless otherwise stated. Please submit your application as soon as possible. If any updates on the closing date occur, you will be contacted via email.
You can check the status of your application by checking your account online.
If you delete your application, you will not be able to re-apply.

Eligibility to Work in the UK

It is a criminal offence for any employer to hire a new employee whose immigration status prevents him or her from legally working in the UK in the post they have applied for. This applies also to all types of NHS employment, including part-time, temporary or bank posts. All applicants regardless of nationality will be asked to produce evidence of eligibility to work in the UK as part of the application process specifically at the interview and pre-employment checks stages.

Please complete the relevant sections as accurately as possible on the application form, providing the type of right to work in the UK (RTW UK) visa that you hold as well as the expiry date, if applicable.

Applications from job seekers who require a RTW will be considered alongside all other applications subject to meeting the essential criteria as detailed in the Job Description and Person Specification for the post. Before making your application, you should check the eligibility criteria for UK Visa and Immigration

Qualifications and Training Details

Please provide details of all relevant education, qualifications and training courses.

Specific requirements such as registration/membership details to a Professional Regulatory Bodies such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or General Medical Council (GMC), must be provided if relevant to the vacancy

Employment information

For the Employment section, please start with your current/most recent employer and work back through your employment history. Please also include any part-time or temporary jobs, work placements, volunteering roles, or any career breaks
(student/parent/carer/etc.)

Referees

You must provide at least two (2) referees are required which must cover the past three (3) years and must include your present or most recent employer. We do not accept references from family members or friends.

If you are appointed to the post you have applied for, our Recruitment Team will contact your referees. Satisfactory references must be received to an acceptable standard before any new NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employee can start work for us.

Please ensure that you provide accurate contact details including an e-mail address for your referees and, most importantly, don’t forget to get their permission to be contacted by us.

Please refer to Disclosure Scotland’s website for further guidance and details on the two lists relating to spent convictions.

Statement in Support of Your Application

Applicants who can demonstrate in their application that they possess the knowledge, skills, experience and abilities required for the job give themselves the best opportunity of being shortlisted and selected for interview.

You can use this section to provide evidence that you can meet each of the requirements in the job description/person specification, by giving specific examples of what you have done and how you believe you meet each requirement. Remember that the person reviewing your application form won’t be able to second guess your skills and experience unless you outline it.

A good tip is to use the selection criteria in job description/person specification as headings in the order that they have been listed, to make sure that you address them especially the ones under the Essential Criteria.

Declaration

Before submitting your application, please make sure that you read this section as it will highlight any parts of the form which haven’t been completed and it also covers the following important information:

Criminal Convictions Declaration – NHS Scotland is exempt from the 1974 Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exclusions & Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2003.
Accuracy of Information – False or misleading information can causE disqualification of the application and dismissal from employment if appointed to the post.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 – Your data will be stored by Jobtrain and will be used only by NHSGGC authorised staff for the purpose of processing your job application, making recruitment decisions and for statistical and audit purposes. It will be retained, archived, and deleted in line with the NHS Scotland retention policy and will not be passed to any third party organisations without your permission

Equal Opportunities and Equality Monitoring

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde participates in 2 schemes aimed at supporting the employment and career development of disabled people :

Job Interview Guarantee (JIG) scheme: if a candidate declares a disability, and meets all the minimum/essential criteria outlined within the Job description/Person specification for the post then they will be guaranteed an interview.

Job Centre Plus Two Ticks symbol: the two ticks scheme is a recognition given to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde by Jobcentre Plus in meeting the five commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees. As a symbol user, an interview is guaranteed to any candidate with a disability whose application meets all of the minimum/essential criteria for the post.

NHSGGC is committed to applying and promoting best employment equality practice in it efforts to eliminate discrimination and create working environments where all our staff, patients, relatives, visitors and carers are treated fairly and with respect.

We always endeavour to not discriminate during any stage of the recruitment process and in particular comply with the Equality Act 2010 which makes it illegal to discriminate against protected characteristics i.e. age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation.

We are required to gather data for both applicants and employees to ensure that our policy on Equality and Diversity is effective and meets statutory requirements. The Equal opportunities monitoring form is recorded separately from your application form and can only be accessed by the Recruitment team. All recruitment documentation for unsuccessful applicants are confidentially destroyed after 12 months.

When completing the Equal Opportunities section of the online application form, you can use this section to inform us if you will require any special arrangements for the interview e.g. Wheelchair access, induction loop, etc

Criminal Convictions

Disclosure of Criminal Convictions
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2013
The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland Act ) 2007 The 1997 Police Act
Criminal Convictions – Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Information will be verified by Disclosure Scotland for relevant posts.

Please note, you are NOT REQUIRED to tell us about any previous spent convictions that relate to Disclosure Scotland’s ‘Offences which are disclosed subject to the rules’ list.

Recruitment stages

Shortlisting Stage

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Selection panel (Panel), which includes as a minimum two (2) members of staff [one of which is always the hiring /line manager for the post] will decide who to select for interview on the basis of the job description/person specification. These documents lists those qualities e.g. skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications etc, which are ‘essential’ i.e. which you must have to do the job, and those which are ‘desirable’ i.e. which will help somebody to perform the complete range of tasks in the job more readily. It is important, therefore, that you work on your application to ensure it reflects the person specification, the job description and the recruitment advertisement.

At shortlisting stage, applications forms are anonymised and only the information about Education, Employment, and Supporting statement are accessible to the Panel. This helps ensure that the shortlisting is fair and consistent and is based on the candidate’s skills, knowledge, qualifications, and experience.

Once shortlisting is complete, invitations for interview are sent to the selected candidates by our Recruitment Team.

Interview Stage

The interview format will depend on the post being recruited to, and can either be face-to-face or via MS Teams video. You will be requested to bring to the interview the originals of any relevant qualifications/certificates/awards that you hold and documents to verify your identification such as a photo identification.

In addition to a set of interview questions, candidates may be asked to deliver a presentation, sit a technical/skills test, or provide a response to a work based scenario. Candidates will be advised in advance of the interview what they will be expected to do on the day.

An interview panel is normally between 2-4 people depending on the post and will be more senior to the grade of the post being recruited to. It can also include panel members, external to NHSGGC, where appropriate to the post.

If you are invited to an interview you will receive an email requesting you to select a suitable date/time slot. If the interview is via MS Teams, you will also receive an email with the link to join.

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are invited for interview and are successful in being offered a job, after your interview you will receive via the Jobtrain system what is referred to as a Conditional Offer of Employment. At this stage you are the Preferred Candidate. Please note

you should not hand in your notice to your current employer at this stage.

The standard pre-employment checks cover the following aspects:

A 2nd Stage Application Declaration
An Identity Check Document verification appointment, in person, at the NHSGGC Recruitment Department. This will also include a Right to Work in the UK check. Our Recruitment team will advise on the arrangements for this stage.
Qualifications & Professional Registration/Membership of NHS Regulatory Bodies check if applicable
Reference Checks
Occupational Health Check
Driving licence, only if required for the purpose of carrying out the duties of the job
Where applicable to the post, successful applicants will be subject to Disclosure Scotland’s Protection of Vulnerable Group (PVG) Scheme membership /Standard Disclosure checks to check their criminal convictions history and to ensure that they are not included on Barred Lists which prohibits them from working with vulnerable adults and children.

Application Stage FAQs

Where can I find a list of your vacancies?

Visit the NHS Scotland job portal or visit the NHSGGC Recruitment homepage.

You can sign-up for job alerts for roles that you are interested in.

How Often do you update your vacancies?

A new list of posts opens every Friday.

How can I apply for your jobs?

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde operates an Online Application Form system. You can apply directly for the vacancy of your choice on the NHS Scotland Jobs Website.

I have a CV why do I still need to complete an application form?

The application process is anonymous and decisions to shortlist candidates for interview are made ONLY on the contents of your application form.

If you do not provide all the information requested on the application form, it will not be evident that you meet the criteria listed in the job description and you will not be shortlisted for interview.

Please ensure that you read the job description carefully, complete all applicable sections of the application and ensure that your statement in support of your application clearly demonstrates how you meet the requirements of the post.

Please note Curriculum Vitae will NOT be accepted as part of the application process unless you are applying for a Medical Staffing (Doctor, Consultant etc) Position.

Can I still apply after the closing date?

Once the closing date has passed you cannot apply for a post. Applications must submitted by midnight on the closing date.

For any post closing earlier than midnight, the submission time will be clearly displayed in the advert on the SHOW site.

We highly recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible as some posts might close earlier than scheduled if it has received a high volume of response.

What do I do if I experience any difficulties submitting the application?

For any login issues or problems submitting applications, please contact the Jobtrain Jobseeker support hub in the first instance:

(online) Submit a ticket : Jobseeker Support Hub (jobtrain.co.uk) or

(phone) (+44)0161-850-2004 Monday-Friday 09:00-17:30 UK local time

How will I know you have received my application form?

You will receive notification from the NHS Scotland Jobs Website once your application has been successfully submitted.

When will I find our if i have been shortlisted for an interview?

All our posts are shortlisted within six weeks of the closing date. If you have not been contacted after six weeks it is unlikely that you have been shortlisted.

How do I find out if I have been shortlisted for an interview?

We will contact you via email with the invite to book your interview slot as well as any important information i.e. MS Teams video link, documents to bring etc

If I have not been shortlisted for an interview can you tell me why?

Yes. If you have not received an invitation to interview after 6 weeks from the closing, please email the Recruitment Team at nhsggcrecruitment@nhs.net quoting the job reference number and someone will contact you.

Interview Stage FAQs

I have not received an invitation to interview

If you have not received an invitation to interview by 6 weeks from the closing date of the post you have applied for, you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

How should I prepare for my interview?

We understand that interviews can be a stressful experience for candidates but a little advance preparation will ensure you perform to the best of your ability on the day.

Take note of the details of your interview- Video or face-to-face, location, date, time etc. Do you have the link to the video interview and does it work on your equipment? Do you know how to contact the Panel in case your are having technical issues or running late?
Ensure that you have assembled all the documentation (see question 4 below) that you have been asked to bring to interview
You can visit the NHSGGC website for more general information about NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and search for specific information about the department that you have applied to work with.
Take the time to re-read your job description and how you will meet the requirements of the role.
Prepare examples from your experience and practice your answers. For competency-based questions, it will help if you structure your answer using STAR (Situation/Task(goal), Action taken, Result)
Give yourself plenty of time to arrive or be set-up (video interview)

What should I expect?

Interview techniques will vary but as a standard you should expect to be asked questions on the following;

Confirmation of your identity and to produce supporting documentation
Confirmation of you Right to Work in the UK and Supporting documentation
Questions to test your ability to meet the requirements of the role based on the job description
Questions to confirm how you meet the minimum essential and other criteria specified in the job description
General questions based on the content of your application form.

What do I need to bring to the interview?

We are required to verify the Identity and Right to Work in the UK of all our applicants regardless of nationality.

It is essential that you bring confirmation of your identity, your Right to Work in the UK, evidence of qualifications if required by the job description and any professional registration/membership if required by the job description to interview.

I have been told I am the “Preferred Candidate” – What happens next?

Please keep reading below to view the Preferred Candidate FAQs.

I have been unsuccessful following the interview. Can I receive Feedback?

Yes. You can contact the Panel member named in your correspondence or you can email the Recruitment Team at nhsggcrecruitment@nhs.net, quoting the job reference number.

Preferred Candidate FAQs

I have been told I am the “Preferred Candidate” – What happens next?

All our offers are subject to satisfactory Pre-employment checks noted above under Recruitment stages- Pre-employment checks section above.

You will receive a Preferred Candidate Email after you have received the verbal offer from the Hiring manager, outlining the next steps.

Pre-employment checks take time and cannot start and be completed without your participation

If you are external to NHS GGC or if it is required for the post, you will receive an electronic link to your Occupational health questionnaire. Please complete this asap as the link expires after a couple of days. Completed forms are forwarded to the NHS GGC Occupational health team for processing. They might get in touch if they require more information.

Please contact your referees to advise them that we will be contacting them and request the prompt return of your reference.

Please do not hand in your notice until all your pre-employment checks are cleared.

Posts that require PVG Scheme Membership or Disclosure Scotland Check

If required for your post, a PVG checks needs to be conducted. If you already hold a PVG Scheme membership, please ensure that you notify us, together with the type of membership that you hold i.e. for adults, for children, or for both.
PVG forms are sent electronically via an email link from Recruitment. Please complete this form as soon as possible. Completed forms are forwarded automatically to Disclosure Scotland for processing.

More information on Disclosure Scotland.

How long will the process take as my current manager is looking for an indication of when I will be handing my notice in?

This will depend on you completing and returning the appropriate paperwork required and the relevant appointments. How quick your reference forms come back will also come into play as well as how proactive the Hiring manager is in completing the outstanding actions on the system. For example, reviewing the checks, updating the online forms with reporting details etc

When should I hand in my notice in current employment?

When your new manager approves the pre-employment checks, they will phone you to agree a start date. You can now hand in your notice with this verbal confirmation which recruitment will follow up in writing.

Any queries that you might have regarding the role, please speak to the Hiring manager in the first instance.

I am internal and have shown ID at my interview, do I require to send further copies?

For interview purposes the panel require to confirm you are the person they are interviewing, for audit purposes we require a copy for your personal file.

Our office hours are 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

You can contact us by email at nhsggc.recruitment@nhs.scot or Call 0141 278 2700 (please listen to all the options and select the appropriate line)

Our Address is:

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Recruitment Service
West Glasgow ACH
2nd Floor
Dalnair Street
Glasgow
G3 8SJ

Quality is about making an organisation perform for all of their stakeholders, from improving products, services, systems and processes, to making sure that the whole organisation is fit and effective. Quality Management is a never ending pursuit of excellence, striving to ensure all Clinical Trials, Research Studies and Systems within GG&C are not only fit for purpose, but keep improving.

The expected level of Quality for Research and Innovation is that which has been set by all of our Stakeholders as well as external Standards, from Sponsor Staff to Trial Teams, Suppliers to Patients, along with any and all applicable regulatory bodies. It is the responsibility of all staff to strive to meet this level and meet all of the applicable Standards which must be worked to (GCP, UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research, etc). It is the responsibility of the Quality Team to assist everyone in meeting these standards.

The Quality System within Research and Innovation is the vehicle by which this is achieved, a set of controlled procedures are in place and under constant review for improvement and to assure compliance. The Quality Team have a number of activities and areas of influence to ensure this system is working effectively and maintained.

The two main areas of interest for the work of the Quality Team falls in to two main Categories, Quality Assurance(QA) and Quality Control(QC).

Quality Assurance is the “big picture” of Quality and looks to how Quality is baked in to our processes and activities, this is the consideration of how what we do will result in a Quality outcome. Quality Assurance is a proactive approach to achieving quality and is the consideration of what can be achieved before a task is performed, this involves an assessment of the fitness for purpose of a process. For example, QA is the review of the process defining how data is entered or transferred.

Quality Control is then a consideration of the fine detail, this looks at the output of an activity to ensure it meets the required standards, this level of activity is not solely the responsibility of the Quality Team but of all staff involved. Quality Control is the reactive element of Quality, it is the process of checking a completed activity to ensure it is compliant with set processes. For example, QC is the process of confirming that data entered or transferred is correct.

This is a symbiotic relationship and the Quality Control activity will feed in to the Quality Assurance, when an issue is identified through QC, QA will seek to prevent the issue from reoccurring.

The Quality Team are responsible for a number of important activities, a non-exhaustive list of some examples are:

Management of SOPs

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) form the backbone of the Quality Management System for R&I, as such their management is vital to ensure efficient, controlled and uniform conduct across all trials. It is the remit of the Quality Department to ensure all SOPs are constructed in accordance to a controlled format, routinely maintained, readily available and appropriately distributed.

This activity involves interaction with every individual who is involved with the content of SOPs, both in their design and in following the content. The quality department engages with owners of the SOPs during regular review periods, to review content and suggest improvements, to distribute to all designated stakeholders and gather evidence of training, compliance and instances of deviation from SOPs as well as identifying gaps in the existing suite of SOPs where new procedures are required. This is an ongoing cycle and feeds in to the continuous development of the department.

Vendor Assessments

For NHSGGC Sponsored or Co-Sponsored CTIMPs that requires an external service, a vendor assessment will be required. Examples include, but not limited to:

Commercial and academic laboratories out with NHSGGC
Bio-repositories
Statistical services
Data management services
Safe Havens
Archiving facilities
IMP manufacturers

In the instance that services are required from an external provider, it is imperative that the provider has been adequately vetted to ensure they can meet the needs of the trial. To this end, the Vendor Assessment process is utilised to ensure that all Vendors used within GG&C trials are capable of what is required of them.

The assessment is based on technical criteria relevant to the facility, in addition to evidence key Sponsor governance requirements such as:

GCP compliance
Robust Quality Management System
Internal Audits and SOPs
Relevant and up to date training
Safety Reporting
Data Protection Processes
Reporting of non-compliance

For further information, please contact via: RAndDVendorAssessment@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Audit

The Quality Department are responsible for conducting Audits across studies and trials within Research and Innovation. This can cover a wide range of different activities, looking at studies and trials and their activities as well as procedures within the Research and Innovation department itself. Audits are a mandatory requirement within Good Clinical Practice and defined as:

“A systematic and independent examination of trial related activities and documents to determine whether the evaluated trial related activities were conducted, and the data were recorded, analyzed and accurately reported according to the protocol, sponsor’s standard operating procedures (SOPs), Good Clinical Practice (GCP), and the applicable regulatory requirement(s).”

The Quality Department provide audits as a service which is delivered to other Departments and trial teams. As such, the audits are intended not only to ensure compliance to processes and protocols but to assist those being audited by identifying and removing issues, not only within the area of focus but with associated processes. If improvements can be made to remove waste and streamline activities, Audit is the key mechanism by which this can be achieved. When issues are identified, they can be removed. The audit team will always seek to engage fully with auditees and to form a consensus as those being audited will usually be the subject matter experts. An audit is an opportunity to improve and to influence processes.

It is important to have an accurate understanding of what an audit is, its intended purpose and also what activity takes place that is not considered and audit, generally speaking the separation between Audits, Monitoring, Quality Checks and Inspections are:

What is an Audit?

An Audit is a systematic, documented and independent review of any trial, study or process
An Audit will provide a “snapshot” of a moment in time and confirm “if you are doing what you say/think you are doing”
An Audit is part of sponsor Quality Assurance and feeds into quality systems

What is not an Audit?

Monitoring is a continuous and systematic process throughout the lifetime of the trial conducted by clinical trial monitors not independent of the trial who have not been involved in completing the activity.
Inspections are Independent regulators verifying study data whose primary interest is the protection of the public, e. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Human Tissues Authority (HTA).
Quality Checks are a continuous and systematic process throughout the lifetime of the trial conducted by clinical trial monitors not independent of the trial who have been involved in completing the activity.

Beyond this, the separation between audit activity, Research and Service Evaluation is defined in the following table:

Audit/ Quality Improvement	Research	Service Evaluation
Designed and conducted to produce information to inform delivery of best care	The attempt to derive generalizable new knowledge including studies that aim to generate hypotheses as well as studies that aim to test them.	Designed and conducted solely to define or judge current care.
Designed to answer the question: Does this service reach a predetermined standard?’	Quantitative research – designed to test a hypothesis. Qualitative research – identifies/explores themes following established methodology.	Designed to answer: “What standard does this service achieve or is it complying with best practice?”
Measures against a standard.	Addresses clearly defined questions, aims and objectives.	Measures current service without reference to a standard or best practice.
Involves an intervention in use only (the choice of treatment is that of the clinician and patient according to guidance, professional standards and/or patient preference).	Quantitative research – may involve evaluating or comparing interventions, particularly new ones. Qualitative research – usually involves studying how interventions and relationships are experienced.	Involves an intervention in use only. The choice of treatment is that of the clinician and patient according to guidance, standards, best-practice and/or patient preference.
Usually involves analysis of existing data, but may include administration of simple interview or questionnaire	Usually involves collecting data that are additional to those for routine care but may include data collected routinely. May involve treatments, samples or investigations additional to routine care.	Usually involves analysis of existing data but may include administration of interview or questionnaire.
No allocation to Intervention groups: the health professional and patient have chosen intervention before quality improvement.	Quantitative research – study design may involve allocating patients to intervention groups. Qualitative research – uses a clearly defined sampling framework underpinned by conceptual or theoretical justifications.	No allocation to intervention: the health professional and patient have chosen intervention before conducting quality improvement.

For further guidance on and definitions to establish if your project is clinical audit, post market surveillance, service evaluation or research, please refer to:

http://www.hra-decisiontools.org.uk/research/

Non CTIMP training

A large number of the trials Sponsored by Greater Glasgow & Clyde are classed as non Clinical Trial of an Investigational Medicinal Product (non CTIMP), in this instance the Quality Department provides regular training sessions to support the Trial Teams in setting up and maintaining their site file. This is viewed as a preventative measure for Research and Innovation to ensure Trial Teams for Non CTIMPs are adequately trained and able to follow the required SOPs to produce the site file, this will ensure common issues which have been identified through Monitoring and Auditing activity are discussed with Trial Teams to avoid occurrence in future trials. This training session is also a useful opportunity for trial teams to ask for study specific advice on how to navigate study conduct and management at site from set up to close out.

Training Sessions are convened on a regular basis and the list of attendees is generated using standard extracts from the research database and asked to attend by a member of the Governance Team. The sessions are small, informal and friendly, giving researchers a chance to network with their peers, identify study related issues and challenges and participate in group discussions.

The sessions are aimed at individuals employed by NHS GG&C only, who are new to research within the study team; researchers who are Chief Investigator for the first time, or Investigators new to NHS GG&C Sponsored research. Ideally, attendance should be prior to study recruitment. A sample site file index and supporting documentation is also provided prior to the training and study start up, which will be used as the basis for the session.

These sessions cover applicable regulatory frameworks; applications of Good Clinical Practice (GCP); good documentation practice and how each section of the site file index relates to the research. In addition, processes that may also apply to the research are covered, i.e. amendments, study non compliances. Common research audit findings are also discussed as exemplars of study non compliances and strategies discussed on how to avoid them.

Guidance, applicable legislation, responsibilities and principles of good clinical practice for researchers and research teams can be found here:

https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/policies-standards-legislation/uk-policy-framework-health-social-care-research/

For further information, please contact via: RAndDAudit@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Develop and Maintain the processes within Quality Management Tool (Q-Pulse)

A standard toolset is utilised by Research and Innovation for a number of activities, the aim of which is to allow these activities to be controlled in a uniform and predictable way to make the access and sharing of information easier for all those involved.

Q-Pulse is a Quality Management System for the control of Audits, Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPAs), Documents, Incident & Occurrences, People and Training. It utilises a number of modules which can be tailored for the specific requirements of all the processes within R&I. The Quality Department are responsible for developing and managing the content of Q-Pulse and generating reports to informing others of what actions are required and when.

Introduction

Pharmacovigilance (PV), also known as drug safety, is the pharmacological science relating to the collection, detection, assessment, monitoring, and prevention of adverse effects with pharmaceutical products.

PV is a regulatory requirement for any clinical trial of an investigational medicinal product (IMP) whether the trial is a first in man study of a novel drug or a study investigating how a well understood licensed drug performs in a real world setting.

In addition there are other types of study where vigilance processes are required for example:

Safety reporting is also a regulatory requirement for all clinical investigations of medical devices. Where a non CE marked device (or a CE marked device is used outside of its intended purpose) is used within an investigation there is a requirement to carry out vigilance.

Safety reporting is required within all studies involving human participants; even those that do not involve the use of drugs. Where an intervention or trial specific procedure takes place is important to ensure that the safety of the study in monitored.

About us

The Sponsor Pharmacovigilance Office is part of the Research and Innovation governance team. The Pharmacovigilance and Safety Manager is based within NHS GG&C while PV administration and systems are provided by the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics at the University of Glasgow.

We provide support to researchers from the grant stage of a study, to protocol development, identifying and managing risk from an IMP perspective, overseeing the collection and review of safety data, the processing and administration of Serious Adverse events, monitoring safety data for unexpected events, coding of events, and the preparation of Developmental Safety Update Reports. We ensure that all trials are compliant with the relevant regulatory frameworks on behalf of the lead investigator and Sponsor. The PV office has experience in oncology, cardiovascular, stroke, and many other fields of healthcare.

A risk adapted approach to pharmacovigilance and safety reporting is used to ensure that trials are conducted safely and efficiently while reducing the workload for both sites and investigators where possible.

The Sponsor PV office can help investigators for all studies, not just those involving drugs. We have experience of clinical investigations of medical devices, interventional studies, biomarker studies, and all other forms of healthcare research involving human subjects. We can help you at to assess the level of safety reporting required and aid in the preparation of study protocols. Please get in touch with the PV and Safety Manager should you wish to discuss any aspects of safety reporting.

ICH GCP defines monitoring as “the act of overseeing a clinical trial, ensuring that it is conducted, recorded and reported in accordance with the protocol, Good Clinical practice, SOPs and relevant regulatory requirements”

The GG&C monitors purpose is to ensure and verify

The rights and well-being of human subjects are protected
The reported trial data are accurate, complete, and verifiable from source documents
The conduct of the trial is in compliance with the currently approved protocol/amendment(s), with GCP, and with the applicable regulatory requirement(s).

The clinical trial monitors (CTMs) are sponsor representatives who review and update monitoring procedures, attend trial specific meetings, ensure compliance and consistency to regulatory and local procedures, and review protocol deviations. CTMs are appropriately trained and have the knowledge to escalate protocol deviations and identify serious breaches of GCP. The CTMs assist with risk assessments and implement a trial specific monitoring risk assessment. The specific monitoring risk assessment aids the monitoring plan development. CTMs ensure patient safety on trials is upheld, reviewing SAEs and identifying unreported SAEs and in the identification and analysis of repeated trends within trials.

Our team is made up of highly experienced individuals with varying backgrounds from nursing, science undergraduates and post graduates in addition to NHS and commercial backgrounds.

Due to the continually evolving nature of clinical trials and the recent global COVID-19 pandemic, new processes had to be rapidly developed and put in place to ensure ongoing oversight for new and existing clinical trials within our portfolio. Remote and central monitoring processes were utilised whilst minimising the burden on site staff as far as possible. All monitoring plans were reviewed to ensure compliance and addendums added to document any changes that were required.

The types of visit we conduct – Site Compliance, Routine monitoring, Close Out and For Cause visits.

Roles and Responsibilities
Ensure the safety, rights and well-being of trial subjects are protected	Data Integrity	Consent	Protocol Compliance
GCP Compliance	Safety	Delegation of Duties	Training
IMP Management	Documentation	Approvals	Facilities and Equipment

CTMs generate a visit report using the Q-Pulse database to manage actions raised during visits and ensure any non-compliances are rectified and recorded appropriately.

Services and Support Provided

Monitoring of Sponsor / host-sponsored CTIMPs, High-risk non-CTIMPs, and device trials
Non-commercial and commercial monitoring
Building a relationship between sites and sponsor
Identification of trends within a study (e.g. lab results being missed, deviations, issues with the study, site staff etc.)
Input into risk assessment
Identification of serious breaches
Feedback regarding site and non-compliance issues
Site training – protocol, eCRF completion

When to Get Us Involved

Grant application – Costings
During the start-up /set-up – Budgets/funding, logistics of the source data, feasibility
Risk assessment – Early input for development of the monitoring plan
During the study – Amendments, safety issues, database issues, etc.
End of study – Close-out activities

What monitoring is?	What monitoring isn’t?
Collection and analysis of information to track progress in a clinical trial.	Evaluation of any type including process evaluation
Critical to ensure the safety, rights and wellbeing of trial patients are upheld.	Audits and inspections
Risk assessment defines level of monitoring based on objective, purpose, design, complexity, blinding, size and endpoints of the trial and is an ongoing process defined by amendments, site problems or other assessments.	It does not usually occur just once. (unless a company has approached the monitors for a one time visit, which is agreed at the start)
Ongoing occurrence throughout the clinical trial determined by the risk assessment and monitoring plan.	Quality Assurance
Helps in order to identify trends and patterns in data, report deviations and non-compliances

Dr Caroline Watson – Research Governance Manager

Caroline.watson@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

The Governance Manager has worked within the research department for almost 20 years and manages the Governance team with the aim to ensure that there is an environment of support and regulatory compliance to ensure safety of research participants and high quality research.

Caroline has a degree and PhD in Biochemistry and undertook a post doctoral research fellowship before joining Industry where she designed and developed a novel drug and medical devices for the market. She has several patented technologies and the products are on the market.

As a senior manager in the NHS Caroline has in addition to managing the Governance team, a specific role in Trial Sponsorship, leading on MHRA inspections, Quality Assurance and Risk Management.

Governance has a major role in overseeing and supporting research and the manager chairs a number of governance and sponsor committees and has been responsible for setting up other Governance committees while generating the assessments and documentation required for them. This has included risk assessments for Phase I First In Human (FIH) trials, research involving Genetically Modified organisms as well as the processes to oversee trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caroline is also a key member of committees overseeing GCP for trials hosted by NHS GG&C.

The manager is also responsible for the management of non-compliances and serious breaches of GCP which arise in trials or systems supporting research.

Paul Gribbon- QA Manager

Paul.Gribbon@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07977716315

The Quality Manager within Research and Innovation is Paul Gribbon, he has been in post with R&I since August 2019. Prior to this he has worked as a Quality Assurance Manager as part of a large Quality Team within a multi-national Engineering company primarily working in the defence sector. In his previous role he has gained several years’ experience developing and implementing new processes, toolsets and systems of work. Some of this work has included the development of a Non-Conformance system and process, a new system for the management and planning of Audits as well as the management of any resulting Corrective and Preventative Actions to name a few.

Eileen McCafferty – Research Audit Facilitator

Eileen.McCafferty2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07773 203 214

Eileen McCafferty has been employed with NHS GG&C for almost 40 years. A background in ward nursing and ward management allowed further developmental opportunities out with the clinical setting. This included secondments to clinical audit then clinical effectiveness and within research as a research nurse and clinical event monitor, before taking up post as Research Audit Facilitator within R&I in 2003. Eileen was a founder member of the NHS GG&C Clinical Research Forum, founder member and steering group member of the Scottish Research Nurse and Coordinators Network and is a current member and past co Chair of the National Academic Research Quality Assurance group.

Dr Marc Jones- Pharmacovigilance and Safety Manager

Marc.Jones@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07989 470505

The PV and Safety Manager has worked within R+I Governance since 2016. He has a degree in pharmacology and a PhD in molecular biology and biochemistry. Following an academic career in basic research focussed on molecular engineering he changed focus to work in clinical trials. He began his clinical trials career at the Leeds Clinical Trials Research Unit in 2008. During his time at Leeds he gained a wide range of experience in all aspects of clinical trials but with a particular focus on pharmacovigilance, central monitoring, and data management. He has experience in oncology trials, biomarker discovery and validation studies, hepatology trials, clinical investigations of medical devices, and cardiovascular trials.

Dr Sheila McGowan- Lead Clinical Trial Monitor

Sheila.mcgowan2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07812733044

The Lead Clinical Trial monitor has a degree in Immunology and Pharmacology, and completed a PhD and post-doctoral in Immunology. After leaving academia to pursue clinical research she joined a commercial Clinical Research Organisation. During her time at the CRO she trained and passed their Clinical Research Foundation Programme and achieved awards in delivering quality monitoring and building relationships with sites. Following promotion to senior positions she decided to change focus and join the NHS, working at the CRUK Clinical Trials unit bringing her commercial knowledge to the role and the processes. Sheila took up the position of Lead Clinical Trial Monitor within Research and Innovation and has blended her academic and commercial background to monitoring and auditing. Over 13 years working in clinical research has allowed her to experience various opportunities and situations to learn and expand her knowledge in order to deliver and drive to achieve quality within the monitoring team and as a sponsor representative.

Clinical Trial Monitors

Emma Moody

Emma.Moody@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07855108909

After obtaining a Nursing degree at Glasgow Caledonian University, Emma spent a number of years as a Staff Nurse however, after many years of twelve hour shifts, she decided it was time for a change. With a longstanding interest in research she applied for a Clinical Trial Coordinator position at The New Victoria Hospital, it became apparent with such a small staff ratio and over twenty oncology trials to manage, her nursing degree could be put to good use. Her role was changed to Cancer Research Nurse where she worked mainly in haematology oncology trials and her love of all things haematology grew. Emma studied for a Masters degree at Stirling University and wrote her dissertation on a chemotherapy application using a mobile phone for symptom control in haematology chemotherapy patients. Over nine years at the New Victoria has given Emma the experience and expertise of managing clinical trials at site level to take on her role as Clinical Trial Monitor.

Amanda Lynch

Amanda.Lynch@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – 07811518145

Amanda Lynch has been employed with NHS for over 19 years. A background in hospital pharmacy as a Pharmacy Technician working in various areas. This included aseptic pharmacy, oncology, ward level dispensary and primary care. This allowed to further develop undertaking HNC in pharmacy management and development and checking qualifications. Then moved into a Clinical Trial Coordinator role, gaining a wide range of experience in all aspects of oncology clinical trials before taking up post as an Academic Clinical Trial Monitor in 2023.

Konstantina Komninidou

Konstantina.Komninidou@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

Konstantina has a degree in Early Childhood Education with focus on developmental psychology. She followed a paedagogical career until 2017 when she decided to pursue a path in clinical research guided by a passion for facilitating improvement in outcomes for people of all ages.

She has previously worked as trial assistant for the MYRIAD trial, an RCT looking at resilience outcomes in adolescence sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford; as data coordinator for the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit CTU in multicentre neonatal CTIMPs, and as data manager for early and late phase CTIMPs, observational, and biobank trials in the Late Phase Haematology research team at the Cancer and Haematology Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Konstantina joined the Research Governance team as a clinical trial monitor in December 2021 working towards ensuring the scientific and ethical integrity of trials sponsored, and hosted by the Board.

Emma Whitelaw – Governance Facilitator

Emma.Whitelaw@ggc.scot.nhs.uk Mobile – TBC

Emma Whitelaw has been employed with NHS GG&C for almost 18 years. She has been in the Governance Facilitator post since October 2020. Prior to this she was part of the R&I Project Management Unit for 10 years as a Project Assistant helping run Clinical Trials from Start to Finish.

She currently supports the Governance Manager and team with

Administration, audit and inspections.
Manages and administers the Phase 1 First in Human Committee for the chair Prof Jim McCaul.
Administers the GHSP Regulatory Affairs Group chaired by Prof Rob Jones.
Administers the Sponsor Governance meetings with CRUK
Supports the administration of the CTIMP oversight committee

Emma also carries out some remote close out admin, file reviews and mini audits for the clinical trials monitoring team.

Emma will help with availability of the governance team and the person to contact for advice on documentation and process for the committees.

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Staff & Recruitment

Key Documents

Authorisation

Stage 1 Authorisation

Stage 2 Authorisation

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

Consultant (replacement) positions

Senior Medical positions and new Consultant posts

Other Medical and Dental positions

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 6 and Band 7

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 5

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

New posts

Replacement posts: Band 8A and above

Replacement posts: Band 2 – Band 7

Disclosure of Criminal Convictions

Criminal Convictions – Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Guidance on Consultant Appointments

Summary Guide

The Board Lead Officer

Chair

External Adviser

The Assessment Panel

External Adviser

Related documents and guidance

Completing the Application Form

Eligibility to Work in the UK

Qualifications and Training Details

Employment information

Referees

Statement in Support of Your Application

Declaration

Equal Opportunities and Equality Monitoring

Criminal Convictions

Recruitment stages

Shortlisting Stage

Interview Stage

Pre-Employment Checks

Management of SOPs

Vendor Assessments

Audit

What is an Audit?

What is not an Audit?

Non CTIMP training

Develop and Maintain the processes within Quality Management Tool (Q-Pulse)

Introduction

About us