Training Courses

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement for Lay Members -To learn about the NIHR CRN PPIE Team and how they can support you in Patient and Public Involvement activities. You will also learn about NIHR Initiatives that you and your host NHS, non- NHS or academic organisation can be involved in such as the The Patient Research Ambassador Initiative, The Patient Stories Initiative, connections to CRN West Midlands Patient Steering Groups and the Patient Experience Initiative

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Training for NHS Staff -Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement in research is important in order to raise awareness about research so that everyone has the opportunity to take part in research. Involving Patients in research will improve both deliverability of research and patient outcomes.  BRP been designed to inform and educate Research Professionals about ways they can and should be involved in research. BRP also helps to support researchers and research staff to develop, deliver & raise awareness about quality research ensuring that research is accessible, to all patients and their families

There are no academic pre-requisites for the Cancer Researchers’ Introductory Course.Participants may hold any role in the Cancer division and will be new or relatively new in post (ideally within 3 months). The course is introductory and pre-supposes only a basic knowledge of biology. A short review of normal cell biology is provided as pre-reading. 

TO BOOK A PLACE ON THIS TRAINING COURSE, PLEASE CLICK ON THE CRN LEARN TAB ABOVE AND REGISTER AN ACCOUNT

The Consent course aims to provide a sound grounding in the standards required when receiving consent in clinical research. It builds on the knowledge and understanding gained through completing the Introduction to GCP course. Participants can expect to gain a fuller understanding of the process of receiving consent and the roles and responsibilities of the research team.

All those who undertake paediatric research studies will be involved in the paediatric consent and assent process. The aim of the day is to provide participants with a sound grounding in the standards required when receiving consent and assent in paediatric clinical research. It provides an introductory overview upon which clinical competence can be developed to meet local trust needs and requirements. 

TO BOOK APLACE ON THIS TRAINING COURSE, PLEASE CLICK ON THE CRN LEARN TAB ABOVE AND REGISTER AN ACCOUNT

This course goes back to basics on cost attribution. An introduction to the DH AcoRD Guidance will be provided and various scenarios will be explored to explain the differences between a research cost, treatment cost and support cost. 

This course would be suitable for all researchers and associated staff that will be/are responsible for data management, and the design and collection of data in clinical trials

A workshop aimed at pharmacy staff that have completed the NIHR GCP for IMP Management Online Course. To enable Understanding of the context of clinical trials in a pharmacy dept, share best practice examples and enable problem solving and risk management in trial set up and delivery 

The goal of this training program is to provide a beginners introduction to NIHR Hub (i.e. collection of Google Apps for staff collaboration). The target audience will comprise any new  and existing CRN staff, Researchers or any Partner Organisations including NHS Trust staff. 

This session is aimed at R&D staff, and Support Departments (i.e. anyone at the Trust involved in the Assess, Arrange and Confirm process).  The session is a practical discussion based session around real protocols and how these would need to be considered at Trust level.  The key considerations around Research team, Staff, Resources and SOPs/Policies are discussed in light of the different types of studies.

This course is for new clinical research staff (Research Nurses/Facilitators/support staff/ Data  Managers) who have been working in a research role for less than one year. The course provides a basic overview of research roles and the clinical research process which builds on the theory and practical sessions of ICH Good Clinical Practice training. It is intended for site staff from any clinical speciality who are involved in the conduct of clinical research. 

This full-day workshop is designed to provide an introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the EU Directives, UK Regulations and Research Governance Framework requirements covering clinical trials and other NIHR Portfolio studies conducted within Secondary Care (primarily hospital based) settings. Participants can expect to gain a demonstrable understanding of the background and practical implications of GCP. 

This full-day workshop is designed to provide an introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the EU Directives, UK Regulations and Research Governance Framework requirements covering clinical trials and other NIHR Portfolio studies involving adults who lack the capacity to consent to research.

This full-day workshop is designed to provide an introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the EU Directives, UK Regulations and Research Governance Framework requirements covering clinical trials and other NIHR Portfolio studies in a paediatric setting, including consent and assent processes.

This course provides an introduction to GCP in a primary care setting. The content covered in the primary care and secondary care versions of this course are the same, though the context in which they are applied is tailored to primary rather than secondary care settings.

An update on the key changes to the UK Medicinal Products (Clinical Trials) Regulations since their publication in 2004 and a refresher on Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and the Research Governance Framework (RGF). The session is designed to develop participants previous knowledge and experience of translating principles into practice. 

This training is for Sponsors, Study Coordinators, Researchers involved in completing the IRAS application with or on behalf of a CI (CTU/University/NHS). This course provides a comprehensive overview of the Research Management pathway for studies conducted in the NHS.  It begins with a basic introduction into the research landscape, roles and responsibilities, completion of IRAS forms, how to submit your study for consideration on NIHR Portfolio.   The session has an interactive activity looking at the steps involved in obtaining ready to recruit confirmation from each of the organisations involved in your study.

This course aims to develop an awareness of the range of medical and nursing terminology in everyday use in clinical research settings. By the end of the session learners will be able to identify common abbreviations and interpret them correctly, identify and demonstrate the use of resources to assist the interpretation and use of medical terminology and recognise the adverse consequences related to the incorrect use of terminology / abbreviations.

For front line, clinical staff who wish to improve or consolidate their communication skills in relation to the consent process or staff who have communication identified as part of their PDP.

THIS COURSE IS ADMINISTERED THROUGH THIS TRAINING WEBSITE NOT THROUGH CRN LEARN

The aims of the presentation is to ensure that researchers clearly understand the best way to get their amendments for portfolio research working for them i.e. notifying all participating sites  regarding the changes to their studies. The process for submitting and communicating research study “Amendments” has changed significantly in IRAS to fit with the HRA processes and this session aims to give researchers a brief outline of the process in submitting amendments, tips, ideas and workarounds. If you are a CI/ Study Co-ordinator/ Researcher leading on a study then this would be a great opportunity to learn how you can get IRAS to work for you

This workshop aims to help investigators and research teams to attract commercial and non-commercial research and provide practical techniques to help make studies successful. The session walks through the life-cycle of a study from the site perspective, starting with the initial feasibility assessment.

For research delivery staff who want a better understanding of mental health and dementia

This course would be suitable for NHS/academic research staff, who would like to develop their skill and confidence in implementing quality control checks, in order to ensure the accuracy of the data and patient safety

This course will provide an introduction to the processes involved in inspection, audits and monitoring. 

A protocol is the document that specifies the research plan for the clinical trial. It is the single-most important quality control tool for all aspects of a clinical trial. This course will provide attendees with the opportunity to review a protocol template, well designed in compliance with the SPIRIT guidelines. It will in addition provide explanation of the requirements to be included in the individual sections and the reasons for their inclusion.  This course would be suitable for NHS/academic research staff who are involved in the development and review of trial protocols.

The course has been designed to provide delegates with the knowledge required to set up and maintain a Site File.  Participants will explore the purpose of a Site File and identify the essential documents.

This course provides an opportunity for experienced research staff (clinical and non clinical) who are interested in delivering training on research topics to develop and enhance their ability to enable others to learn.  It aims to prepare facilitators who are committed to delivering regional training sessions using standard materials and is a re-requisite for all NIHR-endorsed training. 

This course is designed for frontline pathology staff working in departments supporting the delivery of clinical research.

Please contact Workforce Development on [email protected].uk to express an interest.

A workshop aimed at pharmacy staff that have completed the NIHR GCP for IMP Management online course. To enable understanding of the context of clinical trials in a pharmacy dept, share best practice examples and eanable problem solving and risk management in trial set up and delivery

This session is of interest to clinical trials site staff, coordinating centre staff and/or sponsor staff, especially staff members with a responsibility for further improving local practices.

This session is set up to share common or key findings noted during monitoring, auditing and/or inspections in the BRTC region in 2014. The findings will be discussed, as well as examples of good practice that can be put in place to avoid such findings to recur. It is expected that this session will be repeated on an annual basis to encourage sharing of best practices in the region. The session is set up as an interactive session, where delegates are strongly encouraged to share their best practices.

This session is suitable for any members (new or experienced) of the research site staff team (e.g.Data Managers, Research Nurses, Trial Coordinators) who facilitate on-site monitoring visits. This interactive workshop aims to explain the monitoring process – what do the Monitors do and why?; highlight common monitoring and inspection findings; provide an opportunity to share best practice and explore strategies to avoid findings                                

This course introduces informed consent with adults who lack the capacity to consent to research.  It is written with the assumption that you have an introductory level understanding of the process of Informed Consent, and this is not covered here. 

This workshop will enable you to understand the historical context of archiving, importance of archiving, regulatory & legal frameworks, archiving challenges and meeting those challenges

The Improvement & Innovation Training Workshops are two half-day sessions- Session1: Improvement Project Planning and Session 2: Project Delivery -aimed at explaining to trainees what continuous improvement is, the Clinical Research Network approach to continuous improvement (Plan, Do, Study, Act) and provide knowledge of tools that would enable you to carry out improvement projects and/or supporting colleagues in carrying out their own projects

Introduction to Clinical Genetics and Research Overview - This session provides an introduction to the basic principles of genetics and inheritance, and their application to medicine.  The session will include an overview of the cancer genetics and general genetics services operating in the West Midlands. Areas of research interest as well as ongoing studies relevant to clinical genetics patients will be discussed

This session will inform you of what do Imaging need to know in order to approve a clinical study and why, assist you in understanding various imaging modalities, the legal requirements for exposure to ionising radiation and he implications to ionising radiation

This study session aims to explore how “Scientific Method” underpins what are called “Research Methods” and we might consider could be considered as “Research” as applied in the clinical domain. Attendees will be shown how they may start to go further in developing their skills, understanding and knowledge of “Research Methods” to apply in their own clinical research.

The Facilitator will aim to provide an overview of the scope of how statistics can be used in all types of clinical research from systematic reviews to clinical audit, design and analysis of clinical laboratory methods, health technology assessments, medical equipment/device reliability, clinical trials, epidemiological studies, surveys, etc.

The workshop is organised to enable participants to understand the information a SOP should contain and by the end of the workshop participants will be able to write a SOPs action list, appreciate the need for review and document control  and to write a SOP