Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
We are looking to appoint a new research assistant phlebotomist to join our progressive and vibrant R&D team. The role is patient / staff facing and requires the post holder to have an aptitude and enthusiasm to work with a range of people from different cultures, ages, diagnosed conditions and environments. Our research portfolio covers mental health, dementia and community care services.
NELFT is an innovative and dynamic organisation with an accomplished record of delivering research studies throughout the Trust thanks to our skilled staff and clinicians. In the last year the team collaborated with community and mental health services to deliver more than 40 NIHR Portfolio Studies and the team enrolled more than 1400 people into research.
The post holder will work with services to establish, develop and maintain relationships to facilitate research activities and clinical tasks such as venepuncture and biological sample handling. Through these relationships they will identify and enrol patients, their carers and staff into research projects, undertaking duties such as advertising, screening, consent and data collection with participants as required.
Main duties of the job
The post-holder will have a phlebotomy qualification (or equivalent) and experience of working with people with mental health problems, physical health problems and/or other disabilities and possess an understanding of research methods used in the NHS. They will be a creative problem solver, who is comfortable working independently and as part of a team. They will have excellent communication skills and the ability to establish and maintain relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. The post-holder will have the opportunity to develop their research skills through formal and experiential learning, supervision, mentoring and peer support. This role will include involve collecting and transporting blood samples in a community environment and having a valid UK driving license and access to a motor vehicle is essential.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an in-person interview that will include a practical phlebotomy assessment.
Here at NELFT, embracing a Just and Compassionate Culture is our commitment to our colleagues and to our patients that we will support and promote a culture based on fairness, respect, honesty, and trust, ensuring that we have consistent leadership behaviours and styles across the Trust. Our vision is to create an engaging place to work in partnership, where we value diverse perspectives and work in an environment in which you feel valued, supported, understood, and developed.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 per annum (pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. Phlebotomy
5. Relevant postgraduate degree (, MSc)
Experience
Essential criteria
6. Research Experience
7. Working with people with mental health problems and/or other disabilities.
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
8. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
9. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
10. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
11. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.