In January 2021 we launched our STARS programme, our new research training and development programme to support staff at the Trust. In addition to this we also contribute to the national Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training program and have trained facilitators within our team.

The STARS Programme

Working in partnership with Keele University and University of Worcester, MPFT have designed an innovative research skills training programme entitled STARS: Supporting The Advancement of Research Skills. 
 
STARS includes a wide range of expert-led workshops and seminars to choose from and has been specifically designed to be flexible to match staff levels, needs and ambitions. All MPFT staff, both clinical and non-clinical are welcome and encouraged to participate. 
 
The STARS programme aims to support staff to enhance their knowledge, awareness and confidence in research. The wide variety of workshops and bite-size seminars will equip staff with the skills required to put research into practice at work, to give them confidence to engage with research across the Trust and support staff to take a front seat to drive the direction of future research.

The programme is currently only open to MPFT staff.

For more information, please email STARS@mpft.nhs.uk
 

Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Training

All clinical research is conducted to Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the international ethical, scientific and practical standard. As part of the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research GCP training is a requirement for all Researchers involved in the delivery of Clinical Trials of Investigational Products (CTIMPS). GCP compliance ensures the data for research studies is reliable and importantly ensures the rights, safety and wellbeing of participants.

As a trust we follow the Delegation and Training Decision Aid (Link below) to decide if GCP training is a requirement, however we feel it is good practice to complete the training if you are able. Due to the variety of research study types it may be that NIHR short courses or training aids may be more appropriate.

https://sites.google.com/a/nihr.ac.uk/dandtda/

The GCP training course is free to all NHS, UK universities and other publically funded organisations who support clinical research. The course can be accessed via the following link

https://learn.nihr.ac.uk/

The training can be completed as a face to face or online Introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) course. This should be refreshed every 3 years using the GCP refresher training.

 

Other training

On the NIHR learn website if you work for the NHS, a UK university or other a publically funded organisation that supports clinical research, you are able to access other training opportunities provided by the NIHR such as Informed consent.

 

Useful links