As part of our clinical research outsourced service, we supplied and managed staff for the world-famous Salford Lung Study, the world’s first Real World Evidence study with GlaxoSmithKline.
Overview
Our brief for this project initially, was to source a team of 20 Research Nurses for the first of its kind Real World Evidence study for a respiratory trial in asthma and COPD.
The study lasted for around 6 years in total and we ended up employing a total of around 250 staff in various guises including Research Nurses, Clinical Research Facilitators, Study Directors, CRAs, Data Managers, and administrative staff.
The Challenge
The project ended up requiring over 10 times more staff and so the challenge was how to secure the personnel and ensure staff were retained for the duration of the project. From an outsourcing perspective, additional challenges presented were staff retention, welfare, engagement, development and disciplinary matters as they occurred.
The Solution
A dedicated recruitment team, headed by Russell Oakley, specialised in the recruitment of nurses and other clinical trial staff. This team was solely responsible for the initial setup of the nurse teams and then other operational teams within the project. The team had an ongoing candidate attraction strategy using various advertising methods, online and in print, plus utilisation of job boards and networks on LinkedIn.
Our dedicated HR Manager Naomi and our HR team were involved in managing the ongoing CK employees and provided HR support to the senior members of the staff in the project. The HR team provided this support throughout the study and it proved vital in managing staff welfare and development.
We also held team building days, formal evening events, and treats throughout the year to encourage unity and thank them for their hard work.
The Outcome
The project was a success and helped develop the careers of numerous nursing and clinical research staff that might not have had the opportunity for this type of work. As a company, the CK group was able to use this model for other outsourced projects and aided CK to develop into a staffing company that also specialised in the recruitment of research nurses.
