Job Description

The Charity

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Saving Faces - the only charity in the United Kingdom solely dedicated to the worldwide reduction of facial injuries and diseases. We fund and administer The National Facial, Oral and Oculoplastic Research Centre (NFORC). This is a joint venture between Saving Faces and several surgical professional organisations including the Royal College of Surgeons of England. NFORC carries out clinical trials and national audits to determine best treatment for conditions affecting the face, head and neck. Its research combats cancer, injury and disfigurement in the most socially important part of our bodies – the face and mouth.

The charity runs, manages and funds national audits including the Head and Neck Cancer Audit (HANA) for England and Wales which will focus on key patient outcomes. HANA holds information about the diagnosis, management and treatment of every patient who is newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Our clinical research includes the SEND study, a large international randomised controlled trial for patients with small oral squamous cell carcinomas part funded by Cancer Research UK. In addition Saving Faces collects and holds tissue and blood for future basic science research on cancer.

Saving Faces runs a patient-to-patient helpline, putting people coming to terms with facial conditions or preparing for surgery in touch with a former patient who has had a similar experience. The Saving Faces Diagnostic Advice Service (SFDADS) helps dentists and doctors identify mouth cancer and speed up the referral process to the correct surgeon. We also fund PhD studentships and clinical fellowships. Current projects include studies on the psychological impact of cancer and facial trauma on patients and their families and laboratory-based research to develop more effective cancer detection systems.

Job description

Overview:

The post holder will work with the Clinical Research Manager and other Saving Faces researchers helping to ensure that the charity’s clinical and health promotion studies run smoothly.  Central to this role will be the use of Saving Faces web-based databases to enter, retrieve and update information about the current and future studies. Another important aspect of the job will be to liaise with hospital staff and other collaborators in order to facilitate complete and accurate data collection. This is often a very outward-facing role. After an initial period of training, he/she will also assist with patient recruitment, randomisation, transcribing of information into case report forms and data entry for SEND and other clinical trials. The post holder will also help to ensure that blood and tissue samples are collected, stored and logged with the appropriate documentation. The post holder will also be responsible for dealing with enquires to the patient helpline, matching callers to one of our network of “expert patients” who can offer advice and support.

The post will be based primarily in our London offices at The Royal London or Mile End Hospital.  A willingness to work flexibly, travel to other sites and to assist with all areas of the charity’s work is essential. The post holder is expected to learn about and make themselves familiar with mouth, face, head and neck diseases and injuries.