About the CRP Accredited Register

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The Accredited Register is for experienced CRPs who can demonstrate that they are working at practitioner level defined as level 5 and above of the 9 level Skills for Health Career Framework.

Applicants must have at least one year of experience working at practitioner level in addition to the educational requirements and any experience working at an entry/assistant level research delivery role. (N.B. CRPs may have ‘assistant’ in their job title and be working at an experienced practitioner level. The level of experience and knowledge are the criteria for joining the register and not Agenda for Change (AfC) bandings or job titles. Please see FAQs and guidance documents for further information).

Current education requirements require applicants to provide evidence that they have a minimum of level 6 education (degree or equivalent) as defined by the UK qualifications framework.

Applicants who gained their educational qualification overseas will need to provide a statement of comparability in line with UK ENIC requirements. The Statement of Comparability from the UK ENIC needs to be uploaded into the application.

A proposal to open a process to widen access to the CRP Register to experienced practitioners without level 6 qualifications on a time-limited, exceptional access basis was agreed by the AHCS in September 2022.  For information regarding the Experienced Practitioner Gateway, please refer to this page.

There is more detailed information and guidance available in the guidance documents and FAQs section.

Support and guidance

The Academy runs monthly drop-in sessions for Clinical Research Practitioners who would like to know more about the Directory or PSA Accredited Register.

This is your opportunity to find out more about the application process, portfolios, writing reflections, or any other queries you may have.

You are welcome to join when you can, within the hour. This is not a formal meeting, rather an opportunity for you to ask a quick question and have your answer straight away.

Milly Brittain, AHCS CRP Project Administrator and Maya Leach, Engagement Manager: Clinical Research Practitioner Registration at the NIHR Clinical Research Network look forward to meeting you.

The NIHR Clinical Research Network supports a network of local CRP engagement leads and you will find further information on the NIHR CRP Community website.

Scope of Practice and Standards of Proficiency

The Scope of Practice and Standards of Proficiency were developed by the working groups who contributed to the CRP development.

Scope of Practice

The CRP Scope of Practice outlines the range of activities undertaken by CRPs and the different environments and contexts of practice. All health and care professionals must keep within their individual scope of practice and determining what is and is not part of their scope of practice is part of the professional responsibility of practitioners. All applicants to the CRP Register are required to complete a reflection on their own scope of practice and involve team members and their line manager in these discussions.

Standards of Proficiency

Standards are essential for members of the workforce to perform their job role activities, provide safe and effective care, and demonstrate their professionalism. The CRP 16 Standards of Proficiency cover two areas;

  • Professional Responsibility
  • Behaviours, knowledge and skills covering clinical research, clinical context and leadership

As members of the Healthcare Science workforce the professional standards outlined in Good Scientific Practice are also relevant.

In addition, the principles of Good Clinical Practice apply to all CRPs. All applicants are required to demonstrate that they have an up to date GCP Certificate as part of their portfolio.

How to join the CRP Accredited Register

Before you start your application, you must do the following:

  1. Join the CRP Directory
  2. Read guidance documents and ensure you are currently eligible.
  3. Discuss your application with you line manager and connect with your local CRP lead if you have one and your CRP colleagues.

How to make an application

The register application process is split into 12 elements:

  • Personal Details
  • Guidance
  • Professional Identity
  • Employer Details
  • Education and Training
  • Portfolio
  • Good Character & Health
  • Declaration
  • Payment
  • Monitoring Information
  • Complete Application

The Portfolio documentation required is as followed:

  • Confirmation of application and documented assurance of practice development template
  • Reflective account 1.1 – Professional accountability
  • Reflective account 1.2 – Leadership
  • Reflective account 1.3 – Working across boundaries

As part of a continuous improvement approach, we have taken the opportunity to improve clarity within the application process by configuring a single document template for capture of both documented assurance and line manager confirmation.  The previous templates will be retired and replaced with the single merged document.  At the present time and until further notice, applications incorporating the previous templates, or the new template will be accepted by AHCS.

Confirmation of application by your manager assures that your practice as a CRP meets registration requirements. Therefore, when to make an application, will be a decision agreed between the CRP applicant and their manager and should be seen as an integral part of your continued professional development. Confirmation by line manager signature covers the following:

  • Confirmation that the applicant is working to a competency framework or equivalent evidenced based approach to knowledge and skills development *.
  • Confirmation that the applicant has discussed and appraised their practice development with a statutory registered healthcare professional.
  • Confirmation of the completion of the required statutory/mandatory training,
  • Confirmation that the applicant has a current DBS Certificate and English Language proficiency.

*If no competency framework or equivalent evidence based approach to knowledge and skills development has been used in the applicant’s role development to date, the applicant and their manager may wish to use one of the available competency frameworks, and/or the NIHR Integrated Workforce Framework (IWF) Resources to enable a structured and evidence-based approach to identifying areas of skills development as well as appraisal of achievements and progress already made.

The documented assurance of practice development section of this template allows for documentation of (i) the practice development conversation with a statutory registered health professional (this could be your line manager if they are part of a statutory registered profession or include a member of your team who is part of a statutory register. The template needs to include (ii) two pieces of feedback and (iii) evidence of observation of communication skills.

Reflective Account 1.1 – Professional Accountability

The reflection should be focused on specific examples, such as an event or experience that can illustrate your own learning and understanding of events and how this has led to changes or improvements in your professional practice. Your reflection should include reference to one or more of the Standards 1-6 Standards of Proficiency for CRPs to help ensure your reflection is focused and relevant.

*  The completed document should not be longer than 2 sides of A4.

Reflective Account 1.2 – Leadership

Your reflective account should briefly describe your leadership activity in relation to either your advocacy for research or in support of the CRP profession. The leadership responsibilities are outlined in Standards 15 & 16, and these will help you to identify suitable examples that could include:

  • Your contribution to promoting research across your area of practice,
  • Examples of activities that promote understanding of the CRP profession.

*  The completed document should not be longer than 2 sides of A4.

Reflective Account 1.3 – Working Across Boundaries

You are asked to reflect on how you have approached addressing permissions or gaining access to potential participants across a professional and/or organizational boundary.

This reflection could include, for example:

  • Your experience engaging clinical teams in research,
  • Your involvement in opening up new areas of research activity, and/or,
  • Your learning from the introduction of new ways of working and how you engaged people.

*  The completed document should not be longer than 2 sides of A4.

In addition to the portfolio applicants also need to upload a current Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Certificate and evidence of level 6 educational attainment. A change of name certificate may also be required.

For more detailed guidance on how to complete your application, please refer to the Clinical Research Practitioners Resources.

The information in your CRP Register account will be held in line with AHCS Privacy and Legal Policy. A data sharing agreement exists between the NIHR Clinical Research Network and the AHCS for the purpose of understanding more about the CRP workforce and informing future developments.

Fees and annual renewal

Application for admission to the Register; a non-refundable registration application fee of £30.

Annual renewal of Registration: a non-refundable Registration Renewal fee of £30.

As part of their commitment to registration, all registrants agree to keep records of their CPD activity during the year. CPD activity can be audited by the AHCS.

Tax relief on registration fees

With effect from 6 April 2017, AHCS registrants have been able to obtain a deduction against income tax for their annual registration fees. The Academy’s name appears on the approved bodies on Gov.UK (“List 3”) as ‘Healthcare Science, Academy of’

Please note:

  • The tax relief is only available against fees paid since April 2017 and cannot be backdated.
  • If your employer has reimbursed you for your fees, or has paid them on your behalf, you cannot claim a deduction.

The following link provides guidance for Employees on claiming back tax against expenses:

www.gov.uk/tax-relief-for-employees/professional-fees-and-subscriptions

The following links provide guidance for Employers covering the cost of employees’ subscriptions and professional fees:

www.gov.uk/expenses-benefits-subscriptions-professional-fees

https://www.ahcs.ac.uk/download/296/regulation-policies-rules-guidance/6289/ahcs-cpd-guide.pdf