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Research Study

Participant Information Sheet
A survey to provide baseline activity in relation to ward sister/charge nurse supervisory roles

NHS R&D Form, IRAS No: 184809/818329/14/877

Biomedical & Scientific Research Ethics Committee Ref No: REGO-2015-1601
Version Number: 1.0 1st July 2015

We would like to invite you to take part in our research study. Before you decide we would like you to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Do talk to others about the study if you wish and ask us if there is anything that is not clear.

Why am I being invited to participate? You are being invited to participate because you are a Senior Nurse, Chief Nurse or Director of Nursing Services working in an acute/mental health/community NHS Trust and are responsible for the delivery of nursing care.

What is the purpose of the study? We are interested in finding out more about the activities that are taking place in relation to supervisory practice for ward sisters/charge nurses/team leaders. Supervisory practice describes a role where the ward sister/charge nurse/team leader is not counted in the staffing numbers for the provision of direct patient care and deploys themselves to lead, manage and develop their team effectively. We would like to understand what is happening currently, what is important to you, the challenges and benefits of supervisory practice. This work will provide a picture of what is happening across England and produce important evidence on which to base policy and practice developments in the future. We would like to invite you to take part in an online survey which will take approximately 20-30 minutes.

Do I have to take part? No, it is up to you to decide. If you agree to take part we will take your completion of the questionnaire as formal consent for the study. You are free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason.
If you agree to participate or not, and if you continue with the study or withdraw from it, this would not affect you or your work in any way.

What will happen to me if I take part? You will be provided with this information sheet and if you decide to take part we ask you to complete an online survey which will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Most questions provide a choice of answers but some provide the opportunity for you to say what is important from your experience. You would receive a reminder at 2 weeks and 3 weeks and have a total of 5 weeks to complete the survey before recruitment closes.

Expenses and Payments No expenses or payments are paid if you take part in this study; we do not expect that it will cost you anything other than some of your time.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part? We believe that any adverse consequences of taking part in this study are minimal.

What are the potential benefits of taking part? There is no direct benefit of taking part however we hope the information collected will improve understanding of the challenges and benefits of supervisory practice.

What happens when the research study stops? Your involvement with the research study will end after completion of the questionnaire. If you wish we will send you details of what we learn as a result of the study.

What if there is a problem? If you have a concern about any aspect of this project, please speak to Dr. Liz Tutton Tel: 024761 50620 who will do her best to answer your query. If you are still unhappy and wish to complain formally please contact the Director of Delivery Assurance, Registrar’s Office, University House, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 8UW, complaints@warwick.ac.uk, Tel: 02476574774

Will taking part in the study be kept confidential? All information collected will be kept strictly confidential. You do not need to provide your name, address or the name of your employer in order to participate. You are welcome to provide contact details only if you want to receive communication about the findings of the study. In that case, your contact details would be stored separately and confidentially and would not be linked to your response.

How data is collected, handled, stored and destroyed will comply with the Data Protection Act 1998. Any information included in any reports will be anonymised. We will safeguard confidentiality during this study by:
• keeping any information in a locked cabinet or in a secure electronic database
• not using any identifiable information such as names on any of the documentation or on any publication – we will use a code number instead
• using a separate secure electronic folder to keep personal details. This will be destroyed at the end of the study
• using data only for the reasons stated in this information leaflet
• allowing only researchers and representatives of regulatory bodies, sponsors from the University of Warwick access to the study information. This is so they can check the study is being carried out correctly
• using secure methods of destroying information
The questionnaire responses without identifiable information (anonymised), will be kept, in a secure place, for 10 years and then destroyed. These will be made available to other researchers in the field if required but nothing with names on it will be shown to anyone. We do not use this data for any other purpose without further permission from the Sponsors, Health Research Authority and yourself.

What happens if I don’t want to carry on with the study? If you wish to stop being part of the study you or your work will not be affected. We will only use the data collected up to that time.

Harm In the event that something does go wrong and you are harmed during the research and this is due to someone’s negligence then you may have grounds for compensation against University of Warwick but you may need to pay your legal costs. The normal university complaints mechanisms will still be available to you.

What will happen to the results of the research study? The results of the study will be published in a report that will be sent to NHS England who funded this study. We will also publish what we learn in healthcare journals and national and international research and health service delivery meetings.
To receive a summary of findings you need to fill in your contact details. At the end of the study the researcher will email or post this summary to you using the personal details you provided, after which your personal details will be destroyed. If you do not wish to receive such a summary you do not have to give your personal details.

How have service users been involved in this study? The study has been discussed with services users who suggest there is a need to know more about how this role can improve practice. The survey has been piloted with two Directors of Nursing Services.

Who is organising and funding the research? The sponsors of the study are University of Warwick. The study is funded by NHS England.

Who has reviewed this study? At the University of Warwick all research involving members of staff are looked at by an independent group of people, called a Biomedical and Scientific Research Ethics Committee (BSREC), to protect your interests. This study has been reviewed and given a favourable ethical opinion BSREC No: REGO-2015-1601.

Contact
Please contact me if you require further information.
Contact: Dr Liz Tutton, Senior Research Fellow, Tel: 024761 50620, Liz.tutton@warwick.ac.uk
RCNRI Warwick Medical School
University of Warwick
Coventry West Midlands CV4 7 AL

Thank you for reading this information sheet and considering taking part in this study

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