This site contains the information to support CRPs who may be located UK-wide to join the CRP Directory and to apply to become a professionally registered CRP. The CRP Register is operated and regulated by the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) and is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA)
If you need any help with your application or reporting a problem, please email: crpadmin@ahcs.ac.uk
Who are Clinical Research Practitioners (CRP)?
Clinical Research Practitioners (CRPs) are a vital part of the research workforce.
The number of CRPs in the research workforce has increased in response to the expansion of clinical research activity over the last few years. Developing the professional identity of this group, recognising their expertise and enabling effective professional development is a strategic priority for growth of the research workforce.
While CRPs are not required to be part of a statutory professional register in order to perform their role, professionally registered status is now available to them through voluntary accredited registration, aligned with requirements of the UK Professional Standards Authority (PSA). The term CRP is an umbrella title for the family of roles in research delivery that have a patient/participant-facing element within clinical environments and other health and social care settings. These roles include but not limited to: Clinical Studies Officer, Research Practitioner, Clinical Trials Practitioner, Clinical Trials Officer, among others.
What is the CRP Directory?
The CRP Directory is aimed at CRPs who are not registered to a healthcare profession and who may now be setting an intention to apply for registered CRP status.
The CRP Directory was launched in September 2018 as a foundation for the development of the CRP community, which over 3 years has grown to a body of over 1,000 committed individual practitioners. Click here for the newsletter regarding the 1,000 applications on the directory.
For more information, including eligibility to join and benefits of the directory, please visit the CRP Directory page.
What is the CRP Register?
A significant amount of work was undertaken by the NIHR and the AHCS team to establish the CRP accredited register. National working group activity brought together CRPs, Clinical Research Nurses and Workforce Leaders to shape and define the Scope of Practice and the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs through an iterative, co-creative development process, with expert input from the AHCS. These documents were shared through a wider consultation in the autumn of 2019 and feedback from this influenced the final submission put forward to the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) for review in December 2019.
The PSA Accreditation Team undertook a rigorous assessment of the application, including taking feedback about the applying organisation from third parties and carrying out a documentary review related to the proposed change, and the details of the assessment decision are posted on the PSA website. https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/what-we-do/accredited-registers/read-our-assessments/panel-decisions
Following pilot activity, the Register launched in March 2021.
The CRP Register is aimed at experienced CRP’s, working at practitioner level and who demonstrate comprehensive and specialized knowledge within their individual scope of practice (Scope of Practice for CRPs) and who can demonstrate that their professional practice meets the Standards of Proficiency for CRPs.
For more information, including eligibility to join and benefits of the register, please visit the CRP Accredited Register page.
The CRP Accredited Register is now open for applications: crpregister.ahcs.ac.uk