Participant Information Sheet

Survey of Organisational Research Readiness (SORT)

You are being invited to take part in a research project. Before you decide whether or not to participate, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Ask us if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Thank you for reading this.

What is the project's purpose?

This research aims to understand how NHS and health and care organisations are developing their research capacity and capability, particularly in nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions. The SORT survey collects information about your organisation's readiness to support research activities.

The research will contribute to understanding the organisational factors that support research capability development. Findings will help organisations and system leaders identify best practice approaches and areas for improvement to build research capacity across the NHS and health and care system.

This is an independent research project conducted by Professor Parveen Ali at the University of Sheffield.

Why have I been chosen?

You have been chosen because you work at an organisation participating in this research. Your perspective on your organisation's research capacity and support is valuable for this study. We are aiming to gather responses from a range of staff across all participating organisations.

Do I have to take part?

It is entirely up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part, keep this information sheet for your records.

Participation is voluntary and there will be no negative consequences if you do not wish to take part. You may also skip any individual questions in the survey that you prefer not to answer.

Please note that by choosing to participate in this research, this will not create a legally binding agreement, nor is it intended to create an employment relationship between you and the University of Sheffield.

What will happen if I take part? What do I have to do?

If you decide to participate, you will complete an online survey that will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.

The survey asks questions about:

• Your professional role and background
• Your organisation's research infrastructure and support systems
• Your assessment of your organisation's research readiness
• Your views on barriers and facilitators to research activity
• Demographic information (such as professional role, qualification level, gender, age, and ethnic origin)

You will access the survey via an anonymous form link. The link does not collect any information that could identify you. You can complete the survey at a time that suits you and submit it when ready.

There are no travel expenses or other costs associated with participation.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?

The survey asks questions about your organisation's research capacity. There are minimal risks associated with participation. However, if you have concerns:

• Your responses are completely anonymous and cannot be traced back to you
• Individual responses will never be reported or identified
• All feedback is presented at aggregate level only, across all participating organisations

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

There are no direct personal benefits to you from participating in this research. However, this research will contribute to understanding how to build research capacity across the NHS and health and care system. The findings may help improve support for research in your organisation and across health and care services, which may benefit healthcare professionals and the communities they serve.

Will my taking part in this project be kept confidential?

Your responses are completely anonymous. We do not collect your name, email address, job title, or any other directly identifying information.

The survey form is distributed anonymously, and there is no mechanism for linking your responses back to you or your organisation. Your identity will be protected at all stages of the research.

All information collected will be kept strictly confidential and will only be accessible to members of the research team. You will not be able to be identified in any reports, publications, or feedback to your organisation.

Because your data is genuinely anonymous, we cannot and will not attempt to re-identify you, even if you later request withdrawal or changes to your responses after submission.

What is the legal basis for processing my personal data?

We are required by data protection legislation to inform you that the legal basis for processing personal data collected in this research is that "processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest" (Article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation).

Because this survey is anonymous, your responses do not constitute personal data and are therefore not subject to data protection rights such as access or deletion requests. However, we treat your information with the same standards of security and confidentiality as we would for identifiable data.

The demographic information we collect (including ethnic origin) is collected on an anonymous basis only. We are applying this collection under the condition that the use of your data is necessary 'for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific research purposes or statistical purposes' (Article 9(2)(j) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation).

Further information can be found in the Privacy Notice

What will happen to the data collected and the results of the research project?

Your anonymous survey responses will be:

• Analysed by the research team to assess organisational research readiness
• Used to generate aggregated statistics and reports for participating organisations
• Stored securely for up to 10 years to support long-term research and comparison over time
• Potentially used for secondary research on organisational research capacity development
• Retained in anonymised form indefinitely for research and archiving purposes

Anonymised data may be shared with:

• The participating organisations (as aggregate feedback only)
• Academic researchers conducting research on research capacity development
• IT service providers who host the survey platform

Individual responses will not be identifiable in any sharing, publication, or feedback.

When the research is complete, findings will be disseminated through academic publications, reports to participating organisations, and conference presentations.

Who is organising and funding the research?

The research is organised by Professor Parveen Ali at the University of Sheffield.

Who is the data controller?

The University of Sheffield will act as the data controller for this study. This means that the University is responsible for looking after your information and using it properly.

Who has ethically reviewed the project?

This project has been ethically approved via the University of Sheffield's ethics review procedure, as administered by the ethics officer at the School of Allied Health, Pharmacy, Nursing and Midwifery in the Faculty of Health. The University of Sheffield's Research Ethics Committee monitors the application and delivery of this ethics review procedure.

What if something goes wrong and I wish to complain about the research or report a concern?

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of the research and wish to make a complaint, please contact Professor Parveen Ali in the first instance.

If you feel your complaint has not been handled in a satisfactory way, you can contact the Head of School of Allied Health, Pharmacy, Nursing and Midwifery.

If your complaint relates to how your personal data has been handled, you can find information about how to raise a complaint in the Privacy Notice.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as described in the Privacy Notice.

Contact for further information

If you have any questions about this research project, please contact:

Or:

Thank you for considering participation in this research.