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Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care North West
Coast (CLAHRC NWC)Research Internship Scheme
Joanna Harrison
Research Capacity Delivery Manager
Collaboration for Leadership inApplied Health Research and CareNorth West Coast
NIHR CLAHRC NWC
The CLAHRC NWC brings together Universities, Local Authorities, NHS organisations and the public to:
• address the challenge of serious health inequalities in our region through innovative, effective applied health research
• accelerate the translation of research findingsinto health service improvements that will reduce health inequalities
Context
• Research is core to the NHS and should be used to inform planning and provision
• Development of clinical academics from nursing, midwifery and allied health professions (AHPs) must be supported
• High-quality clinical academic training programmes require collaborative partnerships between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and providers
Developing the role of the clinical academic researcher (DOH, 2012)
Aim
To provide an opportunity for NHS and Local Authority staff within CLAHRC NWC partner organisations to:
• experience research
• pursue small research projects that address health inequalities
• prepare and develop fellowship applications
• develop research skills
• foster a research culture within their organisation
The setting
• Scheme run in parallel with Health Education North West Clinical Academic Research Internships
• Co-ordinated via Clinical Practice Research Unit, School of Nursing, University of Central Lancashire:
-Leading provider of commissioned health education
-Lancashire Initiative for Nursing and Caring research in Stroke (LINCS) project (2013)
• Supervisory support from CLAHRC NWC Academic Partners –UCLan,University of Liverpool, Lancaster University.
Time and support for internship
• Funding enabled ‘backfill’ for each intern (typically 1 day per week for 6-12 months)
• Management Approval
• University supervisor allocated (an experienced researcher in a relevant field)
• Research Training Programme (10 days over the year) and support from UCLan co-ordinators
• Small research budget for consumables
Training programme
Time Agenda
Day 1 Designing a research questionQualitative and quantitative research
Day 2 Literature searching and on-line databasesCritical appraisalRoles and responsibilities
Day 3 Ethics in researchIRAS and NHS permissionsUCLan ethicsInformation sheets and consent forms
Day 4 Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training
Day 5 Research presentations
Training programme
Time Agenda
Day 6 Introduction to statistics using SPSS
Day 7 Introduction to qualitative analysis using Nvivo
Day 8 Principles of research dissemination
Day 9 Practical research skills workshopsResearch fundingResearch careers
Day 10 Internship showcase – poster presentations
Characteristics of 2015 Cohort – 10 Interns
Trust Number of Interns Professional Group
Lancashire Care NHS
Foundation Trust
2 Children's PhysiotherapistHealth Visitor
Lancashire County Council 1 Adult Social Care Co-ordinator
Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
2 Senior PhysiotherapistSenior House Officer
Mersey Care NHS Trust 1 Clinical Studies Officer
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council
2 Assistant Analysts
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
2 Therapy Radiographers
Projects include:
• Improving Radiotherapy Outcomes for Head and Neck Cancer Patients with Addictions
• The Physical health needs of mental health service users: Exploring the views of people taking antipsychotic medication
• Implementing a systemic change in Knowsley to improve mental health knowledge and build mental toughness.
Outcomes
• Showcase Event 14th October 2015 (poster presentation and networking)
• Written report
• A research output, e.g. publication, conference presentation
• Pursuit of further research training or funding
Evaluation of a clinical academic internship scheme:
Bridging the research-practice divide
Dr Jo Gibson
Senior Lecturer, University of Central Lancashire
• Funding secured from…
• Health Education North West awarded funding to UCLan in 2013
• Steering Group established, including:
Directors of Nursing, AHP Leads, Specialists
Research & Development Managers
Trust Library personnel
Health Educators
• The Steering Group took a collaborative approach to programme design and training provision
CLINICAL ACADEMIC RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS
The Evaluation
Aim
To explore clinical academic interns’ experiences of undertaking the internship programme in order to:
• Describe the learner experience
• Identify facilitators and barriers to learner engagement
• Evaluate the success of partnership working
• Make suggestions for improvements for future cohorts
Characteristics of 2014 Cohort – 12 Interns
Trust Number of Interns Professional Group
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
4 MidwifeOccupational TherapistSenior Healthcare AssistantStaff Nurse
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 2 Occupational TherapistPhysiotherapist
Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
2 Nurse PractitionerOccupational Therapist
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust
3 Health Improvement SpecialistHealth VisitorPhysiotherapist/Team Leader
Chorley & South Ribble ClinicalCommissioning Group
1 Practice Nurse
Projects included:
• Feasibility and Acceptability study of a Paediatric Asthma Action Plan with Qualitative Evaluation
• Exploring staff experiences of communicating with dementia patients in acute hospital settings
• Asymptomatic men’s experiences of requesting a Prostate Specific Antigen Test (PSA): A Qualitative study
• Are the tools used for assessing the risk of intrauterine growth restriction consistent, performed and recorded accurately, and do they effectively predict intrauterine growth restriction?
Method
• Ethical approval was granted by UCLan STEMH Ethics Committee (Ref:STEMH 231)
• An email invitation to participate in the qualitative study was sent to all interns
• 10 of 12 interns consented
• Semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim
• Results were thematically analysed by 2 researchers
Reasons for intern engagement…Meeting an unmet need – bridging a gap
I wanted to go back to study but not commit to a
Masters or a Masters module. And it kind of
ticked all the boxes really.
Participant 4
I mean it can be quite daunting can’t it, to do
research so it looked… a way that I could… check it out
without actually jumping in too deep.
Participant 3
Reasons for intern engagement…Previous exposure to research
I’ve always been really interested in research, and then when we
did our degree we did a research module. And I really enjoyed it, and ever since I’ve kind of always
thought it’s something I could maybe get back into.
Participant 5
I got involved in the [X] project, and another cognitive project… just promoting it on the ward
and identifying potential participants and doing some of the cognitive assessments… and just thought, I want to get more
involved with research.
Participant 6
Reasons for intern engagement…Improving patient care
If we can make improvements for the
patients, that’s, you know, at the end of the day, it’s
making a difference…
Participant 10
It just seemed really important to me for frontline
staff to be involved with research processes and to be able to find out a bit more about things and inform
their own practice.
Participant 7
Learner Experience of…The UCLan Taught Programme
They were aimed at somebody who’d never done research before. They didn’t go into it too
academically, which is great because that would have put everybody off…it was kind of a working
knowledge of what to do next which I thought was fine – it was exactly the right approach.
Participant 9
Honestly there wasn’t anything that I didn’t find
useful. There isn’t an element of it that you’d think, ‘Well, I
didn’t need to know that’.
Participant 2
So it’s been really, really supportive. I feel really nurtured actually, by all
aspects…
Participant 7
…it’s more than I expected, like you’ve been more supportive than I would have expected so that’s been really
helpful.
Participant 6
Learner Experience of…Collaborative and Practice-based Learning
…trying to meet up with your mentor. Because I suppose they’re busy with
their workload, and holidays, and other commitments and stuff, so
that’s been quite hard sometimes.Participant 5
The deal I sort of struck with my manager was that it…wasn’t to affect the service…it was up to me
to…make sure that the quality of the service…waiting times…outcomes…caseloads, were all covered.
Participant 3
I did remind x that s/he could backfill my position…and that’s what the money was for…’You can catch up later in the year’.
Participant 10
My sort of struggle has been trying to…almost to explain to work colleagues that it’s not just a
university project, it’s work, so they could understand why you needed protected time out.
Participant 2
Learner Experience of…Colleagues Perceptions & Reactions
She [colleague] didn't think that I'd get backfilled, which I didn't. …
she's been openly quite negative about it.
Participant 6
Our consultant, he does take the mickey, and calls me ‘Professor’
Participant 4
The other consultant said he’s never heard anything so
ridiculous as an [AHP] doing research.
Participant 8
Building an effective learning environment…The challenges
It takes a long time to do the off-duty and work out the shift patterns, and then suddenly you come along and then you mess it all up…so you do feel quite guilty in
that way.
Participant 10
Building an effective learning environment…The successes
I’ve enjoyed listening to other people and thinking, there’s such a wealth of
backgrounds and…people out there that want to improve the services that they’re
working in.
Participant 3
At times when you felt quite isolated, around what you’re dealing with or
managing is that when the interns come together, you realise you’re not having a
unique experience.
Participant 2
The team building, the networking was really good. And
I think everybody got on very well together, everybody’s
formed as a group very well.
Participant 6
Legacy Effect
My line manager was like, ‘Leave me a legacy’.
Participant 6
Legacy effect – for workpplace
…because I have become more interested, I am reading more literature about different things, so
trying to put that into practice and say, 'Well actually we're doing this wrong, so let's…
I’m feeling better about myself, that I’m performing better in my job.
Participant 10
Legacy effect – for career
And the idea that now I could do a PhD. As in that...suddenly that seems so much more...accessible than it was. The idea
that…that was just what ‘other people’ did. (whispers) That maybe I could do that.
That would be exciting.
Participant 6
I'm gonna apply for a PhD. Yeah, definitely [because
of] the programme.
Participant 7
Conclusions
• Previous exposure to research, either through previous study or workplace experience, is a strong motivator for some considering a research internship.
• Interns can feel isolated or “stuck” between their employer and HEI.
• The cohort provides much needed support as well as opportunities to learn from each other in group teaching sessions.
Insights for future programmes
• All stakeholders should understand what the intern is undertaking and ensure dedicated support is provided both within their Trust and the HEI.
• Effective communication between the multiple stakeholders is needed regarding the content, delivery and outcomes of programmes.
• Clinical academic internship programmes require a particularly nuanced form of support, and collaboration between all stakeholders, to maximise their impact on research engagement.
Contributors
• The internship programme is hosted by the Clinical Practice Research Unit at UCLan under the leadership of Professor Caroline Watkins
• The programme is run by Dr Jo Gibson and Dr Steph Jones
• Colette Miller and Julie Cook Lucas provide support to the internship programme and conducted the interviews and analysis for this evaluation
Acknowledgements
The 2014 Clinical Academic Research Internships were funded by
And supported by:
