A programme to help clinicians in the NHS develop and improve their research skills has won a regional award.
Professor Eleanor Bradley
The Research Skills training programme, known as STARS - Supporting the Advancement of Research Skills, is led by Professor Eleanor Bradley, from the University of Worcester, and Dr Tom Kingstone at Keele University, and is available to staff at Midlands Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, across Staffordshire and Shropshire. It is designed to support health and social care colleagues to develop their research awareness, delivery and leadership.
The programme, which was launched in January 2021, has won the ‘Improvement Project of the Year’ category in the Comprehensive Research Network (CRN) West Midlands research awards.
“We are so delighted to have won an award for our work to develop a course which could adapt to the needs of the clinicians, many of whom have been working on the frontline during the pandemic,” said Professor Bradley.
“The programme is delivered completely online and participants can select the sessions that are relevant to them, such as workshops, ‘how to’ sessions, seminars etc. It has been bringing colleagues from a variety of different roles together in a real multidisciplinary way, to learn together and from each other. By delivering online we’ve also been able to reach those who might not have been able to attend in-person sessions due to location, time or other commitments.”
During the first year of the programme, over 18 workshops and 11 seminars were delivered as part of STARS; equating to just under 60 hours of live training opportunities. 165 staff members engaged with these learning events, representing a broad range of health and care professional groups, including psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, podiatrists.
Testimonials from those taking part have praised the course have included “I feel more confident to consider the clinical relevance of the research and whether it indicates a change to practice” and “I was feeling very overwhelmed at the thought of actually delivering a change and felt it was all on my shoulders to deliver it, however, I now believe it is actually sustainable”.
Professor Bradley said the programme is now entering a second phase of development, drawing on feedback from an ongoing evaluation project. New workshops have been developed and there are plans for an accompanying tutorial and mentoring series.
Research in the NHS is vital to provide the evidence to transform services. It is widely accepted that research-active Trusts deliver improved patient outcomes, a better care experience and find it easier to retain staff. All staff working in the NHS are expected to engage with research and to routinely offer patients the opportunity to join research studies.