Meet our academy -
Interns, PhDs and Post-Docs
We all grow throughout our lives, and the our Academy is here to help expand the number of people in Wessex conducting high quality applied health research. It's part of our legacy to the health and social care community across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
This page lists those people who have joined us in their journey to enrich our research community.
There are internships for people starting their research journey, PhD awards for those wanting to develop their experience and research career, and Post-Doctoral Awards to help drive the research agenda in Wessex.
Internships
From: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Ambulatory care: exploring an alternative care pathway to support patients with a diagnosis of Heart Failure
Long Term Conditions theme
From: Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Project Title: Effects of previous traumatic pain memories on the current pain experience for people with haemophilia
Brief summary of project: Haemophilia is a life-long condition which can cause repeated bleeding into muscles and joints, leading to synovial hypertrophy, destruction of the articular cartilage and haemophilic arthropathy. Due to a lack of treatment in their youth, many adults with severe haemophilia will have experienced multiple painful bleeding episodes, and research suggests that 50% of people with haemophilia (PWH) report experiencing chronic pain. Currently, the factors that drive and influence the chronic pain cycle in this patient group are poorly understood. Many PWH display physical and psychological symptoms which could be linked to post-traumatic stress but there is very little mention of this concept in the literature. This six month internship project consists of a scoping review of the literature and some initial patient and public involvement (PPI) work, to help inform further patient-centred co-designed research. The overarching aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the interaction between psychological and physical influences on chronic pain, to help improve the care we provide and to improve the health, wellbeing and health outcomes for PWH.
Long Term Conditions theme
Supervisors and organisations involved:
Academic Supervisor: Dr Debra Gray, University of Winchester
Mentor: Dr David Stephensen, Clinical Academic, Deputy Director of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Supervisor: Dr Kelly Hislop Lennie, University of Southampton; Long Term Conditions Research Group
Hear what Anna has to say about her internship journey
From: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Project Title: A qualitative evaluation of the experiences of individuals with persistent pain participating in online pain management interventions.
Brief Summary of Project: This study aims to explore the experiences of individuals with persistent pain participating in online pain management interventions. It involves a systematic review and narrative synthesis of literature regarding individuals' experiences of online pain management interventions. The study will also conduct up to 10 semi-structured interviews with individuals who have recently undertaken an online group pain management programme within Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust's South West Hampshire Pain Management Service.
Long Term Conditions and Ageing and Dementia themes
Supervisors and Organisations involved:
Supervisor - Dr Euan Sadler. School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton. Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust. Ageing and Dementia Theme.
Supervisor - Dr Lindsay Welch. School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton. Long Term Conditions Theme.
Organisations – NIHR ARC Wessex, University of Southampton, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
See what Justin thought about his internship and what it means for the future
From: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Project title: A systematic review of the effects of medical and allied health professional staffing focussed on junior doctors shift patterns and it effects wellbeing and burn-out
Brief summary of project:I am writing a systematic review and am gathering data on Junior Doctors from Dorset County Hospital via a survey on the topic of shift-work, and how this may, or may not, impact upon burnout amongst this cohort. I will be focusing on burnout, fatigue and well-being. The overall aim is to identify features of shift-work and the rostering process that may contribute to burnout, so as to encourage the implementation of change where possible and improve the working-lives of Junior Doctors. I am also involved in the on-going Pan-Dorset rostering and job-planning project which has a focus on the rostering system for Junior Doctors. I hope to bring my research findings to this project so as to positively contribute to the improvement of rostering for Junior Doctors across Dorset.
Workforce and Health Systems theme
Supervisors:
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Alastair Hutchison, Medical Director and Consultant, Dorset County Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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Peter Griffiths, Chair of Health Services Research, NIHR Senior Investigator, University of Southampton
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Zoe Sheppard, Head of Research, Dorset County Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
See what Cheska has to say about the internship
Project title: Biomarker Research Assessing Inflammation in Neurodegeneration (BRAIN)
Brief summary of project: This project aims to improve the diagnosis of dementia and enable early identification of patients who are likely to experience rapid progression of their symptoms. There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, and it takes on average over 2 years from symptom onset to diagnosis. Systemic inflammation is a driving force that accelerates dementia progression. Markers of inflammation from body fluids may help evaluate dementia progression. This project will measure targeted biomarkers of inflammation in patient samples and assess their value in early diagnosis of dementia.
Supervisors and organisations involved:
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Academic Supervisor: Prof Jessica Teeling, Experimental Neuroimmmunology, University of Southampton
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Clinical Supervisor: Prof Chris Kipps, Consultant Neurologist, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
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Ageing and Dementia Theme
From: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Project title: How are the physical health needs of older people addressed in older peoples mental health (OPMH)? - A systematic review of literature
Brief summary of project: My aim is to develop my research skills by completing a systematic literature review looking at how the physical health needs of older people are addressed in those with mental health diagnosis. This systematic review will enable me to search for relevant literature, and extract and discuss the findings. This will enable me to gain evidence to inform clinical practice within the trust.
Supervisors and organisations involved:
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Supervisor - Michele Board - Academic supervisor Bournemouth university
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Abby Barkham – Clinical Supervisor Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Liz Taylor supporting manager, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
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Ageing and Dementia Theme
Naomi's Internship journey
From: University of Portsmouth
Project title: Co-production with and for vulnerable young people
Brief summary of project:
This was a 3-month part time internship resulting in 3 key outputs; a podcast discussing the 'Tracking Vulnerable Children in Schools' project introduced due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, a blog post exploring how co-production could benefit Portsmouth as a 'restorative city' and a report following from my interviews with young care leavers, discussing their experiences of service provision in care, which also fed into the larger PSCP Neglect Deep Dive report and findings.
Healthy Communities theme
Supervisors and organisations involved:
Supervisor: Wendy Sims-Schouten (University of Portsmouth)
Organisations: Portsmouth Safeguarding Children Partnership and Portsmouth City Council
Read her blog here
Cherish Boxall is a Clinical Trials Manager in Southampton and her internship project looked at SWAT priorities to improve the evidence to inform recruitment and retention practice in clinical trials.
Here's what she thought of the internship
From:University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
How nutritional status is assessed and monitored in patients with liver cirrhosis in routine Hepatology outpatient clinics
Long Term Conditions theme
From: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Urine output: how and why it is monitored in acute medical environments?
Ageing and Dementia theme
Jan is a paediatric Occupational Therapist in Poole.
Project: Are school motor skill programmes that are designed by occupational therapists, physiotherapists and/or educational psychologists but delivered by school staff effective in improving the motor skills of typically developing children aged between 4-11years with motor skill difficulties and therefore improving functional tasks?
From: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
What are older people’s experiences of frailty prevention interventions in acute hospitals? A scoping review
Ageing and Dementia theme
From: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Comprehensive medication review using the validated STOPP-START toolkit in haemodialysis patients identified to have a frailty score of 5 or more using the validated widely used clinical frailty scale (CFS)
Ageing and Dementia theme
From: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Establish current practice and challenges in the treatment of pubic rami fractures
Ageing and Dementia theme
From: Bournemouth University
Dementia, Ageing, Radiography, Neuroimaging/ Clinical Neuroscience
Ageing and Dementia theme
From: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Is there a link between Covid 19 and developing Dementia?
Ageing and Dementia theme
From: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Optimisation of nutrition and frailty prior to cardiac surgery
Ageing and Dementia theme
From: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Identifying hidden vulnerabilities in patients who present with Major Trauma: a retrospective case note review to inform service development
Healthy Communities theme
From: University of Winchester
To be able to provide standard IF nutritional guidelines - missing at present
Healthy Communities theme
From: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
To formulate a research question around the Attentional Deficits on Stroke Recovery
Long Term Conditions theme
From: University of Southampton
People living with cancer that is treatable but not curable and their partners: changes in roles, relationships and social networks over time
Long Term Conditions theme
From: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Self-management of back pain and musculoskeletal long-term conditions
Long Term Conditions theme
From: Isle of Wight NHS Trust
Severe Mental Illness and digital literacy
Long Term Conditions theme
From: Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Quality of Life of Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Patients: A Systematic Review
Long Term Conditions theme
Researcher Initiation Award
From: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Long Term Conditions theme
From: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust, Bournemouth University
What is the evidence for the use of Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy for stroke interventions in Early Supported Discharge?
Long Term Conditions & Ageing and Dementia themes
From: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Workforce and Health Systems, Critical Care
Workforce and Health Systems theme
Project title: Social network facilitated engagement in people who are Homeless to address InEqualities in alcohol-related Liver Disease (SHIELD): A pilot study
Plain English summary
People who are homeless (PWAH) are known to have low rates of engagement with community health services. Poor engagement with liver care services has consequences for PWAH and is likely to contribute to the worse outcomes. Barriers and facilitators to the alcohol related liver disease care pathway for PWAH have not been explored and the level of engagement by this population is poorly quantified. During the internship I will work on a small pilot study (The SHIELD study) that is investigating the potential to use social networks to identify early-stage liver disease in this group. The research outcomes achieved from this award will greatly impact on the determining success of feasibility of the SHIELD study.
My project entails interviews with PWAH in community. This is a unique opportunity for me to meet them as healthy individuals with potential disease progression in community as my current care predominantly focuses on patients who are engaged with the healthcare team in secondary care. I will gain a better understanding of our patient group by networking with them through research. Interacting with this group and listening to their thoughts on alcohol and alcohol related liver disease will enhance my patient-centred care. I will also get an opportunity to learn delivering Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) activity in research.
Academic Supervisor: Dr Ryan Buchanan, Associate Professor of Hepatology, Honorary Consultant Hepatologist, University of Southampton
Mentor:
Dr Kinda Ibrahim, Academic Geriatric Medicine, University of Southampton
Dr Andy Fox, Consultant pharmacist in Medicines Safety, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project Title: Understanding the thoughts and experiences of potential users of 3D-printed foot orthoses from vulnerable patient groups.
I am a Podiatrist working clinically within Solent NHS Trust. I have research experience in Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic diseases, chronic pain and foot orthoses. In this project I aim to undertake scoping of the literature and gather feedback and advice from potential vulnerable ‘users’ of foot orthoses to collect group-constructed views on barriers and drivers to foot orthoses prescription.
Respiratory Physiologist, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Project title: Accessing the efficacy of the Forced Oscillation Technique (FOT) in routine clinical practice at HHFT for diagnosis and management of asthma and COPD
Dental Nurse, University of Portsmouth Dental Academy
Project title: Brush UP-SEN: Improving the oral health of children with special educational needs. A feasibility study
Research lead, Oaks Healthcare NHS GP Practice
Project title: Service evaluation of the barriers and facilitator of research delivery in Primary Care
Physiotherapist, HMP Winchester
Project title: The Prison Pain Project - Chronic Pain management in Secure Settings
I graduated from physio school in 2006 at the University of Southampton and gained a clinical masters’ degree in sports physiotherapy from the University of Bath. I currently provide physiotherapy care to 3 prisons in the south central region. My special interest is chronic pain management and my internship project aims to investigate how chronic pain programmes can support the safer prescribing of pain medication in the prison system. I live in Stubbington, Fareham with my wife and we have to children who are students too.
Neonatal Sister, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project title: Rapid, standardised neurodevelopment surveillance at age 2 years in neonatal follow-up clinics on the INTERGROWTH-21st Neurodevelopment
Physiotherapist, Isle of Wight NHS Trust
PARTNERS project: Development and implementation of a digital tool for multisectoral support and management of long term condition.
Data Science Internship
Paediatric Dietitian, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project title: To evaluate the implementation of a nutrition pathway in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) and the relationship to growth.
Improving access to and the quality of care for persons living with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS)
From: Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital
Project: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and experience measures (PREMs) further within MSK physiotherapy out-patients
Workforce & Health Systems Theme
From: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project Title: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)
Ageing & Dementia theme
From: Southampton University Hospital Foundation Trust
Project: Transformational development in the management of adults with Cystic Fibrosis (AwCF): investigating the nutritional consequences of CFTR modulator therapy, Elexacaftor Tezacaftor-Ivacafor (Kaftrio)
Workforce and Health Systems theme
From: Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Project: Understanding the perspective of those with T1DE on the dietary information and approaches that would best meet their needs during their treatment with the ComPASSION team
Long Term Conditions theme
From: Solent NHS Trust
Project: Oral health research for vulnerable community groups
Healthy Communities theme
From: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Project: Literature review of tools used to determine staffing requirements for Allied Health Professionals
Workforce and Health Systems theme
From: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Project: Systematic review of current literature supporting the use of staffing tools for physiotherapist
Workforce and Health Systems theme
From: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Long Term Condtions theme
Summary of Project: A community collaboration and evaluation of sustained digital adoption in people with long term respiratory disease who are digitally excluded: a mix methods study.
Long Term Conditions theme
Supervisors: Dr. Lindsay Welsh and Dr. Kate Lippiett.
Project title: The use of psychological formulation to support person-centred assessment and care planning for people living with mental health long term conditions in the community: a systematic review
Involved supervisors and organisations:
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Dr Leire Ambrosio, University of Southampton
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Dr Lyn Ellett, University of Southampton
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Isle of Wight NHS Trust
About:
Blue currently works across Community Mental Health Rehabilitation and Early Intervention in Psychosis Teams on the Isle of Wight delivering CBT/CBTp and supporting various aspects of service development. Blue is am aiming to utilise the internship to undertake a project exploring the existing literature base for the impact of using psychological formulation at assessment in community mental health services on person-centred care and care planning.
Long term conditions theme.
Brief summary of project: A literature review and PPIE project to explore the impact of long-term sickness absence on the mental health of the Armed Forces population.
Place of work: Occupational Therapist working in Solent NHS, community adult mental health service.
Supervisors involved:
Dr Leisle Ezekiel, University of Southampton
Dr Kate King, Royal Navy.
From: Solent Mind
Project Title: A service evaluation for a peer-led crisis support service
Long Term Conditions / Ageing & Dementia theme
From: Southern Health NHS Trust
Project: Selective and non-reporting in clinical psychopharmacology trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis of publicly registered phase 2, 3 or 4 randomised controlled trials of pharmacologic agents without regulatory approval for unapproved indications in adults.
Long Term Conditions theme
From: Dorset Healthcare NHS
Project: Exploring the Role of Social Support and Resilience in Perinatal Mental Health.
Healthy Communities theme
Project Title: The impact of storytelling on the mental health and wellbeing of the mental health workforce: a literature review.
From: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board
About
I am the Lived Experience Lead for the No Wrong Door Community Mental Health Transformation Programme at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board. Storytelling, and the impact it can have on one’s mental health, is a passion of mine and I am keen to explore the topic further. I am particularly keen to explore the impact storytelling can have on the mental health of professionals working in mental health services. I plan to do this via a review of the current literature. This aligns with the Health and Social Care Workforce theme.
From: Living Well Partnership, Primary Care Network, Southampton
Project: How can specialist nurse services in primary care support patients with long term conditions?
Long Term Conditions theme
Elle Gray is a Clinical Associate Psychologist with Solent NHS
Project Title: Radical Self Compassion for Healthcare staff
Brief Summary of the project:
A scoping study on how to deliver a short version of the evidence based Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) intervention – Self Compassion for Healthcare Workers (SCHW) in range of Adult Mental Health Teams in the Solent Region.
Mental Health teams face myriad stressors when holding complex patient risks alongside repeatedly hearing details of significant traumatic incidents, leading to the highest staff stress, sickness and burnout across the NHS workforce. This study will examine the factors relevant to all stakeholders when accessing this unique training – what conditions need to be present to deliver the right “dose” to an already overstretched workforce.
Supervisors:
Naomi Klepacz |PhD|CPsychol|NIHR Health Services Researcher (Workforce Wellbeing)
Mila de Koning - Di Mindfulness Academie, Amsterdam, Self Compassion Trainer and Health Workforce specialist
Workforce and Health Systems theme
From: University of Portsmouth Dental Academy
Project Title: A literature review of Dental care experiences of the underserved communities
Bhavin is a dentist and academic with experience of 15 years of NHS Clinical Dentistry and academic experience of 4 years. Bhavin graduated in India and requalified in the United Kingdom through the International Qualifying Examination (IQE). Bhavin’s educational experience is of PG Certificate in Dental Law and Ethics and PG Diploma in Medical Law and Ethics and they are passionate about inclusive healthcare delivery and practices.
Healthy Communities theme
From: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Sharon is a qualified teacher and youth worker with over thirty years experience of working with children and young people. She worked for ten years as a freelancer, developing and managing community engagement programmes including projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Armed Forces Community Covenant. Prior to joining the NHS, Sharon worked with a number of local organisations including Portsmouth Cathedral where she devised and led their community engagement programme. This four year partnership included work funded by Awards for All and Arts Council England. Sharon brings a wealth of community experience and networks to her role as the Patient and Public Involvement Facilitator, where she now works supporting a successful PPIE group, including a young people’s PPIE group and creating new opportunities to engage the public with healthcare research.
Sharon’s research internship with ARC Wessex is exploring whether Social Pedagogy is a good fit for PPIE practice, with a view to undertaking further, more in-depth research in the future.
Long Term Conditions theme
From: Dorset County Hospital
Project: Development of a measure to support the WASP Service Evaluation tool.
Long Term Conditions / Workforce and Health Systems theme
From: University of Portsmouth Dental Academy / NIHR CRN Wessex
Associate Head (Research & Innovation) / Senior Lecturer in Dental Public Health/ CRN Wessex-Oral and Dental Specialty Lead
Project summary: Carolina’s research interest is currently in health data analysis and geo-mapping to understand of spatial relationships between health, the environment, and socio-economic determinants, leading to more targeted and effective interventions to improve population health and well-being.
Long Term Conditions theme
From: North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Are proactive deprescribing interventions, alongside a comprehensive geriatric assessment, associated with improved outcomes in the older and/or frail population
Ageing & Dementia / Long Term Conditions theme
From: University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust
Project: What are the informational needs of parents regarding their child’s critical illness in the acute period of a PICU admission
Long Term Conditions theme
From: University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust
Project: Systematic review of effects of opioid use in adult patients with ventilation in Intensive Care Unit
Ageing & Dementia theme
From: University Hospitals Dorset
Project: To explore if hybrid closed loop systems have influenced eating behaviors in adults
From: University Hospitals Southampton
Project: Early careers pharmacists experience of progressive posts and career development, a qualitative investigation
From: Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Trust
Project: A scoping review of point of care ultrasound (POCUS) practice in musculoskeletal (MSK) foot and ankle clinics
From: University Hospitals Southampton
Project: Developing and evaluating a breathing pattern retraining and exercise class for people living with chronic respiratory conditions - A class above the rest
Project: Pelvic Health Training: Can Musculoskeletal Practitioners be upskilled to help meet NICE guideline recommendations?
Karen is a passionate physiotherapist specialising in the fields of musculoskeletal care and pelvic health. Alongside these clinical interests, Karen has also taken a keen interest in quality improvement and research. She is now excited to be able to combine these interests within her research internship.
Brief Summary of Project: Karen’s study aims to investigate MSK practitioners’ perceptions regarding the potential benefits of pelvic health training; the current gaps in their training; & their current confidence levels. An exploration of current training packages will also be conducted to identify how such training might need to be adapted to meet the MSK practitioners’ scope of practice.
Academic Supervisor: Katherine Cook PhD BSc(Hons) HCPC MCSP SFHEA, Physiotherapy Programme and Faculty Ethics Lead & Senior Lecturer, University of Winchester
Clinical Supervisor: Anna Gudgeon, MSK Physiotherapist and Education Lead for the Gosport Central PCN
Additional mentor: Professor Sarah Dean, Professor of Psychology Applied to Rehabilitation and Health, Co-Director Postgraduate Research (Department of Health & Community Sciences), University of Exeter Medical School
Organisation: Hampshire & Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
From: Hampshire and IoW NHS Trust
Project: Assessing the psychological wellbeing of people with moderate and severe aphasia: a patient and public involvement and engagement project exploring the views of people with severe and moderate aphasia, Psychologists and Speech and Language Therapists.
From: University Hospitals Southampton
Project: Evaluating the need for level 3 care post thrombectomy: A focus on the the factors that may predict the need of level 3 vs level 2 care
From: Portsmouth City Council/ Health Determinants Research Collaboration Portsmouth
Project title: Building research partnerships from theoretical foundations: a knowledge mobilisation project.
Brief Summary of Project: This project aims to apply ideas from realist social theory to the practical challenge of supporting effective cross-sector collaborations that involve research and learning. I will be learning through observations of collaborative practice in UK health and care systems, experiences of involvement from public representatives and practitioners, and through applying/discussing the application of the theory to practical contexts via national/ international conference attendance and presentations.
Ageing and Dementia theme
Supervisor: Professor Ruth Bartlett, University of Southampton: ARC Wessex Ageing and Dementia Theme.
Supervisor: Innes Richens, Health and Care Lead, HIVE Portsmouth
From: University of Portsmouth
Project: Co-production of research process for exploring the impact of blue space on young people with disabilities
From: University Hospitals Southampton
Project: Task Coordination and Allocation System (TCAS) - aims to research a digital change initiative for the RT Physics workforce
Team award working with Konstantina Panopoulou and Luke Sammut
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: Walking football and axial spondyloarthritis: Assessing feasibility, safety and patient reported
Team award working with Carol Lo and Luke Sammut
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: Walking football and axial spondyloarthritis: Assessing feasibility, safety and patient reported
Team award working with Konstantina Carol Lo and Konstantina Panopoulou
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: Walking football and axial spondyloarthritis: Assessing feasibility, safety and patient reported
Theme: Long term conditions
I am a Consultant rheumatologist in Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust with an interest in sports and exercise medicine. Our current project “Walking football and axial spondyloarthritis: Assessing feasibility, safety and patient reported outcomes” explores the potential of walking football as an emerging and exciting mode of physical activity for individuals with axial spondyloarthritis.
Team award working with Jo Laud and Beth Lyon
From: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Potentially preventable transfers of adults with a learning disability to urgent and emergency hospital care: A collaboration to identify research issues and priorities and to inform future research.
Team award working with Rebecca Edwards and Beth Lyon
From: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Potentially preventable transfers of adults with a learning disability to urgent and emergency hospital care: A collaboration to identify research issues and priorities and to inform future research.
Team award working with Rebecca Edwards and Jo Laud
From: Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Potentially preventable transfers of adults with a learning disability to urgent and emergency hospital care: A collaboration to identify research issues and priorities and to inform future research.
Team award working with Amber Hancock, Samia Turkinstani and Rebecca Weeks
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: TOOTH FAIRY- Tackling childhood Obesity and improving Oral health THrough a multidisciplinary approach
Team award working with Sophie Robertson, Samia Turkinstani and Rebecca Weeks
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: TOOTH FAIRY- Tackling childhood Obesity and improving Oral health THrough a multidisciplinary approach
Team award working with Sophie Robertson, Amber Hancock and Rebecca Weeks
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: TOOTH FAIRY- Tackling childhood Obesity and improving Oral health THrough a multidisciplinary approach
Team award working with Sophie Robertson, Amber Hancock and Samia Turkinstani
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: TOOTH FAIRY- Tackling childhood Obesity and improving Oral health THrough a multidisciplinary approach
Team award working with Krzysztof Cepa, Peter Cope and Michelle Trevett
From: Dorset County Hospital
Project: To what extent does polypharmacy, particularly the use of fall-risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), influence the frequency of falls in the over-65 demographic in Dorset and how can we use the data available to identify the most vulnerable patients and decrease hospital admissions in this population?
Team award working with Daniel Seow, Peter Cope and Michelle Trevett
From: Dorset County Hospital
Project: To what extent does polypharmacy, particularly the use of fall-risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), influence the frequency of falls in the over-65 demographic in Dorset and how can we use the data available to identify the most vulnerable patients and decrease hospital admissions in this population?
Team award working with Daniel Seow, Krzysztof Cepa and Michelle Trevett
From: Dorset County Hospital
Project: To what extent does polypharmacy, particularly the use of fall-risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), influence the frequency of falls in the over-65 demographic in Dorset and how can we use the data available to identify the most vulnerable patients and decrease hospital admissions in this population?
Team award working with Daniel Seow, Krzysztof Cepa and Peter Cope
From: Dorset County Hospital
Project: To what extent does polypharmacy, particularly the use of fall-risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), influence the frequency of falls in the over-65 demographic in Dorset and how can we use the data available to identify the most vulnerable patients and decrease hospital admissions in this population?
From: Dorset County Hospital
Project: Inclusive Healthy Communities: Ensuring Equality of Access for Neurodiverse Individuals
From: Home-Start Portsmouth
Project: The Experiences of Parent Carers Seeking Out-of-Education Activities for Children and Young People with SEND.
As the Neurodiversity Coordinator at Portsmouth Parent Voice, she works with parents to develop Parent Hubs and liaises closely with schools and service providers to improve outcomes for children and young people with neurodiverse needs. With a strong background in co-production, she gathers and presents family feedback to help shape the delivery of local services. As the founder of Moriah Family Support Group, she provides culturally sensitive support to parent carers, promoting empowerment through regular coffee mornings and collaboration with professionals. Olufolake has also contributed as a Community Peer Researcher with Solent NHS Trust, investigating barriers faced by families accessing out-of-education activities and services for their children and young people. Her experience includes roles as a parent governor in a secondary school and a parent representative in the community, advocating for inclusive practices in education and children’s services. With a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a foundation in IT support, she brings both analytical and empathetic skills to her work. She is passionate about equity, collaboration, and meaningful community engagement.
Team award working with Tracey Carus, Sam Jakeway and Hayley Skinner
From: Hampshire County Council
Project: Implementing an Outcome Framework to Measure the Impact of Hampshire County Council (HCC) Day Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities (LD).
Team award working with Stuart Vail, Sam Jakeway and Hayley Skinner
From: Hampshire County Council
Project: Implementing an Outcome Framework to Measure the Impact of Hampshire County Council (HCC) Day Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities (LD).
Team award working with Stuart Vail, Tracey Carus and Hayley Skinner
From: Hampshire County Council
Project: Implementing an Outcome Framework to Measure the Impact of Hampshire County Council (HCC) Day Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities (LD).
Team award working with Stuart Vail, Tracey Carus and Sam Jakeway
From: Hampshire County Council
Project: Implementing an Outcome Framework to Measure the Impact of Hampshire County Council (HCC) Day Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities (LD).
From: Minstead Trust
Project: What are the barriers for social care staff at Minstead Trust in implementing Total Communication training, as a route to enable greater inclusion and engagement with someone with a learning disability?
From: University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Factors Affecting Retention of Experienced Paediatric Advanced Critical Care Practitioners
From: University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Research to understand the impact of PCCOT through my research question.
Paediatric Outreach Advanced Practitioner (AP) at University Hospital Southampton.
Kate trained at Southampton University, based in Portsmouth and worked on the paediatric assessment unit in Portsmouth before heading to the Evelina Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) where she developed cardiac and general intensive care experience.
In 2015, Kate was successfully appointed as the practice educator for a children’s hospice. She started at Southampton Children’s Hospital in 2018 with the Paediatric Outreach team. Since then she has undertook the Advanced Practice MSc, completing her dissertation implementing a service improvement project for hot debriefs following unplanned PICU admissions.
She is passionate about high quality patient care and empowering nursing staff. She is the chair of the Paediatric Critical Care Society, Special Interest Group for Paediatric Critical Care Outreach Teams. She loves the variety of being an outreach Advanced Practitioner focusing on patient care through clinical excellence, supporting continued clinical education within the team by facilitating monthly educational team days and regular teaching within the hospital. She has completed the Associate Principal Investigator for the multi-centre, Bach B study. This passion for research, integrating evidence into practice and inspiring other, is why Kate has taken on this internship opportunity with the vision of becoming a clinical academic practitioner, with special research interest in the impact of a PCCOT on the workforce within a Childrens Hospital.
From: University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Does age and/or frailty impact on dysphagia severity and outcomes following critical illness?
Olivia is the Lead Speech & Language Therapist for General Intensive Care and Surgery at University Hospital Southampton. Her specialist interests are around dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) and laryngeal function during and after critical illness, particularly in the ageing and frail populations. She also have long-standing interests in quality of life, mental capacity, and informed-decision making across the critical care pathway.
This internship is Olivia’s first step in to dedicated research time, exploring the current literature relating to dysphagia resulting from critical illness, and whether age and/or frailty are predictive factors for severity and recovery. Olivia also look forward to championing AHP involvement in research.
From: University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Project: Emergency care clozapine omission - a literature review
Pre-application support fund holders
From: Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
Project Title: What works when supporting people to live well in their communities? A realist evaluation of the process and impact of interventions delivered in partnership between the VCS and NHS as part of the transformed community mental health model (NHSE 2019).
Dr Phil Morgan is the Head of Nursing, Therapies and Quality for Mental Health for Dorset HealthCare University NHS Trust. He completed his PhD titled Towards co-production: An exploration of the impact on technology on future citizenship alongside people with mental health challenges in 2024. An occupational therapist by background Phil has worked in range of mental health, substance misuse and learning disabilities services. He is passionate about collborating with people with lived/living experience and played a key role in establishing the Dorset Wellbeing and Recovery Partnership, a partnership between Dorset HealthCare and peer-led mental health charity the Dorset Mental Health Forum.
From: Portsmouth Hospital University NHS Trust
Project: Anti-HI-Falls study
From: Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust & University of Stavanger, Norway
Project: Research within digital technologies focused on the development of technologies and their effectiveness to decrease hospitalisations and improve patient outcomes
From: Southern Health NHS Trust
Project: Geospatial associations between gambling disorder incidence and socio-economic determinants
Dr Konstantinos MD MSc AFHEA MRCPsych PhD is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Lead of the Southern Gambling Service and an Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer of the University of Southampton. In the current project he is investigating how socio-economic determinants are influencing gambling disorder incidence.
From: University of Southampton
Project: Self-management of long-term conditions, with a particular interest in alcohol use disorder
Dr Hughes is a Research Fellow at The University of Southampton. She expertise in qualitative research methods, self-management of illness and long term conditions. I am currently working in the field of alcohol, specifically conducting research with older adults with alcohol use disorder. Dr Hughes is applying for funding to combine alcohol research with their other research passions; women’s health and midlife age groups.
PhD Fellowship
Developing and evaluating the feasibility of a community-based health literacy intervention to empower socially disadvantaged parents/carers of children aged 0-4 years to manage minor childhood illness and confidently navigate health services
Project Team Members: Professor James Faulkner – University of Winchester, Dr Margaret Husted – University of Winchester, Dr Simon Fraser– University of Southampton, Dr Sanjay Patel – University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Organisations Involved: University of Southampton, University of Winchester, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Brief summary of project:
This research project aims to make community- based intervention recommendations to increase the health literacy of parents/ caregivers of children aged 0 to 4 years.
This project will use a systematic review and sequential descriptive mixed method designs to meet the following research aims:
• Research Aim 1: establish the effectiveness of community-based health literacy interventions aimed at parents
• Research Aim 2: generate evidence of the validity of the Parent Health Literacy Questionnaire (pHLQ)
• Research Aim 3: profile the health literacy of parents living in areas of high deprivation
• Research Aim 4: identify interventions which could meet the health literacy needs of parents living in areas of high deprivation
Patient and public involvement will be sought throughout this research project.
Project title: The PD Life Study – Exploring the treatment burden and capacity of people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers
Brief summary of project: Treatment burden is the effort of looking after your health and its impact on you. High treatment burden can lead to poor quality of life and difficulties adhering to treatments. Treatment burden is balanced by capacity, which is the ability to manage treatment burden. This study will explore the experiences of treatment burden and capacity in people with Parkinson’s (PwP) and their caregivers. We will initially conduct interviews with PwP and caregivers in Hampshire to explore their views and experiences of the factors that influence treatment burden and capacity. This will be explored further in a national survey for PwP and caregivers with support from Parkinson’s UK. We will then form focus groups with key stakeholders to discuss the findings and prioritise recommendations for change. This study will enable us to develop recommendations of ways to reduce treatment burden or enhance capacity in PwP and their caregivers.
Supervisors and organisations involved:
Supervisor: Professor Helen Roberts, University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Lead Ageing and Dementia Theme
Supervisor: Dr Kinda Ibrahim, University of Southampton, Ageing and Dementia Theme
Supervisor: Dr Simon Fraser, University of Southampton, Long-term Conditions Theme
Project Title: A COMmunity Pharmacy-based intervention to identify people with undiagnosed Alcohol related liver Cirrhosis (The COMPAC Study)
Supervisors:
Primary – Julie Parkes, University of Southampton
Secondary - Ryan Buchanan, University of Southampton
Janisha Patel, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Kinda Ibrahim, University of Southampton
Healthy Communities ARC theme
Development of an integrated care model for patients and families living with long term neurological conditions
Project Team Members: Professor Mari Carmen Portillo – University of Southampton, NIHR ARC Wessex lead for Long Term Conditions Theme, Dr Dorit Kunkel – University of Southampton, Research Design Service South Central, Professor Christopher Kipps – University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Nick Goodwin – Central Coast Research Institute, The University of Newcastle, Australia
Organisations Involved: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts, University of Southampton, Southampton Academy of Research, Wessex Academic Health Science Network, Parkinson’s UK, Huntington’s Disease Association, MS Society
Background:
People living with long term neurological conditions have complex needs, which are not being fully met at present. This reduces their quality of life and increases costs to society. According to a survey in 2019, 90% of patients had not been offered a care plan. Problems with services not matching people’s needs have been identified, particularly in mental health, finance, and social care. These patients have the lowest health-related quality of life of any long term condition, according to NHS England.
To address the needs of patients, the World Health Organization advises better coordination between different care services - This is called “integrated care”. Integrated care has shown benefits in other conditions but there is a lack ofevidence in long term neurological conditions.
It is not clear what integrated care means, and how it can be delivered for those with long term neurological conditions.
This study will focus on the needs and preferences of people living with Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Multiple Sclerosis, by:
1. Reviewing the evidence on how integrated care is provided internationally
2. Undertaking a UK wide survey to identify exemplar systems of integrated care followed by in-depth interviews to explore how care is currently delivered and experienced
3. Reaching consensus between different stakeholders on a model of integrated care and core outcomes for people living with these conditions
This research project will explore the similarities and differences across long term neurological conditions and strategies for implementation of an integrated care model in practice.
This project will characterise current care delivery and the experience of service users, showing the gaps in care and the changes needed in the system to meet the needs of people living with long term neurological conditions. It will inform the implementation and evaluation of the care model at post-doctoral level. This will result in a cost-effectiveness evaluation of the model and impact on service users’ outcomes. The anticipated long term impact of this study is that better system integration will result in improved outcomes for service users at no or reduced costs for health and social care systems. This knowledge is potentially transferable to other rare and prevalent long term neurological conditions – the biggest cause of disability worldwide.
Working under pressure – The UK community nursing workforce
Project Team Members: Professor Jane Ball – University of Southampton, Dr Joanne Turnbull – University of Southampton, Dr Sarah Williams – Solent NHS Trust Professor Jill Maben – University of Surrey
Organisations Involved: University of Southampton, Solent NHS Trust, University of Surrey.
Background:
Community nurses are an essential part of the nursing workforce in the UK. Providing care in peoples’ homes, community nurses play a vital role managing long term conditions, end of life care, acute management in a home setting and preventing avoidable hospital admission. UK healthcare policy continues to recognise the key role of community provision by setting ambitions to increase community-based care. This community focus is also reflected within research nationally, with clear strategic ambition to increase community-based research.
Despite their importance, community nursing numbers are declining. There is a distinct lack of community nursing workforce research and therefore little empirical understanding of community nursing workforce outcomes such as staffing levels, retention, and burnout.
Pressure is a term that is frequently used in nursing discourse and policy to describe nursing workforce contexts, but there is no recognised definition. This project will seek to understand and define pressure in a community nursing context and explore the viability of pressure as a community nursing workforce outcome.
We hope that this project will provide understanding on current workforce outcomes in UK community nursing, provide a theoretical and empirical understanding of ‘pressure’ in UK community nursing contexts and begin to explore the use of pressure as a potential outcome measure for the UK community nursing workforce.
Caring for the Sexual Health of Cancer Survivors and their Partners
Project Team Members: Mrs Suzanne Sheppard – Bournemouth University, Dr Sally Lee – Bournemouth University
Dr Zoe Sheppard – Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Ms Tracy Glen – Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Organisation Involved: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Background:
Sexual difficulties are reported to be one of the most frequent, distressing, and persistent consequences of cancer and its treatment. However, despite the availability of both numerous interventions to treat sexual difficulties and models to help healthcare professionals communicate about sexuality, many patients continue to report that they do not receive supportive care from the hospital cancer team for these issues. Furthermore, if sexual concerns are discussed then the focus is often only on physical concerns.
This mixed methods project is aiming to further illuminate the barriers to and facilitators for care for the sexual health of cancer survivors and their intimate partners. The initial quantitative phase will be a national, online survey of cancer survivors and their intimate partners. This survey will provide broad information about experiences of care and will explore perceptions of potential barriers and facilitators. The subsequent qualitative phase will take place at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and will involve semi-structured interviews exploring the lived experiences of the receipt and provision of care for sexual health in an oncology setting.
At the end of the project, we will have a deeper understanding of the barriers to and facilitators for care for sexual health in oncology. It is anticipated that the use of the critical realist paradigm will help to achieve this deepening of understanding. These findings may be used to create an intervention to help improve the provision and receipt of care for sexual health for cancer survivors and their intimate partners. Sexual wellbeing is thought to be an important component of overall wellbeing and it is hoped that the findings may lead to improvements in both areas.
Project title: Nudging; a theoretical concept for a very practical approach to pelvic floor muscle training
Project team members: Professor Carol Clark- Bournemouth University. Dr Carly Stewart- Bournemouth University. Mrs Sally Sheppard- Dorset Lead Pelvic Health Physiotherapist
Organisation involved: University Hospitals Dorset
Background: The aim of this study is to explore whether nudge theory, in the form of digital nudges, influence pelvic floor muscle training adherence in perinatal women. The mixed methods study is divided into three phases. The first phase involves a systematic literature review around the effect of pelvic floor muscle training mobile apps on pelvic floor muscle training adherence in women. Phase two of the study involves qualitative research around discourse and behavioural communication behind a social media campaign. Patient and public involvement work alongside phases one and two will be used to inform the co-design of digital pelvic floor muscle training nudges. The third phase of the study will a feasibility study integrating digital nudges in new NHS perinatal pathways. Study findings will determine whether a randomised control trial is feasible for post-doctoral research.
Project title: Exploring the relationship between health system responsiveness and the implementation of person centred integrated care for older people with frailty
Post Doctoral
Project: Early detection of chronic liver disease in community settings
Understanding, addressing, and meeting the complex needs of people living with long term physical and mental health conditions: a qualitative study