Oxford University Hospitals Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Practitioners (NMAHPs), Pharmacists and Clinical Scientists met colleagues from Oxford Brookes University on Monday 3 July 2023 for a research networking event where they explored how they could take their research ideas forward.
The staff, who represented all levels of experience from across the Trust’s Divisions, presented their ideas to improve patient care to research group representatives from Brooke’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, with a view to developing meaningful and productive partnerships. They then had the opportunity to network with other clinicians and researchers in a facilitated workshop to explore how they might work together in the future.
OUH has a long-standing association with Oxford Brookes and its Oxford Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR), and this has been strengthened in recent years with shared posts to encourage NMAHPs to develop their careers in research.
The event was organised by Dr Louise Stayt, Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Research Lead in OUH’s Neurosciences, Orthopaedics, Trauma, Specialist Surgery, Children’s and Neonates Division.
She said: “With this research networking event, we wanted to give colleagues the opportunity to meet like-minded people, allowing researchers from the university and clinicians in the hospital to talk about what their research priorities are.
“One of our strategic aims is to build research capacity and capability within the nursing, midwifery, AHP pharmacist and health scientist workforce and a lot of successful research is done when there are collaborative partnerships with other organisations.”
Louise continued: “The appetite to improve clinical practice and the quality of patient care has always been evident, and research is a really good mechanism to achieve that. I believe that with a good NMAHP research infrastructure in place, the momentum is definitely building.
“We hope this event is the first of many and that we see some fruitful and productive partnership working which benefits both partners, because often the researchers at the university don’t necessarily know what the clinical priorities are and the clinicians at the hospital have brilliant innovative ideas but don’t necessarily have the support mechanisms to do anything with them.”
OAHP strongly supports this work and the enthusiasm was evidenced by the recent (2022) Research Development Award Scheme which made 26 awards across the Partners which include both Oxford University Hospitals and Oxford Brookes University. The number of applications (50+) demonstrated the appetite and keenness to engage in research. OAHP will continue to foster this development, working closely with all partners, including the NIHR BRCs and the NIHR ARC.