UHNM Professor Appointed Midlands FORGE Leader
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) is proud to announce that Professor Alison Cooke, associate chief nurse for research and education and Centre for NMAHP Research and Education Excellence (CeNREE) director has been appointed Midlands FORGE (Fostering Organisational Research Growth and Excellence) Leader by the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
Professor Cooke will help to grow and strengthen research across NHS professions that are often under-represented in research.
She will work with organisations across the Midlands to encourage the use of the Self-Assessment of Organisational Readiness Tool (SORT), which helps NHS Trusts understand how prepared they are for research, see where they can improve, and learn from one another.
This includes promoting successful models such as UHNM’s CeNREE to support Trusts in increasing research activity and opportunities.
Professor Cooke will also work closely with chief nurses from across the region to help put the new national guide, 'Research Matters', into practice, which aims to support nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to build and maintain a positive, research-active culture.
Professor Cooke said: “Being awarded this role presents a unique opportunity to contribute to impactful improvements in research capacity and capability growth, not only at UHNM but across the region.
"My passion for advancing NMAHP research that directly benefits patient care, coupled with my commitment to fostering collaborative, innovative environments to support development of research confidence, capacity and capability, aligns closely with the core objectives of this role and of CeNREE.
“I have championed the use of the SORT tool, both as a means of assessing current research strengths and identifying areas for development in UHNM and supporting progress towards achieving the ambitions of the CNO national strategic plan for research. We launched this for our UHNM midwives in October, and this will soon follow for nurses, AHPs, healthcare scientists and pharmacists.”
For more information about the SORT assessment exercise, please contact cenree@uhnm.nhs.uk.