Are you curious about why things are done in a certain way? Have you thought about whether there is a better way to look after your patients? Have you asked yourself, what is the best way to provide care or treatment?

The team at CeNREE has a wealth of knowledge and experience that they are ready and willing to share with you. The team will support and work with you to develop your research ideas and proposals.

Contact us by email  and the team can work together with you to answer the questions you want to ask about your clinical practice.

Research is designed and conducted to generate new knowledge.

Audits are designed to find out whether the quality of service meets a defined standard.

Service evaluations are designed to answer the question “what standard does this service achieve?”

Taking on a clinical academic career combines working to improve, maintain, or recover health while researching new ways of delivering care and treatments. There are many opportunities for clinical academic careers, which may involve working with universities to share your clinical experience. The key advantage of clinical academics is their ability to conduct research based on the day-to-day care they provide to patients. This combined role can enable you to continue working in clinical practice while progressing your research career, generating new knowledge to improve patient outcomes.

NIHR Learn

Research Support Service

The CNF/DoMF is a professional development programme that was initiated in 2023. The programme is designed to support staff that are early career/junior in their position to provide a broad view of skills and knowledge that will compliment their clinical education and training. Overall the programme helps staff to ‘look up and out’ at the systems within UHNM and the wider NHS,.

Following the success of the fellowship programme run in 2023, CeNREE have opened up the Chief Nurse Fellowship to ALL non-medical Professions - nurse, midwife, AHP, Nursing Information officer, ODP, Pharmacist, Pharmacist technician or Healthcare Scientist.

As a CNF or DoMF you will receive training on key themes to help develop your professional understanding and be supported by regular mentorship to complete a quality/research project within your area of practice.

The fellowships will provide you with two days of CPD a month over 12 months and will conclude with a simulation event on what you have learnt. Each month, training on a new key theme will be provided on one day with your second day focusing on your project and for meeting your mentor. 

Key Themes:

·         Research

·         Quality Improvement

·         Quality and Governance

·         Digital Innovation

·         Leadership

·         Corporate Functions

·         System and Professional Leadership

·         Wellbeing

·         Simulation

·         Placement/Shadowing opportunities

·         Evaluation: Mini report and poster creation on project

The Fellowships are open to ALL early career non-medical professionals- nurses, midwives, AHPs, nursing information officers, pharmacists, pharmacist technicians and healthcare scientists looking for a professional development opportunity.

 As a CNF or DoMF, you will receive training on key themes to help develop your professional understanding and receive regular mentorship to complete an improvement project within your area of practice.

Applications are currently closed.

To apply, please write an expression of interest (no more than 350 words), along with this application form and send this to cenree@uhnm.nhs.uk 

Expressions of interest should include:

·         A bit about yourself

• Why you are applying
• The project you are proposing to complete
• How you will know if your project has worked

Line manager approval will be needed to apply.

For any further of information please contact CeNREE Programme Lead Rachel Houghton Rachel.houghton@uhnm.nhs.uk

References:

Publications-

•       Bramley, L , Manning, J and Cooper, J. (2018) Engaging and developing front-line clinical nurses to drive care excellence: evaluating the chief nurse excellence in care junior fellowship initiative. Journal of Research in Nursing; 23(8): 678-689.

•       Fisher, N., Bramley, L., Cooper, J., Field‐Richards, S.E., Lymn, J. and Timmons, S. (2022) A qualitative study exploring the influence of a talent management initiative on registered nurses' retention intentions. Journal of Nursing Management; 30(8): 4472-4479.

•       MacArthur, J. (2018) Review: Engaging and developing front-line clinical nurses to drive care excellence: Evaluating the Chief Nurse Excellence in Care Junior Fellowship initiative. [Blog]. Journal of Research in Nursing; 23(8): 690-691.

•       Pearce, L. (2019) How to attract and retain brilliant nurses: A trust has devised a chief nurse fellowship to boost the careers of talented staff. Nursing Standard; 34(12): 42-44.

Blogs/videos/websites-

•       Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. (2021) "It was a big turnaround for me" - how our Chief Nurse Fellow programme helped Staff Nurse Angela become a Sister. Available at: https://www.bhrhospitals.nhs.uk/news/it-was-a-big-turnaround-for-me-how-our-chief-nurse-fellow-programme-helped-staff-nurse-angela-become-a-sister-2898/ (Accessed 17/01/2023).

•       Bramley, L. (2000) The Chief Nurse Excellence in Care Fellowship Programme. Available at:         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCBkvgqYJZg (Accessed 17/01/2023).

•       Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. (2022) Recruiting for the next cohort of CNWL Chief Nurse Fellows. Available at: https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/news/recruiting-next-cohort-cnwl-chief-nurse-fellows  (Accessed 17/01/2023).

•       Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation trust. (2020)  Chief Nurse Fellows Development Programme. Available at: https://www.chesterfieldroyal.nhs.uk/news/royal-round/chief-nurse-fellowship-could-be-you (Accessed 17/01/2023).

•       Nottingham University Hospitals. (2018) The Chief Nurse Excellence in Care Fellowship Programme. Available at: https://patientexperiencenetwork.org/resources/case-studies/nottingham-university-hospitals-nhs-trust-nuh/ (Accessed 17/01/2023).

•       St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. (2020) Chief Nurse Fellowship 2020: information and application process. Available at: https://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Chief-Nurse-Fellowships-info-and-application-2020-FINAL-2.pdf (Accessed 17/01/2023).

•       University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. (2021) Chief Nurse Fellowship launches to help create nursing stars of the future. Available at: https://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/our-news/press-release-centre/2021/chief-nurse-fellowship-launches-to-help-create-nursing-stars-of-the-future/ (Accessed 17/01/2023).

The Health Education England (HEE) / NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic (ICA) Programme provides research training awards for health and social care professionals, excluding doctors and dentists, who wish to develop careers that combine research and research leadership with continued practice and professional development.

The programme provides financial assistance to individuals at a range of grades/bands and academic levels, including internship (pre-Masters), pre-doctoral Clinical Academic Fellowship (Masters level), Doctoral Fellowships (PhD student), Clinical Lectureships (early career post-doctoral) and Senior Clinical Lectureships (mid-career senior post-doctoral). The programme also provides financial assistance to host organisations which can cover research training, mentorship, and back-filling of posts.

The ICA Programme comprises four schemes that each support individuals at different stages of their research career:

• HEE Internship Scheme

• HEE/NIHR Pre-doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (PCAF) Scheme

• HEE/NIHR Doctoral Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (DLAF) Scheme

• HEE/NIHR Advanced Clinical and Practitioner Academic Fellowship (ACAF) Scheme

We have members of staff who have successfully engaged with these awards and we can arrange for you to meet with them for further information. Please contact us to discuss these opportunities.

Professional Doctorates at Keele provide rigorous, structured programmes of advanced study and research, equivalent in status to a PhD but usually taken on a part-time basis and reflecting professionally focused contexts. They are normally completed in 6 years. 

Programmes are delivered using blended face-to-face and online approaches, as students are usually in full-time work whilst on programme. Initially, students take taught modules with assessments that are designed to explore and structure the research project.  After successfully completing these assignments, students undertake their research project under the guidance of supervisors. The final degree is awarded on the successful submission and examination of a thesis (of 60,000 words) in the same way as for a PhD.

These programmes are usually offered on a 4-8 year part-time basis, normally completed in 6 years. 

Professional doctorate programmes have a single entry each year, usually October.

For further information, please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk

The Associate Principal Investigator Scheme aims to develop clinical staff to become the Principal Investigators (PIs) of the future. A Principal Investigator is a person responsible for the conduct of a research study at a site.

The Associate PI Scheme is a six month in-work training opportunity, providing practical experience for healthcare professionals starting their research career.

People who would not normally have the opportunity to take part in clinical research in their day to day role have the chance to experience what it means to work on and deliver a NIHR portfolio trial under the mentorship of an enthusiastic Local PI.

Participating healthcare professionals receive formal recognition of engagement in NIHR Portfolio research studies through the certification of Associate PI status, endorsed by the NIHR and Royal Colleges.

For further information, please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk

UHNM are supporting Legacy Mentor role opportunities as part of their retention strategy:  retaining our experienced staff knowledge and experience.  The main focus of roles are educational and mentoring opportunities with junior colleagues to utilise the years of experience and knowledge gained through a long career. However, roles can be diverse and should fundamentally be a way of staff sharing their knowledge and experience so that UHNM patients benefit from the retention of some of this knowledge.

An example of what a Legacy Mentor might look like- You might retain a portion of your current working hours whilst spending a portion of your working week focusing on a quality improvement project that develops and supports the educational requirements within your clinical area/speciality.

Or you might retire and return into a new role that is fixed term. The role would utilise all of your years of experience and be a way of disseminating this knowledge somehow.

Legacy Mentor roles are funded by divisions and are in response to a particular department/divisions requirement, whilst CeNREE supports the development and recognition of these new roles.

CeNREE recognise and value this knowledge and experience through a structured programme of support and training where required when becoming a legacy mentor.

To apply please keep a look out for the advertisement or ask your matron if they are supporting Legacy mentors in your area.

 Further literature on Legacy Mentors:

• Haines, S , Evans, K , Timmons, S and Cutler, E. (2021) A service improvement project of a legacy nurse programme to improve the retention of late career nurses. Journal of research in nursing : JRN;26(7): 648-681.
• NHS England. (No Date) Legacy Mentoring. Available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/looking-after-our-people/supporting-people-in-early-and-late-career/legacy-mentoring/ (Accessed 17/01/23)
• Wray, J , Calzolari, M , Gammone, M , Aleo, G , Catania, G , Zanini, M , Sasso, L and Bagnasco, A. (2022) The potential benefits of legacy mentoring for newly qualified nurses. Nurse education in practice ;66 (103511)

Do you have a burning clinical question in your clinical area? Are you asking: ‘what is the best way to approach this?’; ‘are we providing the best care in this situation?’; ‘is this the best dressing to use?’; ‘are our patients happy with this way of doing things?’

In a clinical area, sometimes it is difficult to stop and think about the best way to provide care, or it is hard to find time to look at the evidence.

CeNREE provides the opportunity for any clinical area to raise clinically important questions to the rapid evidence review team. This team will conduct a rapid review of the evidence and provide their findings back to the clinical area. The review team will always involve one member from the clinical area.

It may be that there is little evidence available to answer the question that has been raised. If this happens, CeNREE will convene a team with the relevant expertise to explore options for designing and implementing a research study at UHNM to look at this clinically important question. Any member of staff in the clinical area who have raised the question can get involved in the research.

CeNREE will support you to publish and present at conference any rapid evidence reviews and/or research studies that take place in your clinical area. Please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk for further information.

Peer review is beneficial to researchers and the organisation as it allows a research project to be looked at by other clinical experts in the same field and also research methodology experts. This ensures that the research idea and design are of high quality by checking originality and providing feedback regarding any areas for improvement.

Peer review feedback focuses on the following study elements:

·         The relative merit of the research

·         The design and methods

·         The feasibility of the research

·         The presentation of the application

·         The scientific and clinical validity

When is peer review required?

All research projects seeking UHNM sponsorship will need internal peer review if: they have not received peer review feedback from the funder or funding has not been applied for.

What about sponsorship?

Sponsorship = all research studies require a research sponsor. A sponsor is the organisation or partnership that takes overall responsibility for proportionate, effective arrangements being in place to set up, run and report a research project.

How do I request a peer review?

CeNREE will identify suitable peer review based on your research idea from a peer review panel list. Peer review feedback is usually returned within two weeks to the applicant.

Who can help me?

The CeNREE team is happy to guide you through the process and go through the peer review application form.

Can I join the peer review panel?

We are inviting ACP’s and Nurse/Midwife/AHP/Pharmacy Consultants to become members of our panel to support the review of research projects being developed at UHNM.

A research project summary will be emailed to you, and we will ask if you can support the peer review. We usually request feedback to be provided within 14 days and supply you with a template feedback form.

Supporting the UHNM peer review process can be used as CPD hours, evidence for NMC revalidation and demonstration of the ACP/NMAHP Consultant research pillar.

Please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk for further information.

CeNREE aims to support staff to publish their work either through journal publications or abstracts to submit for presentation at conference at local, national, and international level.

Publication workshops will be run monthly, which will involve a facilitator for questions and ‘sit and write’ time and space away from the clinical area.

Dates will be advertised in the monthly research bulletins.

For further information, please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk

CeNREE provides a resource hub and methods experts to support any UHNM journal club.

Please email CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk to ask for further information or to register your journal club with the network so that we can publicise and support your meetings.

The CeNREE fellowship programme is for newly qualified nurses, midwives, AHPs, Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, ODPs, Healthcare Scientists. The fellowship is designed to provide staff with the best start to their integration into professional registration and UHNM professional practice. Offering support through coaching and a bespoke teaching programme, staff will work through their own small quality improvement or research project of their choice. As a CeNREE fellow your project will have a focus that will support an aspect of your preceptorship competencies in clinical practice.

The fellowships will provide you with 2 days of CPD a month over 9 months and will conclude with a simulation event on what you have learnt. Each month, training on a new key theme will be provided on one day with your second day focusing on your project and for meeting your mentor. 

Key Themes:

·         Research

·         Quality Improvement

·         Quality and Governance

·         Digital Innovation

·         Personal Impact: Insights

·         Corporate Functions

·         System and Professional Leadership

·         Wellbeing

·         Simulation

·         Evaluation: Poster creation on project

Applications are welcomed by all nurses, midwives and AHPs that have qualified within the last 12 months. In order to apply staff will be asked to write an expression of interest (no more than 350 words). This will be reviewed by a small panel of members within CeNREE to confirm eligibility. 

Applications are currently closed. To apply please complete this application document and send with your expression of interest, no more than 350 words, to cenree@uhnm.nhs.uk

Expressions of interest should include:

·         A bit about yourself

• Why you are applying
• The project you are proposing to complete
• How you will know if your project has worked

If you have any further questions please contact cenree@uhnm.nhs.uk