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NIHR Virtual grant development & writing workshop - 23rd - 24th November 2021
About the workshop
The workshop is hosted by the NIHR Research Design Service (RDS) and is a great opportunity to help you to make progress in developing your NIHR research proposal into a competitive application.
There will be presentations from experts and advisors, and opportunities to ask questions along the way. There will also be an opportunity to hear from previous successful applicants, and their experiences of applying.
Who should attend?
The workshop is for health and social care researchers who would like to learn more about writing a successful research funding application. As the session is online, it is open to researchers from all RDS regions.
Where and when?
The workshop will be online via Zoom, and will be held over 2 days, on 23rd and 24th November.
What will the event cover?
- What makes a good application?
- What do funding panels like to see in an application?
- Writing tips
- Who does the application go to?
- PPI in health and social care research
- Research impact
- Overview of funding streams
- How to present evidence synthesis sections
- How to present statistics sections
- How to present health economics sections
- How to present qualitative sections
- How to present behaviour change sections
- How to present trial sections
How do I book a space?
Please register via this booking form link.
We will send the full programme out to all attendees nearer the date.
How much does the workshop cost?
Attendance at the workshop is free of charge
Contact
If you have any queries about the workshop, please contact us at rdsnenc@newcastle.ac.uk
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Helping researchers to ask the right questions
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During research design, researchers value different perspectives on a research question. Furthermore, in healthcare input from a patient or carer who have first-hand experience of their condition or the service is invaluable, and can help to redefine the research focus.
The NIHR recently exemplified how a patient or carer could support a research project:
A carer working with researchers on a project about support for carers identified a group of ‘hidden’ carers that the researchers had not known about. The researchers had only been thinking about carers of people with a disability or people with mental health problems. The carer involved had looked after her husband when he had heart disease. She hadn’t identified herself as a carer at the time. Sharing her experience led to a new project to look at support services for this group.
Ways to get involved:
- Submit Research and Evaluation ideas to the NECS R & E team using the ideas form found here.
- To contact the NECS R & E team directly, please contact necsu.reteam@nhs.net.
- The James Lind Alliance connects clinicians, patients, carers to discuss research. To find out more information, follow this link.
- Explore the ways that you can get involved in research projects through the NIHR people in research resource.
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Advice & Guidance services - an evaluation of demand-side factors
The NECS Research & Evidence and Business Intelligence Teams were commissioned to undertake analysis and evaluation by the NHS England and Improvement (NHS E&I) National Elective Care Recovery & Transformation Team in 2020. This focused on understanding the demand side of A&G, and involved:
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Quantitative analysis to investigate A&G usage, identify A&G pathways and the proportion of requests that generate an outpatient referral/appointment
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Mixed methods evaluation to understand primary care and commissioner perspectives on clinical A&G services used within the NHS in England - uptake, outcomes, barriers and opportunities, before and since the COVID-19 pandemic
This evaluation aims to present evidence, shared learning and understanding to support the ongoing development of A&G within the Referral Optimisation agenda.
Due to the ongoing need for evidence to support the development of A&G, analysis and evaluation results were presented to key national stakeholder groups as they became available.
In September 2021, a full evaluation report and a summary slide deck of findings and recommendations were published online.
Research update: Group consultations
NECS R&E Team have been working in partnership with researchers at Newcastle University since 2018 looking at Group consultations (also called Shared Medical appointments) in Primary Care for the management of long term conditions. The first of a series of papers from this work was published this summer in BMJ Open, and is a systematic review of practitioner, patient and carer views and experiences of these appointments, see the full report here. Reports were generally positive, with benefits including comprehensive patient-led care, peer support, less repetition for staff and improved efficiency compared to 1:1 care. The main barriers were the associated administration, and resistance from patients and colleagues linked to uncertainties and unclear expectations. Much of the data was from the USA, and was from those who had experience of group consultations.
A second paper is in preparation, which shares the results of 1:1 semi-structured interviews with patients and primary care practitioners in the North East region, including those with and without experience of group consultations for long term conditions. This also includes an exploration of virtual group clinics, which have become the normal mode of delivery during the pandemic.
The team are now involved in further research, looking at group consultations for specific conditions, and are also keen to identify any additional areas requiring exploration. To assist with this, the team have secured Research Capability Funding to complete a survey of current practice across the whole region. This short survey will be send to practices in November, so please keep an eye out for it.
For further information about this work, please contact : Helen.Martin11@nhs.net.
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Recent additions to the NECS Research & Evidence team |
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Fiona Black joined NHS North of England Care (NECS) in January 2021 as part of the NECS 100 graduate programme. Before joining NECS Fiona graduated from Newcastle University with a BA (Hons) in Geography and a further MA in International Politics (Globalisation, Poverty and Development). During Fiona's time at Newcastle University Fiona gained experience in the third sector, focusing on international women's health and education.
During Fiona's time at NECS Fiona has been involved in supporting the national Covid-19 Vaccination Programme and has recently joined the Research and Evidence team on a secondment. Fiona has experience in qualitative research including semi-structured interviews, participant observation and system-wide questionnaire development.
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Philip Mordue joined NECS in June 2021, recruited to deliver the Evidence Synthesis Pilot Project on a part-time basis. He also works for Northumbria NHS Trust as a Diagnostic Radiographer performing both digital radiography and fluoroscopy for patients across multiple departments including radiology, A&E and theatres. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and an MSc in Diagnostic Radiography where his research project focused on skills mix across front line medical imaging and emergency medicine, building a core competency model as the basis for a Radiographer-led discharge training qualification. Before joining the NHS, Philip previously worked in business consultancy running a team focused on procurement, supply chain and logistics. He headed up the aerospace, defence and heavy manufacturing sectors of the business.
Philip has experience in quantitative and qualitative research including thematic analysis, systematic literature reviews and developing novel scoping review protocols. He hopes to use his time with the R&E team to expand his skillset and support the team in delivering projects that will make a difference in patient outcomes.
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NECS Research & Evidence Training Dates |
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Appraising Evidence - 16th November 2021 - 9:30-11:30am
This is a workshop session giving people the tools and techniques to enable critical appraisal of evidence, to include both qualitative and quantitative research papers. It is equally aimed at staff needing to use evidence in their role, and those who are developing a research project. Attendees are welcome to bring evidence which they would like to appraise to the session.
Designing & Carrying out an Evaluation - 14th December 2021 - 9:30-11:30am
This session will define what is meant by evaluation and the important role it has in a healthcare context. The steps needed to go through to design and complete an evaluation project will be discussed. Evaluations could range from evaluation of a small administrative change, such as telephone answering times at one GP surgery, to a new patient service and CCG policy. Practical tips, tools and resources will be shared as well as how the R&E Team can support you.
Questionnaire Development- 25th January 2022 - 9.30 - 11.30am
This session is aimed at those who may need to develop questionnaires as part of their role, and need a working knowledge of how to design, share and interpret evidence from a questionnaire. It is also suitable for those who may want to develop a research idea involving use of a questionnaire. It is a useful follow-up to the Research and Evidence Team’s ‘Designing and Carrying Out an Evaluation’ training session.
All of these training sessions will take place via Microsoft teams. Please contact necsu.reteam@nhs.net for any training related queries.
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Get Involved in Research & Evidence |
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Journey to Primary Care Event
Unfortunately, the Journey To Primary Care event was cancelled due to primary care pressures. The NECS Research & Evidence team are looking to host a series of webinars. We will be in contact with further information.
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The lottery of primary care for liver disease
A recent study published in October found that patients with liver disease experienced regionally variable care pathways in primary care. The study raised concerns of differing standards of care for patients, who should expect the same treatment standards despite geographical location.
For more information read the full analysis here.
Research on detecting cancer in primary care wins RCGP Research Paper of the Year award
A study conducted by Dr Garth Funston and staff at the University of Manchester has been awarded the 2020 research paper of the year for clinical research, awarded by the Royal College of General Practitioners. The study demonstrates that the use of a simple blood test conducted in primary care can detect ovarian cancer in symptomatic women. The CA125 test may also help GPs to detect other forms of cancer.
The full article can be found here.
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A Picture of Health : Intelligence framework for the North East Region
Public Health England has recently published 'A Picture of Health: An intelligence framework for the North East, which provides an overview of the health needs of the North East population. The resource presents a wide range of data that can be used to help identify priorities and at risk groups.
The resource can be found here.
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