Twenty-four health and care professionals from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex have been successful in their applications for the new National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Care Professionals (HCP) Internship Programme.
Led by Dr Julie MacInnes, Research Capacity Building Lead at the Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex and hosted by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the NIHR-funded programme provides bespoke, predoctoral internships for registered health and care professionals at all stages of their career research journey.
This first intake includes staff from a range of professions, including nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, allied health professions and social work from across the region.
The interns began their nine-month placements last month (March), with awards of up to £10,000 each to support tailored opportunities aligned to individual learning needs and career aspirations.
Awardee, Abi Downham, a specialist pharmacy technician in clinical trials at University Hospitals Sussex National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, said: "I’m interested in improving how patients understand and manage their medications, as I regularly support patients with this. I think there’s a real opportunity to enhance patient education and involvement in their own care, which can lead to better outcomes."
Awardee, Sofie Litsfeldt, staff nurse at University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I think being involved in research makes you look at your clinical practice in a different way – questioning our practice, what works and what we can do better. It is a good way to stay more up to date with the latest developments. Working close to patients and staff will also help identifying research questions that are meaningful."
Awards are offered across four pathways: Stepping into Research (eight awards), Growing in Research (nine awards), Research Delivery Leadership (two awards), and Clinical and Practitioner Academic Leadership (five awards). Interns gain valuable experience through placements, mentorship, academic modules and small-scale research projects.
The Awards span a wide range of roles across the region including:
- Kent: six awards, including nurses, a radiographer, a speech and language therapist and a social worker.
- Surrey: three awards, including a paramedic, an occupational therapist and a pharmacist.
- Sussex: 15 awards, including nurses, a midwife, pharmacists and a pharmacy technician, physiotherapists, social workers, a biomedical scientist, a paramedic and a dietitian.
The programme is being delivered through a partnership of nine NHS and academic organisations, including East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust; University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust; Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust; Canterbury Christ Church University; University of Brighton; and the University of Kent, with support from NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, and the NIHR South East Regional Research Delivery Network.
The initiative is designed to help more health and care staff build research skills, support evidence-based improvements to services and widen access to research opportunities across the region.
More information is available from the
Read Sofie Litsfeldt, staff nurse at University Hospital Sussex NHS Foundation Trust's journey.
