Allied health professionals and nurses explore research careers at Imperial

Imperial held its annual conference to showcase the research opportunities available to staff working in allied health professions and nursing.

The third North West London Research Symposium took place in September and was aimed at giving nurses and allied health professionals working in areas such as physiotherapy, dietetics and occupational therapy, the chance to learn more about the support available to pursue a research career.

More than 90 delegates working in hospitals and universities across North West London attended the symposium at Imperial’s South Kensington campus.  Delegates had the opportunity to get advice from health professionals who are involved in research and find out about current opportunities.

At the event, Dr Tracey Batten, Chief Executive of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, explained how a clinical academic career can help allied health professionals and nurses contribute to effective healthcare research. She also gave details of the financial support available such as the new Research Fellowship Awards. These are one year awards worth £50,000, aimed at giving recipients the opportunity to develop their research skills and experience.

Dr Jeremy Levy, Director of the Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO), which organised the conference, said:  

“Providing research opportunities to nurses and allied health professionals is a key mission of CATO.  These health care professionals have a unique perspective on patient care that can enrich and diversify our research.  This will significantly enhance patient experience and outcomes. I hope that delegates use this conference as a springboard to pursue a research career.”

A competition also took place at the event for the best research projects carried out by delegates. Three were shortlisted to present their projects to a panel of judges at the symposium.

Dr Deborah Mazhindu, Reader in Clinical Practice Innovation at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Buckinghamshire New University, was awarded the top prize for her research project on how to improve the quality of care delivered to dementia patients in hospitals.

One in four beds in acute general hospitals in the UK is occupied by a patient with dementia. When acutely ill, many can find the experience of hospital disorientating and distressing, which can manifest as agitated or disturbed behaviour. Recognising opportunities to engage with these patients using therapeutic activities such as crosswords and puzzles could help dementia patients retain their dignity, a sense of identity and reduce agitated and distressed behaviour.

The researchers analysed the impact of specialist dementia training on hospital practice.   Fifty seven members of staff at Denmark Hill and Princess Royal University Hospitals, part of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, were trained on how to use activity boxes containing items such as quizzes and puzzles to engage more with dementia patients during treatment.  Staff focus groups were then carried out on participants in the study to explore the impact of the training on practice.

They found that training NHS staff such as healthcare assistants and one-to-one carers on incorporating therapeutic activities into dementia treatment led to an improvement in the quality of care delivered to patients. Staff reported that they developed more effective relationships with their patients following the training and had a clearer picture of their needs.

The researchers suggest that specialist training focusing on therapeutic activities for patients with dementia should be rolled out across all NHS hospitals.

Dr Deborah Mazhindu was the educational and research consultant on the project, which was led by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.  Age Exchange provided the training and the project was funded by the Burdett Trust for Nurses.

Dr Mary Hickson, Therapy Research and Education lead at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, who chaired the event added:

“This year’s event was a great success and it is very encouraging to witness colleagues being inspired by others to get involved in research.  There has never been a better time to get the support needed to progress into a clinical academic career.”