Empowering our nurses to become the next research leaders
At South London and Maudsley, we’re proud to be empowering nurses to integrate research into their roles and build careers in this field, helping to shape clinical practice across the Trust. This area is experiencing significant growth and impact with the support of our Research Delivery Team.
As part of our commitment, we established the role of Head of Nursing for Research and Quality in 2022, appointing Carrie-Ann Black*.
Carrie-Ann Black, Head of Nursing for Research and Quality, South London and Maudsley, said:
“I can’t unpack being involved in research and being a nurse – being a nurse makes me a better researcher and vice versa; the two are inextricably linked. Although there are differences between clinical practice and research, they’re both aiming for the same thing – to improve people’s lives. It’s incredible that in the Trust we are able to offer so many opportunities to be involved in research alongside clinical interventions.”
With Carrie-Ann’s leadership, we have invested in our pathways for development of nursing careers in research, as outlined below. The Trust strives for all staff to be given the opportunity to take pride and have ownership of research activities, and we have introduced levels for this – from being Research Aware, to Research Active and finally being a Research Leader.
*Read more in an interview with Carrie-Ann from our Research photography exhibition.
1. Research Aware
All clinicians, including nurses, are encouraged to be ‘research aware’. This means they keep informed about research which is relevant to their area of clinical practice, and are able to offer research opportunities, such as taking part in studies, to patients and service users.
SORT workshop with nurses
2. Research Active
We have a network of over 80 Research Champions in the Trust, half of whom are nurses. The network is led by Ishtaah Persand, a Mental Health Research Nurse. Research Champions are the point of contact for all research-related activities relevant to their team – they attend monthly meetings with the Trust’s Research Delivery Team and feedback opportunities and information. They promote the benefits of research to staff and service users, and many have set up journal clubs within their teams.
Earlier this year we completed the SORT tool (Self-assessment for Organisational Readiness tool) through a series of collaborative workshops with nurses. This practical tool helps us understand the readiness of our Trust to support nurses to carry out research related activity, in relation to the Chief Nursing Officer’s Strategic Plan for Research. As a result, we are now working with the the Quality Improvement team to implement positive changes.
We have introduced more opportunities for student nurses – including the first Trust R&D placement for student nurses, and we have developed Research Associate Student Nurse roles as part of their student placement in the Trust.
NIHR INSIGHT Programme for South London workshop
3. Research Leadership
Making research careers more accessible
We work closely with our partners across south London to create training and education opportunities and to support our nurses to explore research as a career path. We are involved in a wide range of programmes designed to give healthcare professionals the tools, skills and confidence to conduct mental health research, and develop clinical academic careers.
Our success stories include:
- 3 nurses from the Trust are currently on the Wellcome/King’s College London PhD Programme in Mental Health Research for Health Professionals.
- We have 4 nurses currently on the NIHR-AoMRC Leading Clinical Research Delivery MSc.
- 3 nurses have been offered places on the first cohort of the NIHR Maudsley BRC’s Introductory Clinical Research Training Scheme later this year.
For the first time this year we are offering the NIHR South London Health and Care Professional Internship Programme, with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. We are also delivering the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) INSIGHT Programme for South London, in collaboration with other south London NHS Trusts and 4 higher education institutions, led by King’s College London and London South Bank University.
The Safewards team at the NIHR Impact Prize ceremony in Birmingham.
Conducting research in the Trust and influencing clinical practice
Our nursing staff have a growing presence in research studies being carried out in the Trust, with nurses acting as Principal Investigators, as well as Carrie-Ann Black being a co-applicant on a large NIHR Portfolio study. She is also a graduate of the national NIHR Senior Research Leader Programme.
While we develop the next generation of research leaders, we also reflect back on a number of high-profile academics who came from nursing backgrounds. They are now leading major research projects and studies and having an impact on the delivery of care and services, not just in the Trust but also internationally. This includes:
- Professor Alan Simpson, Professor of Mental Health Nursing at South London and Maudsley and Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), and co-Director of the NIHR Policy Research Unit for Mental Health. Professor Simpson is leading high quality research with the aim of improving the delivery and experience of mental health nursing and healthcare, in collaboration with stakeholders from service users to policy makers. He was recently awarded an NIHR Impact Award for the ‘Safewards’ model, which has been shown to create safer spaces for patients and staff, and has been implemented across the UK and internationally.
- Dr Debbie Robson, Reader in Tobacco Harm Reduction, IoPPN, whose research has informed our Trust tobacco cessation pathways, as well as national guidance.
- Professor Trudie Chalder, Professor of Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy, IoPPN, whose research informs the management of chronic fatigue in our services and globally.
“It’s amazing when a nurse I’ve been supporting gets their research published, or their abstract is accepted for a conference. I love supporting and developing the research leaders of the future at the Trust.” - Carrie-Ann Black, Head of Nursing for Research and Quality
As we look to the future, South London and Maudsley will continue to nurture a thriving culture of research within nursing. Under Carrie-Ann Black’s leadership, we are empowering nurses to become catalysts for change and embedding research at the heart of clinical care. The Trust aims to shape a future where nursing research improves outcomes and transforms lives, locally, nationally and beyond.
