On 4 March, Mersey Care attended the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Research In Cheshire And Merseyside (NRICAM) Showcase at Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
The event brought together clinicians and academics from across the region to network and share presentations on their research activities. The days’ theme was 'Developing research capability and capacity in Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs)' and a number of presentations provided advice and guidance around supporting, delivering and leading research activities.
Trust staff attended to promote Count Me In. This innovative new system aims to widen participation in research by making it easier for patients and service users to be contacted about research activities that are relevant to them. By increasing the number of patients and service users involved in research, it will help the trust improve future care and treatments.
Several of the Trust’s clinicians gave presentations and exhibited research posters.
Catherine Witter, Advanced Clinical Pharmacist, gave a session on ‘What have I gained from a research internship?’. In this, she explained how undergoing an internship with Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC) enabled her to get started on her research project on Neonatal Adaptation Syndrome (NAS).
Assistant Psychologists, Alexandra Jenkins and Lydia Guttridge gave a presentation about their project which explores staff and patient experiences of a sensory room in a female acute inpatient mental health setting.
Dr Oladayo Bifarin, Research Effectiveness Lead at the Trust and part of the team at the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC), facilitated a group discussion on the day.
He said: “Attending events such as this one is a great way for the trust to really embed research at the heart of clinical practice. The day emphasised the important impact research activities can have, and it gave attendees a chance to learn about how they either start or progress on their research journey within their clinical environments. It was also a great opportunity for us to spread the word about Count Me In and its potential to improve services through engaging more patients and staff in research activities.”
Read more about Mersey Care’s research and innovation projects.
