On Wednesday 10 January 2024, the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC) hosted a successful event at the Voco Oxford Spires, to discuss barriers and enablers for academic career progression for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals (NMAHPs) and the priorities to address them
All of the partner organisations of the OH BRC sent representatives, and we were delighted to be joined by keynote speakers, Professor Ruth Endacott, NIHR Director of Nursing and Midwifery and Dr Fiona Maxton, Research Lead – CNO Policy and Strategy Unit – Nursing Directorate, NHS England.
The delegates took part in interactive sessions, listened to keynote, and other, presentations and were able to review the barriers/enablers, suggest solutions, and to advocate for the career development opportunities for NMAHPs.
Delegate Deborah Moll from the Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility (OH CRF) and trained AHP, said
“As a speech and language therapist working in research delivery, I am very excited that there is an increasing focus on NMAHP led research. These professions work with very diverse patient groups, often with a focus on improving quality of life and wellbeing. However, they are under-represented professions within research. NMAHP research is important for broadening the evidence-base of these professions, in order to benefit a wide range of patients. It was a privilege to attend this event, which included presentations from members of various research infrastructures, as well as opportunities to network and generate ideas to promote this research. I hope that these discussions will lead to more NMAHPs being supported and equipped to engage in research, develop their own research interests, and undertake projects.”
Oxford Health BRC Strategic Partnerships Manager and lead organiser of the event, Dr Pamela Reid, said
“We were very pleased to welcome delegates from all of Oxford Health BRC’s partner organisations, particularly given many travelled a significant distance. Our eminent presenters provided details of scoping work, policies and tools, plus national and more local opportunities for enhancing NMAHP development. The engaged attendees were keen to continue to explore collaborative and partnership opportunities and to build action plans on return to their organisations. We thank NIHR for the funding to host this important event as part of its NIHR Connect & Grow Series.”
