A University of Winchester academic has been appointed to two key regional roles to promote research across the care system and address the needs of care staff, care home residents, and their families.
Dr Rachel Harrison, Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care, is now Specialty Lead for Social Care and Setting Lead for Residential Care for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Delivery Network.
The NIHR South Central network is one of 12 in England which support funded research for the benefit of patients and the economy.
The NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Its aims are to:
Each network has 29 specialty leads and four setting leads. These are new roles and last for a period of three years.
Regional Research Specialty and Setting Leads (RSSLs), will provide leadership and advice, support research delivery and provide a vital link between the regional and national networks.
Rachel (pictured) said: “I’m delighted to be taking on these two important roles. High-quality research underpins improvements in the way we deliver health and social care. I believe it is critical that we engage with, and include, the people who use these services in our work.
“I look forward to helping shape and support studies that address real needs in our communities—empowering care staff, care home residents, and families to be active partners in the research process. Ultimately, by bringing research into the heart of residential and social care settings, we can drive innovations that enhance quality of life and ensure that the services provided meet the evolving needs of our diverse populations.”
Elizabeth Davies-Ward, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Winchester, said: “We are delighted to support Rachel with this work. This is such an important area of research which is much needed across the sector. The power of this research cannot be underestimated in its ability to understand and shape the sector.
“Rachel is a highly valued member of our Faculty and we will create every opportunity possible to enable Rachel to share her work with current and future students and the wider population.
Prior to her new appointments, Rachel has been working on another NIHR project through ARC (Applied Research Collaboration) Wessex on Building Research Capacity in Social Care.
She is also running three projects with a local authority on Change Management in Occupational Therapy.
In addition to that Rachel is helping four organisations to apply for ARC Wessex Internships to develop research skills in a range of health and social care settings.
Clare Rook, Network Director, NIHR South Central Regional Research Delivery Network said: “We want to ensure that health and care research is inclusive and is delivered where it is best placed. We look forward to working with Rachel to support the continued development of research within social care and residential care settings.”
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