Schemes for supporting the research workforce

Introduction

Every provider of NHS care, large or small, can take meaningful steps to foster a culture of research. This handout showcases practical, replicable examples from NHS trusts that have successfully integrated research into their workforce strategies. 

Research advocacy and leadership

South London and Maudsley operate a Research Champion programme that empowers frontline staff to act as advocates within their teams, making research part of how services support patients, families, and staff. Champions are supported with:

• 7.5 hours of protected time per month, funded via an R&D recharge line within service budgets.
  
  
• Access to bespoke training, talks, and seminars focused on research.
  
  
• A peer support network, including a dedicated MS Teams channel and monthly 30-minute meetings.
  
  
• A free journal subscription, providing direct access to the latest research evidence to share with teams.

University Hospital Southampton operates a Research Leaders Programme. This provides structured support for staff across all disciplines to build research careers while remaining embedded in their clinical roles. 

• Participants receive protected time (at least one day a week for three years) to pursue research.
  
  
• They engage in structured leadership development through the Launchpad 2 Leadership programme.
  
  
• Support includes training, mentorship, and methodological guidance to build sustainable, funded research portfolios.
  
  
• Over £6.2 million in grant income was secured by the first four cohorts.
  
  
• Participants have published widely and taken on national leadership roles.

Embedding research throughout the trust

The Obstetrics and Gynaecology team at North Tees & Hartlepool show how research can be fully integrated into clinical operations, from senior leadership to frontline staff. This fosters a culture where research is seen as a core responsibility and opportunity for all.

• The Clinical Director mandates research as part of the consultant role, with expectations for all to be Principal Investigators and GCP trained.
  
  
• Resident doctors and ward staff receive dedicated time and support for GCP training, with research staff delivering induction sessions.
  
  
• Reports on research performance and opportunities are standing items at directorate meetings.
  
  
• Research champions are appointed in clinical areas; staff are recognised with certificates and incentives funded by research income.
  
  
• Student midwives receive early exposure to research through presentations and placements with the research team.

Supporting and growing the research workforce

There is a growing recognition that research is not just for senior consultants, but should be available for NHS staff of all disciplines and levels. There are many examples of targeted support for the wider research workforce, some examples of which can be found below.

The University Hospitals Birmingham CNO Fellowship and Scholarship scheme is a 24-month programme supporting NMAHPs to undertake a master’s in clinical health research at the University of Birmingham. The scholarship is a 12-month bespoke training plan focused on an audit, QI or SE project within their clinical area. UHB also offers a Preparing for Research programme of practical sessions directed at NMAHP staff undertaking or interested in a clinical academic career.

South London and Maudsley (SLaM) offers Research Placements for Student Nurses, giving students the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills, and insights to prepare them to actively support and enable clinical research within the trusts. During these placements the student nurses work inter-professionally and collaboratively within local research systems and processes, learning from colleagues across disciplines. They also have the opportunity to complete their Good Clinical Practice Training.

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) run a Pharmacy Research Engagement Programme (PREP). This is an R&I project funded by Clinical Research Network West Midlands that aims to support the embedding of a research culture and increase research engagement within hospital pharmacy teams. PREP’s objectives include:

• Assessing the research training needs and practice-based barriers and facilitators to research engagement.
  
  
• Guiding pharmacy teams to useful research skills resources.
  
  
• Developing a Pharmacy Special Interest Group (Pharm-SIG) to bring together hospital pharmacy teams with Keele University academics and researchers.
  
  
• Providing support and guidance for research proposal development suitable for future grant funding.
  
  
• Sharing experience and findings with the wider pharmacy academic and pharmacy professional community.

Inclusivity initiatives

It is vitally important that those who participate in research are representative of their population. King’s Health Partners bring together key stakeholders through the Building Race Equity and Diversity (BREaD) network to disseminate polices and initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion in research involvement. In March 2025 the BREaD network published a study which examined the representativeness of participants in mental health research conducted between 2012 and 2022 across South London and Maudsley (SLaM). It compared the ethnicity of 3,279 research participants to that of the population of the trust’s catchment area and the wider local population using Census data. The findings were encouraging: the ethnicity distribution of research participants largely aligned with that of the trust’s patient population.

SLaM has also taken steps to ensure that all service users are offered the opportunity to participate in research appropriate to their interests. In June 2023 they launched the Take Part in Research platform, which hosts all studies recruiting in the Trust and invites people to find out more. It has been visited over 30k times since launching, and 1.6k people have submitted enquiries about signing up to a study.