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Workforce Development

Group Leader(s): Professor Catherine Henshall, Dr Clair Merriman

Contact: cmerriman@brookes.ac.uk

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About us

The Workforce Development Research Group is co-Chaired by Dr Cathy Henshall and Dr Clair Merriman and was founded in 2021. The group’s aim is to build and develop an internationally recognised and vibrant research portfolio in the area of healthcare workforce development, with a focus on key funding priorities. This includes:

  • research in secondary, community based, social care and other out of hospital settings
  • a focus on health care staffing roles, skill mixes and training opportunities.

We are interested in exploring the best ways for staff to support patients who are living with long term conditions, as well as in examining ways to support the workforce to ensure it is resilient and engages with sustainable mechanisms for practice. We also engage with healthcare student bodies to actively involve them in research, as well as considering any ongoing changes to practice settings that may need evaluating or assessing.

Through the WDRG we promote and support a collaborative research culture. Membership includes early, mid and senior career researchers, as well as PhD and Masters students. We act as a forum for sharing and supporting practice developments that will inform current and future research activities, as well as knowledge exchange, innovation, teaching and policy.

Part of

Leadership

Catherine Henshall

Professor Catherine Henshall

Professor of Nursing

View profile for Catherine Henshall

Clair Merriman

Dr Clair Merriman

Divisional Lead for NMAHP Research and Innovation Oxford University Hospital Foundation Trust and Oxford Brookes University

View profile for Clair Merriman

Membership

Staff

Name Role Email
Dr Sally Bassett Senior Lecturer in Health Care Management sbassett@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Dan Butcher Senior Lecturer - Course Lead Professional Doctorate in Nursing dbutcher@brookes.ac.uk
Ms Julie Cooke Senior Lecturer and placement lead
Dr Zoe Davey Research Fellow zdavey@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Christopher Dodd Postdoctoral Research Assistant c.dodd@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Kathleen Greenway Senior Lecturer kgreenway@brookes.ac.uk
Mr Benjamin Lond Postdoctoral research assistant blond@brookes.ac.uk
Ms Sarah Neal Deputy Head Practice Education and Senior Lecturer Adult Nursing skhan@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Benita Olivier Professor of Rehabilitation benita.olivier@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Robyn Stiger Principal Lecturer in Clinical Skills, Simulation & Immersive Technology robynstiger@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Laura Strumidlo Deputy Director Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery lstrumidlo@brookes.ac.uk
Mrs Lorraine Whatley Senior Lecturer Simulation and Immersive Learning Technology l.whatley@brookes.ac.uk

Students

Name Thesis Title Supervisors Completed
Dr Hilary Brown Optimising the care and support for people with inoperable pancreatic cancer and their family-carers Professor Eila Watson, Dr Lucy McGeagh 2023
Dr Julie Cooke Academic nurse educators’ experiences of preparing and supporting nursing students for clinical placements in nursing homes: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Dr Kathleen Greenway, Dr Sue Schutz 2022
Samantha Jane Donohue What is the experince of professional enjoyment in nursing? 2022
Alice Green Can Shared Governance improve the motivation of bedside nurses? Dr Helen Aveyard

Active
Owen Gustafson Evaluating the musculoskeletal health state of Intensive Care Unit survivors: The MSK-ICU study (led by OUH) Dr Mark Williams, Professor Helen Dawes

Active
Lian Lee Registered nurses' communication experiences in Robotic-Assisted Surgery Dr Kathleen Greenway, Dr Sue Schutz 2024
Francesca Tabacchi Nutritional support in cancer patients during treatment. Professor Jonathan Tammam, Dr Shelly Coe, Dr Vasiliki Iatridi, Professor Eila Watson

Active

Projects

Active projects

Project title and description Investigator(s) Funder(s) Dates

Research interest, engagement, capacity and capability

Building research capacity and capability among nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, healthcare ccientists, pharmacists, and psychologists (NMAHPPs) is essential.

The NMAHPP Research C&C Programme aims to explore research interest, engagement, capacity and capability at the individual level and the readiness for research at an organisational level with the purpose of determining strategic and operational priorities related to the development of research capacity and capability in NMAHPPs and wider healthcare staff.
 Professor Benita Olivier From: February 2024

Lung I-ACT: Improving Access and Recruitment to Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer Patients

Clinical trials are key to advancing treatments and improving patient quality of life, but only around 3-11% of cancer patients are estimated to take part in trials. The Lung I-ACT project aims to develop and test a research recruitment resource for lung cancer nurses to support lung cancer patients to make informed decisions about entering clinical trials. Hear about key findings from focus groups with patients and nurses, and how these insights have shaped the resource on the Brookes Unscripted podcast. 
 Professor Catherine Henshall Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation From: June 2023
Until: September 2025

Completed projects

Project title and description Investigator(s) Funder(s) Dates

Covid-19 teams in the NHS

This UK-wide study aims to understand the implications of working in Covid-19 teams for leadership, team-working, career intentions and individual mental health.

 Professor Vincent Connelly ESRC From: November 2020
Until: November 2022

COV-ed Nurse

This UK wide study will use audio diaries and interviews to amplify and analyse the voices of student nurses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as they describe clinical practice in the time of Covid-19.

 ESRC From: November 2020
Until: May 2022

Supporting Student Nurses at Risk of Leaving the Programme Study

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention package aimed at reducing pre-registration nursing student attrition rates at a Higher Education Institute in Southeast England. Our evaluation of the effectiveness of an intervention package in reducing pre-registration nursing student attrition rates revealed that a lack of trusting relationships with intervention facilitators is likely to diminish engagement with such interventions.The learning analytics engagement tool was able to identify students who were struggling and/or disengaging with their academic studies.
 Professor Catherine Henshall, Dr Clair Merriman HEE From: March 2023
Until: September 2024