PhD Research Studentship: Improving Access to Primary Care for Older People, Minority Ethnic, and Disadvantaged Communities Post COVID-19 Pandemic

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE RESEARCH 

EXCITING NEW RESEARCH STUDENTSHIP TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO REDUCING INEQUALITIES IN ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE

Salary: Graduate bursary £18,000 per annum (Jointly funded by the University of Bedfordshire and the NHS England - Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes Integrated Care System Research & Innovation Hub). The UK fee amount will also be paid.

Fixed term: 3 years. Initially for 2 years for MPhil with a further year for completion of PhD

Closing date: 5pm 31^st May 2023

Interview week: 19^th June 2023

Start date: October 2023

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Introduction

The University of Bedfordshire are pleased to offer a full-time PhD studentship in the subject area described further below. This exciting new studentship has been made available through the collaboration of the Institute for Health Research and the NHS England - Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care System Research & Innovation (R&I) Hub. The studentship is offered in the Institute for Health Research and will cover tuition fees, bursary per annum as well as research and conference attendance expenses.

The Institution

The University of Bedfordshire’s vision is ‘to create a vibrant multi-cultural learning community enabling people to transform their lives by participating in excellent, innovative education, scholarship and research.’

According to the latest Research Excellence Framework all of our research is internationally excellent in impact, and the majority is world-leading. 75% of research outputs are 3* or 4* - internationally excellent or world leading.

Currently, our staff and research students come from more than 15 countries to create a strong global research community. The IHR has strong collaborative links in the UK and also in Europe, Middle East, Asia and America. 

Our PhD School is a lively community comprising of a wealth of interests mainly in applied health and social care research but also in global public health, epidemiology, nursing, midwifery, psychology and related disciplines. Our aim is to provide a liberal and dynamic environment for PhD Students from around the world to explore their interests and evolve into becoming the next leaders in health research: https://www.beds.ac.uk/ihr/ihr-phd-school/our-graduates/

The IHR is also part of the East of England NHS Research Design Service (RDS), which receives core funding from the NHS National Institute for Health Research. To find out more visit www.beds.ac.uk/ihr

The candidate

The successful candidate will have experience in the health and/or social care sector and/or a very good, proven academic record. The studentship holder will be key in developing and maintaining local networks with an emphasis on harnessing the collaboration between the collaborating organisations.  

In this research study, the candidate will be working closely with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK) who alongside the University of Bedfordshire have develop a Research and Innovation (R&I) Hub which seeks to evaluate new ways of working to reduce economic, health and social care inequalities. 

Area of Research

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the rapid adoption of remote (telephone/video) consultations, particularly across primary care.  Before the pandemic only a minority of general practices used doctor-led remote triage as the access point for services; within weeks, nearly all were doing so.  Moreover, over 70% of GP consultations in England were face-to-face; however, this figure within weeks drastically reduced to 23%. 

Timely access to locally available clinical support when peoples’ health needs have gone beyond the scope of self-care and community pharmacy is an essential part of maintaining individual wellbeing. This is a key factor in levelling up to address the health disparities within our society. Access to GP-led services also impacts capacity of, and need for, hospital-based care (such as A&E). 

The pandemic has put a huge strain on the NHS and impacted how the public access health services.  Like many organisations, general practices have needed to adapt quickly as the UK went into lockdown and respond to new ways of working e.g., offering video and telephone consultations. Some people have embraced these new ways of accessing GP services, allowing them to save time and get the help they need, quickly. But for others it’s been more difficult, time consuming and frustrating to access support when they need it.  There has been some concern that the change to multi-modal consultations may exacerbate existing health inequalities, particularly among the most vulnerable in society. 

Study framework

The main aim of the research will be to examine to assess the barriers and facilitators of accessing primary care services since the pandemic for patients of different ages, socio-economic and ethnic communities to facilitate an improved understanding of how multi-model primary care can be successfully delivery and implemented to support the wider population.

Objectives of the research:

• Synthesis evidence to determine how the current pandemic has impacted on the access and implementation of remote consultations in primary care
• Explore barriers and facilitators among stakeholders of the implementation of multi-modal consultations across Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BMLK).
• Explore patients’ experiences of primary care access through multi-modal consultations among older, minority ethnic, and socio-economic communities across Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK).

In consultation with the supervisory team – Dr Erica Cook, Dr Yannis Pappas, and Professor Gurch Randhawa- the successful candidate will be responsible for developing the final project outline to ensure that it draws on the student’s interests, background, and research expertise.

The studentship will include tuition fees for UK students, a stipend of £18,000, research support and travel.

Entry criteria

• A good first degree in health-related studies or cognate discipline.
• Masters-level degree in a subject related to the project.
• Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate their ability in English, typically B2 level English qualification such as IELTS 7.0.

How to apply

You may find more information on the School and the application process here: https://www.beds.ac.uk/ihr/ihr-phd-school/

For an application pack or any application queries please email:

research@beds.ac.uk quoting the appropriate reference number. In addition to a CV, all applicants will need to send a cover letter with supporting information on their experience and skills and how these relate to the advertised PhD.

Term: The bursary will commence in October 2023, initially for two years for the MPhil stage with a further year for PhD completion, subject to satisfactory progress. The studentship is for three years and is available for UK and EU candidates meeting the Research Council criterion of having been resident in the UK for the previous three years.

For an application pack or any application queries please email research@beds.ac.uk quoting the appropriate reference number.

It is expected that interviews will take place on w/b 19^th June 2023

For any queries, please contact Dr Erica Cook, Institute for Health Research via email erica.cook@beds.ac.uk or call 07725 630456.

Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire: PhD Studentship