A University of Exeter-led national research team, including PenARC's Evidence Synthesis and Patient and Public Involvement in Research teams, are researching nursing care for patients in hospital with COVID-19. Funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the team will evaluate a system of nursing care designed specifically for COVID patients in a large clinical trial across the UK.

Nursing is hugely important to people in hospital. Nursing care makes a significant difference to the way people experience being in hospital and to their recovery. For people with COVID-19, their symptoms and the infectiousness of the...

PenARC and colleagues from ARC Yorkshire and Humber have been awarded £1.85 million from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) to lead a national collaboration to develop a research programme in Children’s Health and Maternity.

The aim of the funding is to use evidence to improve health outcomes in childhood and maternal health across the country, working with service users, charities and professional groups to identify key areas where evidence can help to improve public health and services in health and social care. 

PenARC Director Professor Stuart Logan said:

 “I am delighted to be part of this successful collaboration, which will be tackling some...

A collaboration between PenARC, the University of Exeter and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust is making a major contribution to the management of dialysis services in the south of England during the COVID-19 outbreak.

People requiring renal replacement therapy are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and rely on essential treatment, necessitating travel to treatment centres. This accounts for a significant volume of non-emergency ambulance transport.

PenARC’s operational research team, PenCHORD, in conjunction with researchers from the Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IDSAI) at the University of Exeter and the renal department at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, used computer modelling to...

Care Under Pressure – a project led by the University of Exeter has developed guidance and recommendations to optimise strategies to tackle mental ill-health in doctors and medical students. This work is particularly relevant now during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr Jason Hancock Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist with Devon Partnership NHS Trust said: ”In the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding and developing interventions, both at the level of the individual and the wider workplace, that can support doctors wellbeing is absolutely crucial if we are to ensure that we have a functioning and sustainable workforce”.  

The growing pressures, demands and challenges of a doctor’s...

The University of Exeter has received £2.5 million to establish one of two evidence review facilities dedicated to ensuring that government health and care policy is informed by the highest quality research.

The funding, from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme (PRP), will bring together academics from a range of disciplines within the University of Exeter Medical School. The programme of work involves producing evidence syntheses to inform policy development and evaluation across the full policy remit of the Department of Health and Social Care.  The Exeter PRP Evidence Review Facility will work alongside the long-established...

A collaboration between PenARC and University of Exeter Researchers and the NHS has developed a crucial new tool to ensure health trusts maintain sufficient levels of life-saving equipment and bed spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research team, led by Professor Gavin Shaddick from the University of Exeter, in collaboration with PenCHORD and PenARC colleagues, has developed a new data modelling tool to help forecast demand on crucial NHS resources in the region.

The forecasts have been used to help predict the demand for in-patient beds, intensive care, PPE, ventilators, oxygen and testing kits. Crucially, it has also incorporated not only predicted hospital staffing requirements, but also...

Five tips from project to support people with dementia and carers in COVID-19 lockdown

New guidance has been developed as part of a major project to support people with dementia and family carers who are facing isolation and reduced services as a result of COVID-19.

A new leaflet features five simple tips, developed using the latest robust research and with the input of people affected by dementia. The leaflet is part-funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in a project led by the University of Exeter and the NIHR Older People and Frailty Policy Research Unit, with partners including...

A collaboration between researchers has resulted in a clearer understanding of how to address the research needs of young people with long term health conditions. Long term conditions can affect multiple aspects of health, impacting both physically and mentally. This can lead to potentially conflicting treatment recommendations and frequent interaction with clinicians and services.

Now a report, produced through patient and public involvement activities with young people and their carers, has helped to identify which issues are important when experiencing complex care needs or multiple long term conditions.

PenARC worked together with the Peninsula Childhood Disability research unit (PenCRU) and the NIHR...

Our PhD studentships are linked to PenARC project and priority areas and are an important area of capacity development to ensure the continued availability of research staff in the longer term. Students undertake research projects while being offered the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from our experienced researchers. As PenARC sets sail on its new five year research cycle we welcome aboard a new cohort of PhD students.

The new studentships reach across our research themes;

Sara Eddy’s research is investigating the implementation of an integrated psychological medicine service in Devon to provide both...

A pioneering collaboration between PenARC and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) has led to the establishment of a new post at UHP using operational research to support the Trust’s decision-making processes – the first of its kind in the South West.

Operational Research (OR) uses innovative modelling techniques and data science to help healthcare providers like UHP predict how changes to services will affect patients and staff. Using modelling to simulate real-life situations can help decision-makers see how services might be improved.

In the newly-created role of Principal Information Analyst, Simon Philpott will hold responsibility for the strategic direction of modelling...