As a partnership of NHS Trusts across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, plus the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, we aim to work with healthcare professionals, policymakers and the public to identify areas of research that reflect the real needs and concerns of the health service in the South West.

Highlighting how this works in practice, we’ve brought together some of the work carried out with the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT).

Sarah Black, Research Manager at SWASFT, shares her view of the partnership between the ambulance service and PenCLAHRC:

“We’ve always found working with PenCLAHRC a really rewarding experience. They get research...

Staff from NHS Trusts across the South West came together with PenCLAHRC researchers to celebrate the success of an innovative programme aimed at tackling problems faced by the health service.

The Health Service Modelling Associates (HSMA) programme, run by our operational research team PenCHORD, is designed to embed the skills and knowledge needed to develop and use computer models to support decision making within the NHS.

The pilot programme culminated in a showcase event, held at the University of Exeter Medical School yesterday. Participants presented their project findings and shared how both they and their organisations have benefited from the scheme.

Over the past year,...

A series of courses designed and run by PenCLAHRC are helping to put evidence at the heart of an organisation’s decision-making process.

Designed to empower NHS staff to use the latest developments in research, guidance and technology, the training is delivered by the CLAHRC’s experts in operational modelling, PenCHORD.

In an effort to give healthcare managers experience in computer simulation, PenCHORD recently ran a session attended by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT).

Hannah Trebilcock, a Clinical Audit Officer at SWASFT, was one of those in attendance who was quickly able to put her new skills into practice.

Back at base...

The Health Service Modelling Associates (HSMA) programme is a pilot scheme run by PenCLAHRC’s operational modelling group PenCHORD. It aims to bring academics from the universities of Exeter and Plymouth together with health organisations across the South West to carry out operational research to a high standard. The aim is to use the best tools and knowledge available to put the research undertaken rapidly into practice within the NHS.

Hannah Trebilcock, Clinical Audit Officer at the South West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT), was selected as one of six HSMAs from NHS organisations across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, and...