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ARC Update newsletter

Summer 2024

Sunflower in a row of sunflowers

Welcome back

Great to be back after the summer break for some. We have lots of exciting news to share, and plenty of interesting opportunities to let you know about.


Contents


 

Planning for a new ARC bid


The National Institute for Health and Care Research has just announced its intention to fund future ARCs. What we know is that £16 million can be awarded for a five year programme of research, but there is no detail yet on the full competition guidance or when the call will open.

ARC Wessex has been working to decide the potential focus of our future research programme, so keep in touch and keep an eye on our website for more updates.


 

Why temporary staffing still doesn't beat a staff nurse for patient safety

A new paper published this month in the journal JAMA Network Open shows that avoiding low nurse staffing levels lowers the risk of death among patients – even when temporary registered nurses are brought in to maintain staffing levels.

The research team, which included Professor Peter Griffiths and Dr Chair Dall'Ora, conducted an observational study on 185 wards across four acute hospital trusts in England.



 

Young people choose research issues that matter to them

Teenage boy in baseball hat smiling and taking notes in a classroom
One of the Youth Jury - Marley

A group of young people aged between 16-17 have been taking part in a programme to support them decide on their research and health priorities, and to develop health policy for the future.


Fifteen youngsters chose their own research topics, delving into issues such as vaping, vaccine hesitancy, menstrual health, and the fear of missing out (FoMo).










There are more pictures on our Facebook Page



 

More than 2 million to support research for people with multiple long-term conditions

About 7 million people in the UK live with more than one health condition. It can often be difficult for those people to get the right care they need, with health care being designed around treating one condition at a time.


ARC researchers from different professions (nursing, allied health professionals and medicine) across several universities (Southampton, Plymouth, Manchester, Oxford) have been given £2.47m funding by the NIHR to find out what common issues exist for people living with more than one condition and to find solutions. Read more here


 

What do we know about frailty?

Dr Carole Fogg a Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust has been working with colleagues to produce a review (Evidence Brief) looking at what we know about the numbers of people with frailty in England.

Identifying vulnerable older people with frailty can help to focus care and support on the most vulnerable, and greater insights can help with the design of health and care services.


 

Events


Using think aloud interviews - September 10 1.00pm-2.00pm - Online

Using think aloud interviews as part of the Person Based Approach to optimising behaviour change interventions with two amazing speakers who have significant experience and expertise in using “think aloud interviews” - Read more

Showcasing three years of mental health research across Wessex - September 23 09.00am - 1.00pm - Chilworth, Southampton

An event hosted by NIHR ARC Wessex and Raising Voices in Research celebrating Mental Health research in the region, with presentations from NIHR ARC Wessex researchers. We will also be hearing from some of our public contributors, about the critical role of their involvement in research. Read more

Enhancing the identification and response to domestic abuse for people living with a life-limiting illness: The DALLI Toolkit - October 9 12.30pm - 2.00pm - Online and in person at Chilworth, Southampton

Launch event for the DALLI Toolkit – a resource developed by researchers in partnership with health and social care professionals, victim-survivors, and specialist domestic abuse organisations - to provide information and practical suggestions for identifying  and responding to domestic abuse experienced by people living with a life-limiting illness. Read more

 

New Opportunities

The exciting news is that ARC Wessex has just been awarded funding for a whole range of development opportunities, from internships to support to grow your research career.

In addition if you want to help you team develop their research skills, there's support for that too. It's the largest investment of its kind for 5 years.


We will have more on this and the next round of internship opportunities in the Autumn and we expect to launch the official application process in November. See our awards pages


In the meantime, there is an opportunity for a Public Policy Fellow to work via a placement with Public Policy Southampton. You have until Monday 9th September to get an application in.


 

Is it time to ditch X

For years Twitter was the staple for many people wanting to exchange ideas and share information on a whole host of issues including health and care research. The term 'Med Twitter" was coined to explain how clinicians would share learning and information.

Then came the take-over of Twitter by billionaire Elon Musk who changed its name to X.

That's not all that changed. Musk has set about tinkering with the social media platform in an attempt to make it profitable. He also reinstated the accounts of some of the people banned from Twitter for misbehaving - with Musk stating that X was a free speech platform.

Many people feel that the X platform is not for them any more following comments from Mr Musk and his political allegiances. In addition there has been widespread sharing of false or misleading information in some concerted campaigns.

It begs the question. Where do I go if I can't use Twitter/X?

At the moment UK Government departments remain on X. NIHR remains there too. ARC Wessex and others whilst remaining on X are looking to expand their social media platforms. We have set up https://linktr.ee/ARCWessex to list all our social media platforms. Some people have turned to Blue Sky https://bsky.app - a very Twitter like social media channel. We may go there soon too, but we are keeping watch. Let us know your thoughts.


 


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