A new report has shown more work is needed to attract and retain health and social care researchers.
It has also come up with several recommendations specifically for applied dementia research in England.
The research was carried out by Dr Sarah Fearn, from NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex based at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton, and Professor Cathy Murphy from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton.
Professor Murphy said:
“This report makes specific recommendations to increase and maintain capacity in applied dementia research that can also be applied more widely.
We need to provide sustained support for early careers researchers to gain experience and progress. We also need to find innovative ways to tackle the challenges of recruiting and retaining health and care professionals into the research community.”
Dr Gail Marzetti, the Deputy CEO of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) said:
“Applied research finds practical everyday solutions to help those living with dementia to live better quality lives for longer. It supports the government missions, identifying ways to reform and improve access to health and care services.”
The findings are based on data from the period 2019-2025, gathered through workshops and data from national organisations. The report acknowledges that some challenges are common to other areas of research, but some are specific to applied dementia research – like a relative shortage of mid- and senior career researchers in the field; perceived weaknesses in applications due to lack of training in some areas: Issues with attracting and retaining health and social care professionals to the field; and specific challenges with diversity and inclusion in the research workforce.
It makes several recommendations including:
Landscape
Further and sustained funding for PhDs and post-doctoral research opportunities in applied dementia research but also investing in opportunities for mid- and senior career researchers.
Praise for the existing national Dem-Comm programme in England which has created a diverse group of more than 60 researchers. It suggests creating opportunities for those researchers as they develop and launching a second Dem-Comm programme to attract early career researchers.
Recognition of the advantages of combined funding calls from organisations collaborating and the development with new funding partners.
People and Skills
Some health and care professionals face challenges combining research with practice – organisations should outline the benefits and practicalities of combining practice and research.
There is a shortage of supervisors, reviewers and mentors in the field and work should be done to develop mid-career researchers to meet that need.
More training for early and mid-career researchers to develop skills in project feasibility and knowledge mobilisation to meet the requirements of funding organisations.
Research Opportunities
Funding organisations should be clear about the opportunities available to different career stages.
The Environment
The current applied dementia research workforce is predominantly female, and many are later in their careers. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategies should focus on attracting a broader intake of researchers from different backgrounds and supporting those with caring responsibilities.
The report was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and was carried out in consultation with NIHR research organisations, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Alzheimer’s Society, Dementia Researcher and people living with the condition.
You can read the full report here and a shorter version here
You can get in touch with Sarah at s.fearn@soton.ac.uk
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