Research Ambassador Remit and Role Description 

Research Ambassador application form 

What is a research ambassador?

At UHNM a research ambassador is a member of staff who is passionate about advocating research to improve outcomes for our patients. Research ambassadors increase awareness and visibility of research throughout our trust which links with the mission statement of our research strategy.

The aim of this role is to help support staff and patients to become aware of the importance of research and what research opportunities are available to them.

What does a research ambassador do?

The specific role of the Research Ambassador includes helping to increase awareness of research amongst NHS professionals and patients.

As a Research Ambassador we ask you to:

• Attend Research Ambassador meetings (via Microsoft Teams), usually held every 2 months
• Represent your speciality area at meetings
• Respond to written or verbal communications about research between meetings
• Raise awareness and circulate research communications within your department
• Communicate the importance of research to staff, patients and visitors and how people can become involved
• Advertise local research opportunities
• Attend the annual research symposium
• Support communication around annual events such as International Clinical Trials Day

How many meetings will I need to go to?

It is expected that research ambassadors will meet every 2 months. It is anticipated that meetings will typically last 1 ½ hours. An online “Doodle Poll” is usually set up to agree meeting dates and times.

There will also be additional correspondence and requirements to promote information within your department between these meetings.

What happens if I can’t come to a meeting?

If you can’t come to a meeting we would particularly value your input by email before the meeting. It might also be appropriate to send another staff member to represent you.

Will I need to do anything in between meetings?

You may be asked to comment on documents by email between meetings. If you hear of new information or relevant topics then please inform the CeNREE team. We welcome your thoughts and input.

Who else is a Research Ambassador?

The Research Ambassador group is made up of NMAHP from across UHNM and is supported by the CeNREE team.

What support is available?

You will work closely with and be supported by the CeNREE team. There will also be the opportunity to network with other Research Ambassadors for peer to peer support.

Why should I become a Research Ambassador?

Research is important and it is well documented that patients within research active hospitals have better outcomes.

You will help to support your department to keep up to date with the latest research news and opportunities.

The support you give as a Research Ambassador can be used to demonstrate your CPD hours as part of revalidation. Additionally this also links to our trust visions and values and can be used as an example within your PDR.

Who can I contact for more information?

If you would like to become a research ambassador or to find out more information please email: cenree@uhnm.nhs.uk

Do you have a burning clinical question in your clinical area? Are you asking: ‘what is the best way to approach this?’; ‘are we providing the best care in this situation?’; ‘is this the best dressing to use?’; ‘are our patients happy with this way of doing things?’

In a clinical area, sometimes it is difficult to stop and think about the best way to provide care, or it is hard to find time to look at the evidence.

CeNREE provides the opportunity for any clinical area to raise clinically important questions to the rapid evidence review team. This team will conduct a rapid review of the evidence and provide their findings back to the clinical area. The review team will always involve one member from the clinical area.

It may be that there is little evidence available to answer the question that has been raised. If this happens, CeNREE will convene a team with the relevant expertise to explore options for designing and implementing a research study at UHNM to look at this clinically important question. Any member of staff in the clinical area who have raised the question can get involved in the research.

CeNREE will support you to publish and present at conference any rapid evidence reviews and/or research studies that take place in your clinical area.

Please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk for further information.

WATCH THIS SPACE!

CeNREE plans to provide a resource hub and methods experts to support any UHNM journal club.

Please email CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk to ask for further information or to register your journal club with the network so that we can publicise and support your meetings.

Peer review is beneficial to researchers and the organisation as it allows a research project to be looked at by other clinical experts in the same field and also research methodology experts. This ensures that the research idea and design is of a high quality by checking originality and providing feedback regarding any potential areas for improvement.

Peer review feedback focuses on the following study elements:

1. The relative merit of the research
2. The design and methods
3. The feasibility of the research
4. The presentation of the application
5. The scientific and clinical validity

When is peer review required?

All research projects seeking UHNM sponsorship will need internal peer review if:

• they have not received peer review feedback by the funder
• funding has not been applied for

How do I request a peer review?

CeNREE will identify suitable peer review based on your research idea from a peer review panel list. Peer review feedback is usually returned within two weeks to the applicant.

Who can help me?

The CeNREE team is happy to guide you through the process and go through the peer review application form.

Can I join the peer review panel?

We are inviting ACP’s and Nurse/Midwife/AHP/Pharmacy Consultants to become members of our panel to support the review of research projects being developed at UHNM.

A research project summary will be emailed to you and we will ask if you are able to support the peer review. We usually request feedback to be provided within 14 days and supply you with a template feedback form.

Supporting the UHNM peer review process can be used as CPD hours, evidence for NMC revalidation and demonstration of the ACP/NMAHP Consultant research pillar.

Please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk for further information.

What about sponsorship?

Sponsorship = all research studies require a research sponsor. A sponsor is the organisation or partnership that takes overall responsibility for proportionate, effective arrangements being in place to set up, run and report a research project.

CeNREE aims to support staff to publish their work either through journal publications or abstracts to submit for presentation at conference at local, national, and international level.

Publication workshops will be run monthly, which will involve a facilitator for questions and ‘sit and write’ time and space away from the clinical area.

Dates will be advertised in the monthly research bulletins.

For further information, please contact CeNREE@uhnm.nhs.uk

Friday 28^th July 2023 10.00am - 3.30pm

This symposium included oral and poster presentations for five of our priority work streams:

• Education
• Improving Together
• Quality
• Research
• Risk and Patient Safety

Information coming soon