Training and Professional Development
The Newcastle PSRC is committed to providing inclusive opportunities.
Our approach will be:
- Providing comprehensive support for Newcastle PSRC trainees to continue their careers with a focus on patient safety and multiple long-term conditions.
- Supporting our researchers in fostering industry partnerships and NIHR infrastructure collaboration.
- Recruiting a cohort aligned to inclusivity, attracting a diverse range of talent to the Newcastle PSRC.
- Providing opportunities for career development, such as pre-doctoral and post-doctoral roles within the Newcastle PSRC.
- Increasing applications for research in patient safety for NIHR PCAF/ICA and DCF funding.
- Actively recruiting from underrepresented groups and those who currently drop out of academic careers due to personal circumstances, aligning with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Read our Academic Career Development Strategy here NIHR Newcastle PSRC ACD Strategy
Funded PSRC PhD Opportunity
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Patient Safety Research Collaborative (PSRC) PhD studentship.
This has 100% of UK home tuition fees paid and an annual stipend of £19237, in line with UKRI guidelines.
The NIHR Newcastle Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), and the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) have come together to offer a joint PhD Studentship.
This PhD will align with the Improving Medication Safety Theme in the Greater Manchester PSRC and the Safer Management of Polypharmacy in Multiple Long-term Conditions (MLTCS) in the Newcastle PSRC. The successful applicant will have the choice of enrolling in either Newcastle University or The University of Manchester to undertake this PhD.
Focus of the studentship
This PhD will identify the effects of admission to critical care on medication-related risks in older patients (≥65 years of age), leading to the development of an in-hospital intervention suitable for routine implementation in clinical practice.
This PhD will examine the relationship between polypharmacy, multimorbidity and clinical frailty on adverse outcomes in older people (e.g. cognitive impairment, cardiotoxicity, falls and prolonged hospital stay) in critical care. The research will involve characterising problematic polypharmacy in older patients within the context and complexity of a critical care admission. It will then develop an intervention to address these problems that is feasible for implementation in the NHS. It will involve developing skills in systematic reviews, case note reviews and epidemiological investigation, development of a critical care specific medication portfolio for older patients, and a co-produced medication-focused intervention package.
Quantitative and qualitative research skills will be required. This studentship provides an unparalleled opportunity for post-graduate training and interdisciplinary work in the field of medication safety and MLTCs, including public engagement. The student will benefit from a strong capacity development programme designed to train the patient safety researchers of the future, delivered across two NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaborations.
Start date
January 2025
Award duration
3 Years
Application closing date
30th September 2024
Sponsors
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
NuTH and Newcastle University
NIHR Greater Manchester PSRC, The University of Manchester
The successful applicant will have the choice of enrolling in either Newcastle University or The University of Manchester to undertake this PhD.
Name of supervisor/s
Darren Ashcroft — The University of Manchester
Professor Andy Husband - Newcastle University
Dr Richard Bourne – The University of Manchester
Eligibility Criteria
A 2:1 or higher honours degree in Pharmacy (MPharm). This studentship is open to Home applicants only. Please provide evidence of meeting this criterion.