2. Nursing and Interdisciplinary Research
Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research
Highlights
Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Fellowships in progress.
Velindre Introduction to Research (VIR) Awards 2023:
- Barbara Wilson is studying the preparation of newly appointed Velindre nurses for safe SACT delivery.
- Francis Brown is studying the management of acute toxicity by nurses in the SACT day unit.
- Deborah Lewis is studying the emotional support needs of patients post cancer treatment trial.
Velindre PhD Fellowship Award 2023:
- Ceri Stubbs is investigating delay in help seeking by patients with SACT toxicities. Her PhD course of study on 1 January 2024.
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Support Team is now available to offer research coaching, supervision and support. Team members are, Nichola Gale, Sarah Fry, Nicholas Courtier, Jane Hopkinson, and Zahida Azhar.
The inaugural meeting of the Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Community was held on 30 November 2023 with 15 people in attendance.
Challenge
On-going pressures on clinical services across healthcare disciplines within the Velindre Cancer Centre.
Next steps
To develop bespoke education and training in cancer research for Velindre nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and radiographers.
2.1 Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Programme: Pictorial overview
2.2 Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Fellowships
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Fellowship Scheme is an investment by the Velindre Charity to strengthen nurse and health professions leadership in safe and high-quality cancer care.
The fellowships are open to nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists, and radiographers, staff groups historically underserved by education and opportunity to drive research-based service improvement and innovation.
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Fellowship scheme will support career progression within the national competency framework for Advanced Practitioners. Advanced Practitioners have a research component to their job role, acting as Principal Investigator and/or Chief Investigator for research projects. The fellowship scheme will empower Velindre Advanced Practitioners to work at the top of their license and enable them to be clinical academics engaged in evidence based transformational leadership.
Ceri Stubbs, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, is the first Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research PhD Fellowship award holder, and her research project is titled: “Exploring the help seeking behaviours of Cancer patient who become unwell whilst undergoing Systemic Anti‑Cancer Treatment (SACT) requiring admission to a regional cancer centre.”
2.3 Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Community
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Community meet bi-monthly.
This enables research interested staff to learn more about research through engagement with a supportive group of clinicians and researchers.
2.4 Velindre Healthcare Small Grant Scheme
The current Velindre Healthcare Small Grants Scheme (Cancer) award holders are Dr Jane Mathlin, Consultant Radiographer, and Dr Caroline Coffey, Consultant Psychologist.
Dr Jane Mathlin’s study of taste change post radiotherapy treatment ended in December 2023. It has resulted in the development of an information leaflet for patients and revised supportive care for patients. A poster was presented at the Cardiff University Research Staff Association Conference 2023. An abstract has been accepted for e‑poster presentation at MASCC 2024, Lille, France.
Dr Caroline Coffey’s project, about psychology triage practiced in partnership with Maggies, ended in December 2023. It evaluated the service model and has led to a revision of partnership work. A review of literature about the use of triage within psychology services for cancer patients is in write up for journal submission.
2.5 Velindre Healthcare Clinical Academic Career Pathway
Work to establish the Velindre Healthcare Clinical Academic Career Pathway is informed by engagement with Clinical Academic Roles Implementation Network (CARIN), Council of Deans.
This is a UK wide network for building nurses and health professions clinical-academic research capacity.
The first meeting of a Devolved Nations Sub-group was held at the end of 2023 with focus on establishing clinical-academic careers within Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
For further information about CARIN, Council of Deans please see: https://www.councilofdeans.org.uk/category/policy/research/clinical-academic-roles-implementation-network/.
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Support Team is also part of the CAHPR network.
2.6 Simulation training for responding to SACT adverse reactions
Congratulations to SACT Clinical Trainer, Fran Brown, who has received a Velindre Introduction to Research award for a study investigating the potential of simulation training to improve the knowledge and confidence of nurses responding to acute adverse reactions to SACT treatment.
“As part of the clinical training team, my job is to help the staff keep their knowledge and skills up to date as well as supporting new nurses to gain confidence in delivering treatment to our patients. We help with training, clinical skills, study days and update sessions, ” said Fran.
Some chemotherapy and immunotherapy can cause adverse side effects in patients. It can be a mild reaction, like a bit of itching to something more severe where the patients have to be given adrenaline. This is potentially a very frightening experience for the patient, and staff are required to act swiftly and calmly to manage the situation effectively. New staff members can feel out of their depth initially until they become proficient at managing these events.
“It can be quite frightening because the reaction can come on very, very quickly. One minute the patient is sitting there, absolutely fine, the next minute they're feeling hot and appear quite flushed!”
The current training for nurses in relation to SACT related adverse events is carried out in the classroom and involves a lecture and written scenarios. New staff then work alongside their mentor and the education team on the SACT day units to learn to care for a patient experiencing an adverse reaction.
This is where Fran’s research project comes in. She is investigating the potential to introduce simulation training in addition to the traditional method of teaching to allow staff to practice their response and gain confidence.
Research shows that simulation is a very effective way to learn because it is done in a safe environment psychologically and physically where mistakes can be made, and problems discussed.
Although there has been a significant amount of research carried out on simulation learning in healthcare there is not a great deal of literature available relating to simulation training of qualified healthcare professionals and SACT education.
“My project is in two parts – a recent group of new nurses are learning in the traditional classroom setting, talking through the theory and using scenarios to apply their knowledge. Then in April 2024, we'll have another new group of nurses, and we will do exactly the same thing. But we will also take them to the skills lab where we can simulate the scenarios,” said Fran Brown.
Both groups will complete knowledge and confidence questionnaires before their training and again a week later. The results from the two groups will then be compared to see if there is any difference in the outcomes of the training.
“I haven't had any experience of actual research myself, but I have always been interested in it. I think as a nurse, we're programmed to be critical thinkers. You don't just accept; you want to know what the evidence is. So far there has been a lot of planning sorting out lesson plans and logistics. My research supervisor, Nichola Gale, has been very supportive, guiding me through the best way to do this.
"Health Education improvement Wales offer several simulation training courses for facilitators, and I have booked to attend one of these days.
“There is a lot to learn but I am enjoying it. I’m excited by the opportunity to see if we can enhance our training for nurses and have a positive impact on patient care,” said Fran Brown, SACT Clinical Trainer.
Fran with one of Velindre Cancer Services' new staff nurses, David Longden
2.7 Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Support Team
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Support Team are cancer research active staff employed by the School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University. Team members are Dr Sarah Fry, Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Dr Nichola Gale, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, Dr Nicolas Courtier, Senior Lecturer in Radiography, Professor Jane Hopkinson, Velindre Professor of Nursing and Interdisciplinary Cancer Care, with administrative support provided by Mrs Zahida Azhar.
Each team member provides one-to-one coaching for a Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Fellow.
Team members are also available to offer other staff one-to-one consultancy on writing a funding bid, writing a research proposal, research design, project management, data analysis, and dissemination to include writing for publication.
The Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Support Team is now available to offer research coaching, supervision and support. Team members are Nicholas Courtier, Nichola Gale, Jane Hopkinson, Sarah Fry and Zahida Azhar
2.8 Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research Performance
The following table shows the Velindre Healthcare Cancer Research cumulative performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The performance measures for the whole of the Trust’s Research Portfolio can be found in section 3. Velindre Cancer Service Research.
|
KPI |
TARGET PER ANNUM |
Q1 (baseline)
|
Q2 (cumulative) |
Q3 (cumulative) |
Q4 (cumulative) |
Total 2023/24 |
|
RESEARCH LEADERSHIP |
||||||
|
Velindre led Healthcare Cancer Research Projects (in progress / completed) |
Q1 +3 Achieved |
6 in progress
2 completed |
8 in progress
3 completed |
7 in progress
7 completed |
6 in progress
8 completed |
8 (Q1) + 6 = 14
|
|
Velindre collaboration on externally led Healthcare Cancer Research (in progress / completed) |
Q1 +3 |
3 in progress
2 completed |
3 in progress
3 completed |
3 in progress
3 completed |
3 in progress
3 completed |
5 (Q1) + 1 = 6 |
|
Nurse, allied health professional, pharmacist, radiographer Chief Investigators (CI) |
Q1 +3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3 (Q1) + 1 = 4 |
|
Trials nurse Principal Investigators (PI) |
Q1 +1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 + 0 = 0 |
|
Other healthcare cancer research Principal Investigators |
Q1 +2
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 (Q1) + 1 = 2 |
|
FUNDING |
||||||
|
Applications for external grant funding |
Q1 +2
Achieved |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
0 (Q1) + 3 = 3 |
|
Applications for internal research project funding |
Q1 +5
Achieved |
1 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
1 (Q1) + 5 = 6 |
|
CAPACITY BUILDING |
||||||
|
Education event/workshop |
4
Achieved |
5 |
0 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
|
Small grant projects in progress |
0 (scheme end)
Achieved |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Velindre Introduction to Research awards in progress |
3 |
In set up |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
|
Velindre Healthcare PhD Studentship awards |
1
Achieved |
In set up |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Velindre Healthcare Post doc awards |
1 |
In set up |
Call planned January 2024 |
Call closes 31 January 2024 |
0 |
0 |
|
Velindre healthcare research maturity score |
|
Tool in development |
Tool in development |
Tool ready to test |
Test in progress |
N/A |
|
RESEARCH DISSEMINATION |
||||||
|
Publications |
1 per CI
Achieved |
4 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
|
Presentations |
1 per CI/PI
Achieved |
7 |
11 |
13 |
13 |
13 |