Our team works with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce clinical guidelines for NHS services throughout the UK.

Clinical guidelines cover many aspects of care and include information on a variety of conditions. They include advice on information, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and longer-term management.

Evidence-based research informing guidelines

Our research has developed clinical guidelines and recommendations on how healthcare and other professionals should care for people with specific conditions. Our recommendations are based on evidence that has arisen in the research we have carried out.

Dr Pappas’ research improved communication between healthcare professionals and ensured treatment is best coordinated for patients and their families. His work has also evaluated the opening phase of tele-medicine consultations.

Maternity care for ethnic minorities

Dr Puthussery has been involved with maternity care research where she evaluated maternity care experiences and expectations of ethnic minority women born in the United Kingdom. She has also recorded the attitudes and expectations of maternity care professionals to UK-born ethnic minority women.

Her research has resulted in improved clinical guidance for maternity professionals. Further research includes understanding parenting needs for children of ‘mixed’ racial backgrounds, ethnic and faith backgrounds.

Communication skills and attitudes

Dr Regmi has worked towards understanding the attitudes of nurses and medical students towards inter-professional education in Nepal.

His work has helped with the decentralisation of district health services in Nepal and his work in understanding the views of service users and service providers informs governments and hospitals throughout Nepal.

Professor Christopher Johns is working with the Mount Vernon Cancer Network, East of England region and NHS Luton to respond to Government initiatives to develop advanced communication skills training and psychological support training.

He is also developing the holistic practitioner role with NHS Bedfordshire, based on his research using complementary therapy with women experiencing breast care treatment.

Tele-health

We are a leading research authority in the use of telephone-based health services in diverse population settings.

Dr Erica Cook and Professor Gurch Randhawa were commissioned by NHS Direct to examine the equity of use of tele-health services. The national tele-health service is directly influenced by the findings of our research and has been developed and introduced throughout the country.

NHS Direct has helped ease the burden on emergency services, GPs and other medical providers. This study led to the subsequent commissioning of the IHR to evaluate a national pilot of tele-health and tele-care among elderly residents in Cambridgeshire.

Spinal injuries

Glynis Pellatt, along with practice colleagues at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital   produced a series of articles on neurogenic bladder and bowel for the British Journal of Nursing. 

She is also involved in expanding and developing service user involvement in pre and post registration nursing programmes. Glynis is a peer reviewer for the British Journal of Nursing and The British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing.

Child mental health issues

Dr Suzanne Murphy is helping community treatment units deal with children who are mentally ill – especially during the acute phase of severe mental illness. Her research has identified ‘crisis intervention models of care’ - a home care package alongside the interventions – as a possible solution that deserves further investigation.