Embedding Research into Clinical Practice
Tuesday 2 September 2025 at the Sir Bob Burgess Building, University of Leicester
Download the conference brochure (6MB pdf)
Welcome
It is our great pleasure, on behalf of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
and the University of Leicester, to welcome you to the Second Annual Conference of
the Institute for Excellence in Healthcare. This year’s theme is “Embedding Research
into Clinical Practice” and brings together colleagues from our two organisations, our
clinical and academic partners, and the wider health and care community to share
knowledge, ideas, and inspire change.
Last year, we set out to establish the Institute as a joint endeavour; a place where the
strengths of a leading academic institution and a major NHS Trust could combine to
drive innovation, improvement, and evidence-based practice. This year, we are proud to
see that vision taking shape, thanks to the growing number of clinicians, academics,
and leaders who are embedding research into everyday care. Today’s programme will
highlight how our partnership is helping to build a vibrant research culture through:
- Developing Clinical Academic roles that bridge research and patient care.
- Launching our suite of Research Experience Programmes to give clinicians a first step into inquiry and evidence generation.
- Extending our Chief Nurse Fellows Programme to support more Nurses and Midwives in leading quality and research projects.
- Evaluating future opportunities to broaden the scope of the Institute for Excellence in Healthcare, including partnerships with other Universities and Trusts.
Together, we are committed to ensuring that research is not just produced, but
translated rapidly into better outcomes for our patients, our staff, and our
communities. We look forward to the discussions, collaborations, and ideas that will
emerge today, and to seeing how each of you will help shape the next chapter of our
shared research journey.
Agenda
8:30am Registration and refreshments
AM Plenary Chair: Clare Pheasant
9am – 9:30am Introduction and outline of work and strategy – Julie Hogg and David Wright
9:30am – 10am Keynote speaker 1 – Lisa Ledger – Growing, Embedding and Sustaining NMAHP Research – NIHR Updates
10am – 10:20am Keynote speaker 2 – Roxanne Crosby-Nwoabi
10:20am – 10:40am Keynote speaker 3 – Jennifer Syson – Integrating Clinical Research into Everyday Healthcare
10:40am – 11:15am Comfort break
11:15am – 11:45am Questions from the morning – Seth O’Neill, Lisa Ledger, Roxanne Crosby-Nwoabi, and Jennifer Syson
AM Oral Presentations Chair: Linzy Houchen-Wolloff
11:45am Oral presentation 1 – Emma Robery: Enhancing Patient Recovery through Early Mobility: Reducing Hospital Acquired Pressure Ulcers following Fractured Neck of Femur Injury
12pm Oral presentation 2 – Michael Reeve: Chief Nurse Fellow Senior HCA – My Journey
12:15pm Oral presentation 3 – Nicki Ruddock: REP Funding in Action – Here’s What I’m Up To
12:30pm Oral presentation 4 – Jennifer Jones: My Experience of being part of the Chief Nurse and Allied Healthcare Professional Fellowship 2024-2025 Intake
12:45pm Oral presentation 5 – Helen Fort: Acute Shoulder Clinic, UHL
1pm – 2pm Lunch and poster judging: People’s group favourite (online vote) and Steering Group’s favourite.
2pm – 2:40pm Workshop session one
Simultaneous workshop sessions
- Workshop 1 – Research Culture: Debi Bhattacharya and Dalvir Kandola (leads)
- Workshop 2 – Strategically Developing my Clinical-Academic Career: Joseph Manning (lead)
- Workshop 3 – Local and Regional Funding Opportunities – Top Tips for Application Success: Nigel Brunskill and Eleanor Meldrum/Clare Pheasant, Kate Westlake and Seth O’Neill (leads)
2:45pm – 3:30pm Workshop session two
3:30pm – 4pm Comfort break
PM Panel Compares: Ganesh Baliah and David Wright
4pm Panel
- What the IEH can offer you with Q&A – all Steering Committee members
- Prize giving for posters and oral presentations – presented by David Wright
4:30pm Finish and feedback forms
Workshops
Workshop 1: Shaping future career opportunities to grow research and achieve equity in healthcare
The Department of Health and Social Care has highlighted inequity in opportunities for
healthcare staff to contribute towards generating evidence for improving care provision.
This workshop will provide an overview of the key factors that are driving inequity. Participants will be organised into small groups and allocated a factor driving inequity, plus a range of theory and evidence-based potential solutions. Each group will be facilitated to select one or more solutions for their allocated factor and to design a local approach to address inequity.
Workshop 2: Strategically developing my clinical academic career
This workshop introduces delegates to the IDEAs Framework, a strategic tool for
developing integrated clinical academic careers. Through a mix of presentation, guided
reflection, and group discussion, participants explore four key domains: Influencers,
Drivers, Enablers, and Ambitions. They assess their own career journeys, identify strategic
priorities, and define actionable steps to advance their goals. The session fosters
personal insight, peer learning, and practical planning, empowering delegates to navigate their unique paths with clarity and purpose.
Workshop 3: Local and regional funding opportunities – top tips for application success
This workshop outlines relevant funding opportunities for healthcare professionals at a
local and regional level. You will hear from leaders of the schemes around the
practicalities of eligibility and how to apply. Alongside this, those who have benefitted
from funding will discuss top tips for application success.
Delegates may choose to attend two of the three workshops on offer, as two of the workshops will be held during simultaneous sessions.