kenthealth the first year 2011 - 2012
DESCRIPTION
The University of Kent's one-stop-shop for health and social care expertise in research, training, innovation, and partnerships with the regional NHS.TRANSCRIPT
KENTHEALTH/THE FIRST YEAR 2011-2012
THE UNIVERSITY OF KENT’S ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE EXPERTISE INRESEARCH, TRAINING, INNOVATIONAND PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE REGIONAL NHS
It’s amazing that KentHealth is already one yearold. It seems only yesterday that we held our launchevent with a keynote speech from Professor DameSally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer and ChiefScientific Adviser to the Department of Health.Nevertheless, we have made much progress over the last 12 months and this Annual Report forKentHealth 2011/12 highlights some of our keyactivities. It also acts as a portal to view what we do, and offers a single contact point for enquiriesabout how we collaborate with external agencies in developing new initiatives. I hope you enjoyreading it – and then look forward to the nextAnnual Report in another 12 months time!
Professor Peter Jeffries, Director, KentHealth
If you would like further details on any topic in this report, or would like to discuss any other project, please contact Professor Peter Jeffries at:
T: 01634 888938F: 01634 888890Email: [email protected]/health
1www.kent.ac.uk/health
INTRODUCTION
KentHealth is the vehicle that arose from anddelivers the University of Kent Health Strategy.
KentHealth was launched in March 2011 with the aim of establishing an agency withinthe University to oversee, co-ordinate andcommunicate all our health-related activities.This would enable us to increase ourcollaborative research activities with regionalhealthcare stakeholders and to expand ourpostgraduate training provision in healthcare.In the absence of a medical school in Kent and Medway, we wish to build a virtual facultyof clinicians and other healthcare professionalswith whom we work together to deliver high-quality academic health provision across theregion.
This publication reviews the progress we have made so far, including projects andactivities that are part of our vision to establisha Postgraduate Institute of Healthcare in Kent and Medway over the next five years. We have established good links with the Kent,Surrey and Sussex Deanery and also with a number of the regional NHS Trusts.
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We have also agreed to work collaborativelywith the other higher education institutions in Kent and Medway so that efficient andsustainable activities are fostered under the KentHealth umbrella.
In the last year, we have introduced a numberof postgraduate training programmes, eitherfrom scratch or by validating existing in-houseteaching activities within NHS organisations.We have also set up special interest groups in a variety of research topics to complementthose of the National Institute for HealthResearch Comprehensive Local ResearchNetwork (CLRN), and organised researchtraining events within local Trusts. We havealready hosted several conferences on health-related topics and provided pump-priming resources to establish new researchcollaborations. Details of these and more canbe found in the following pages of this Report.
To view the University of Kent Strategy forHealth, visit www.kent.ac.uk/health/strategy/
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NEWS
Universities join forces in Kentand MedwayTen senior academics from the University ofKent and Canterbury Christ Church University(CCCU) have agreed to collaborate in health-related research and innovation. The academics met to discuss theircomplementary activities, and key areas ofcommon strength, in which they could worktogether to develop a health research strategyfor Kent and Medway. This follows an earlieragreement by the two respective Vice-Chancellors to explore mutual interests inhealth research.
The collaboration will involve a series of jointworkshops and seminars in three cross-disciplinary subjects where both universitieshave strengths: Assistive Technologies;Learning Disabilities, Mental Health andDementia; and Physical Exercise as a HealthIntervention. In addition, the niche area ofspirituality and its role in wellbeing was alsochosen for development. Several one-to-onecollaborative projects are already in progress,but proactive collaboration will provide themulti-disciplinary teams essential for tacklingthe wider aspects of health research and tobid for larger-scale funding calls.
Professor Peter Jeffries, Director of KentHealthat the University of Kent, welcomed theagreement, saying: ‘This marks an importantstep in presenting a united front on the healthresearch agenda across Kent and Medway.We hope local Health Trusts will also come onboard in the near future to develop a cross-Kent strategy for health research.’
Professor Tony Lavender, Pro-Vice Chancellorand lead for Research and KnowledgeExchange at CCCU, added: ‘This is asignificant development and hopefully willfoster greater collaboration on health researchbetween the two universities. We wish to useour collaboration to further build our researchlinks with the Trusts and Research Networksacross Kent and Medway over the comingyears.’
Last year, KentHealth also joined colleagues atCCCU to co-host a workshop on ‘Partnershipand Collaboration: working together forresearch across the health economy’. Over 60 registrants came to hear Professor PeterMathieson (Dean of Medicine & Dentistry) and Dr David Langley (Head of Research &Enterprise Development) from the Universityof Bristol give a presentation similar to onethey had given to Universities UK members in 2010.
They described how they had set up BRIG-H(Bristol Research and Innovation Group for Health), a framework for researchcollaboration involving the two Bristol HEIs andthe six local NHS Trusts. The drivers for theirinitiative were the opportunities missed inworking with industry, in-house competition for bids, and recognition that the combinedknowledge and skills of the organisationswere a major resource to the benefit of all.
Once buy-in to collaboration for research wasachieved, there remained the challenge ofmaking it work, and we learned how the BRIG-H models of working developed, and howsuccessful initiatives had been fostered over
the last five years. A high-level seniormanagement group was created with the remit to make strategic decisions to take thecollaboration through its developmentalstages, and an operational group set up toidentify and build on research strengthsshared across the partners.
Since the workshop we have made greatprogress using this model. We have broughttogether the Kent and Medway Trusts, and we are working with the Kent and MedwayComprehensive Local Research Network, to identify research strengths and develop a research strategy.
The University of Kent and the University ofGreenwich already collaborate in researchthrough the jointly owned Medway School of Pharmacy. The School has built upsignificant research, for example in areas ofneuroscience, ion-channel biochemistry anddrug delivery. There is potential for furthercollaboration in other areas outside the Schoolof Pharmacy and initial discussions have been established. We are also involved indiscussions to ensure that Kent and Medwayare included in an Academic Health ScienceNetwork.
For details of BRIG-H, visithttp://bristol.ac.uk/fmd/brigh.html/
Public and private healthcareworking togetherThe Kent and Medway Care Alliance (KMCA,which supports the principles of self-directedcare by working in partnership with servicecommissioners, service providers, serviceusers and carers) recently joinedrepresentatives of Canterbury Christ ChurchUniversity, Kent County Council and theUniversity of Kent’s Centre for Health ServiceStudies for a KentHealth workshop, ‘WorkingTogether for Adult Health and Social Care’.
Professor Peter Jeffries of KentHealth said:‘Bringing private and public providers ofhealth and social care together to talk aboutcollaborative working is one of our key aims. I am very glad we were able to combineforces to facilitate this workshop.’
Among the key questions considered duringthe day were: Thinking and Working acrossBoundaries; Reconciling Safety, Risk andDignity; and Balancing Quality and QuantityModels, Structures and Frameworks.
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RESEARCH
Collaboration attracts fundingIn the last three years alone, the University of Kent has initiated over 50 health researchprojects, bringing in over £10m from 27funding bodies. Five schools across theUniversity have collaborated with externalpartners including East Kent HospitalsUniversity NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT),Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU)and the Kent and Medway NHS and SocialCare Partnership Trust.
Special interest groupsA number of special interest groups (SIGs)have been created to lead multi-disciplinaryresearch. SIGs in neurology, health and socialcare, and assistive technologies have alreadymet and we are now co-ordinating a telecaresub-group to develop a funding proposalaround remote problem-solving of telecare devices in the home. Others incardiology/stroke, e-health, infection control,renal medicine and service redesign areunder development.
The SIGs have been chosen to complementthose within the Kent and MedwayComprehensive Local Research Network(CLRN), which provides support for clinicaltrials and other studies in all areas of diseaseand clinical need.
Strengthening linksKentHealth has joined the board of the Kentand Medway CLRN to strengthen links andlast June we hosted a joint evening event forNHS Trust CEOs to promote the enhancedrecognition of research and innovation withinthe NHS.
With the same objective, we also haverepresentation on the EKHUFT Committee ofGovernors as well as on its R&D Committee,the Medway NHS Foundation Trust R&DCommittee, the Kent Public Health Board and the SHA-based Regional Research Co-ordination Committee (RRCC) andPartnership for Innovation Group.
Research ServicesKentHealth is also arranging for the extensionof the University of Kent’s Research Servicesactivities into the regional NHS PostgraduateCentres, to encourage new University-NHScollaborations. A programme of workshopshas been organised recently including:• Writing successful funding applications, a Grants Factory workshop at EKHUFT, led by Professor David Shemmings of theUniversity of Kent’s School of Social Policy,Sociology and Social Research
• Vacation placements in clinical researchteams in the NHS, led by Dr DavidWellstead of the University of Hertfordshire.This workshop was set up by Annette King,of the National Institute for Health Research(NIHR) Research Design Services SouthEast (see p12). A successful studentplacement was completed in the RenalDepartment at EKHUFT over the summervacation period and the Trust andKentHealth have agreed to fund two furthervacation placements in summer 2012.
Galvanic stimulation benefitsstroke victimsJoint research between the University of Kentand East Kent Hospitals University NHSFoundation Trust (EKHUFT) has led to a newtreatment which is already benefiting strokevictims.
After a stroke, about a quarter of patients canexperience hemi-spatial neglect, a disorderthat causes them to ignore one half of whatthey might be expected to see. They may, forinstance, eat food on only one side of theirplate, fail to notice people standing on theaffected side and, if asked to draw a simpleflower, only recreate half of one; men mayeven only shave one side of their face.
Everyday life becomes extremely difficult:sufferers can walk into objects, and driving a car is impossible. These are not the onlysymptoms, Dr David Wilkinson, SeniorLecturer in Psychology at the University ofKent and Chief Study Investigator, explained:‘There is an underlying lack of personalawareness in patients, who will deny they havethe condition. This means it is difficult for themto make full use of rehabilitation services, so it is a predictor of long-term disability.’
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It is believed that the condition is caused byareas of the temporal lobe being damaged –the area where visual information and spatialawareness is processed to give a 3D image ofour surroundings. As medical advances meanthat more people now survive strokes, thenumber of patients with hemi-spatial neglect is increasing.
Now, in a study funded by the MedicalResearch Council, patients are being treatedby galvanic vestibular stimulation – smallelectrical currents passed through the scalpthat stimulate the damaged nerve pathwaysbut are too tiny to cause discomfort.
Dr Wilkinson explained: ‘We know from brainimaging studies of healthy people that thesecurrents increase the blood flow to areasbeing treated, so the logical suggestion wasthat it should also be tried on damaged areasto see if it had the same effect.
‘After an initial trial several years ago that gavevery good results, we began a double blindtrial in July 2011, to run for 18 months andinvolving 20-25 people. Everyone gets somekind of treatment, and early indications showthat the treatment can lead to long-termrecovery, as we are delighted to say that mostpeople seem to be improving.’
The £310,000 MRC grant is the first of its kind for East Kent Hospitals University NHSFoundation Trust. Dr Mohamed Sakel, Directorof Neurorehabilitation and Research andDevelopment for EKHUFT, and Dr Wilkinsonhave been working on this non-invasive formof peripheral nerve stimulation for severalyears. A randomised controlled trial of thisnew treatment has led to much positivenational media attention. This createdexcitement within the Hospital Trust and washighlighted at the EKHUFT CEO Forum. Someof the television coverage has been put on the EKHUFT and YouTube websites – seewww.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/news
So far, four publications and a presentation inthe World Congress of Neurology has resultedfrom this collaboration, and a programmegrant is the next aim of the project.
Innovation in assistivetechnologies Headline findings of the Whole SystemsDemonstrator Programme on telehealth andtelecare, released in December 2011, showedthat, if correctly used, telehealth can lead to a45% reduction in mortality rates. It can alsodeliver a 15% reduction in A&E visits, a 20%reduction in emergency admissions, a 14%reduction in bed days and an 8% reduction in tariff costs. Kent was one of the pilot sitesfor this programme and the county hasestablished a national lead in assistivetechnologies.
The University of Kent is a source ofexcellence in all areas of this exciting newfield of health care, working on technologicalinnovation and development, therapeuticevaluation and the integration of data intodecision support frameworks for healthpractitioners. This research involves many of the University’s Schools and Faculties; in addition, we have developed strong,productive links with hospitals and theirconsultants and with industrial telecarecompanies. We strongly believe that theselinks are essential to excellence andinnovation.
RESEARCH
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The numerous developments include devicesfor remote patient monitoring, miniaturewearable tracking devices, medicalelectronics and hacker-proof wireless systems(a snapshot of our work follows). TheUniversity also has academic experts on all users of telehealth, such as the elderly,mentally ill and those with learning disabilities.
• Telesupport for patients using electronicassistive technology This extends current work on basicemergency communication and simplephysiological monitoring into the area ofelectronic assistive technology. This willhelp support remote set-up, updating, fault-finding and training, anticipateproblems and increase efficiency inspecific interventions.
• Security in telehealth applicationsWhen dealing with vulnerable individuals,especially through remote managementand monitoring, biometrics can ensure theirsecurity, preventing physical or virtual (eg,through the internet) intrusion. We are alsoextending this research to the transfer ofdata between health professionals.
• Teletherapy in speech and languagesupport Previous work in the School of Engineeringand Digital Arts has developed clinicalinstrumentation for speech and languagetherapy, including the LinguaGraphelectropalatography system, which displaystongue-palate contacts during speech. This has subsequently been modified as a home-use system, LinguaView.
• Assessment and monitoring of neurologicaldeficitsWe have pioneered the automatedprocessing of handwriting and drawing to assist the study of conditions such asvisuo-spatial neglect in post-stroke patientsand developmental co-ordination disorder.We are currently investigating whether thismay also be relevant to the support ofAlzheimer’s patients.
• Image analysis in conventional medicaldiagnostics The remote viewing of medical images canbe used in ambulance service diagnosticsand clinical consultations via telecare. Wehave already worked on the processing oftwo-dimensional echocardiograms anddetection of masses in mammography, andare now investigating improved processingpower by developing novel processingarchitectures for high-performanceclassification based on flexible intelligentagent structures.
• Medical electronics and embedded systemsThis includes the use of sensors to analysegait, useful in the design of prostheses, andfor the prevention of ulcers in patients withdiabetes. These techniques can also beused to identify onset of Alzheimer’sdisease.
• Sensor communicationThe research of the Broadband andWireless Communication Group into antennasystems and wireless networks has drawnrecognition at the highest levels, includingmention in the House of Lords of the group’swork on a wearable button antenna.
• The built environmentWe are currently working with ThomasPocklington Trust, the leading UK provider of housing, care and support services forpeople with sight loss, to evaluate the use oftelecare at Pocklington Rise residential unitfor sight-impaired individuals in Plymouth.The University of Kent’s School ofArchitecture is perfectly placed tocollaborate with the School of Engineeringand Digital Arts on designing the builtenvironment to support telecare technology.
• Ethics A number of Kent Law School staff haveinterests in the area of ethics and the lawrelating to assistive technologies, including:teleneurology, specifically looking at theethics of devolving responsibility fromclinicians to family and carer; privacy andsurveillance; issues of autonomy; andmedical data security.
Dementia diagnosis and care Experts at the University of Kent areresearching many aspects of dementia,including those at the Centre for Health ServiceStudies (CHSS), the Tizard Centre, and theSchools of Psychology, Biosciences, andSocial Policy, Sociology and Social Research.Current research topics include:
• MRI scans and types of dementiaProfessor Alan Colchester, HonoraryProfessor in the School of Biosciences, isworking on an EKHUFT-funded project onstructural and computer analysis in clinicalMRI scans to distinguish types of dementia:sporadic CJD, variant CJD and non-variantdementia can be distinguished with highspecificity and sensitivity. Also, Dr Ali Hojjat(Honorary Lecturer in Computing) has aproject on tracking brain nerve fibres usingdiffusion-weighted MRI. Loss of neuralconnectivity in the brain is associated withcognitive neurodegenerative disorders, and
diffusion tensor imaging can detectchanges at an early stage.
• Collaborative care for people with dementiain primary care (CARE-DEM)Professor Simon Coulton of CHSS isinvolved in this multi-centre study to designand evaluate an integrated care model formanaging dementia. He was also involvedin the trial of Memantine in the managementof agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s.There are also a number of studiesbetween CHSS and Pilgrims Hospicesregarding end-of-life services.
• Caring for older people with dementiaDr Rachel Forrester-Jones of the TizardCentre has worked on the needs of olderpeople with learning disabilities and mentalhealth difficulties for Medway Age ConcernGroups. Professor Mike Calnan of theSchool of Social Policy, Sociology andSocial Research has completed an NIHR-funded ethnographic study on dignity inpractice and the care of older people infour acute trusts in England and Wales,which showed dementia and confusion was very prevalent and posed significantproblems for staff.
Health benefits of silver song clubs Can singing groups for older people improvetheir physical and mental health comparedwith usual group activities? What effect doessinging have on anxiety levels anddepression? And could such activities provemore cost-effective in terms of health carethan usual group activities?
A new project to evaluate so-called ‘silversong clubs’ has been undertaken by theCentre for Health Service Studies (CHSS) incollaboration with Eastern and Coastal KentPrimary Care Trust and Canterbury ChristChurch University under the NIHR Researchfor Patient Benefit scheme. CHSS DeputyDirector and Professor of Health ServicesResearch Simon Coulton is a principalinvestigator and has designed the project.
He explains: ‘Previous studies have found thatsinging with others can help older people tophysical, psychological, social and cognitivewellbeing, However, there is little documentedevidence of how much improvement in healthis a result of participation in community musicprogrammes. This will also be the first study toinvestigate the cost-effectiveness of groupsinging for older people as a form of healthpromotion.’
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130 records of PhD research projects thatform the mainstay of the work of currentstudents at the University.
Project topics such as ‘Computer-aideddiagnosis of mammography images’ through‘Enhancing supply chain management ofblood donation services’ to ‘The embodiedexperience of sight loss in old age’ representstudies into the full spectrum of the carepathway, ranging from acute treatment to carehome provision.
Many of the projects have healthcareprofessionals as joint supervisors from outsidethe University to bring a professional or clinicaldimension, including several within East KentHospitals University NHS Foundation Trust andMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. Wealso collaborate with our partner universitiesand have co-supervisors from both Greenwichand Canterbury Christ Church University. Theresearch that PhD students conduct is vital tosustain our research profile, and PhD projectsoften provide the seed material for follow-onapplications to medical funding bodies formore extensive research grants.
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“I am currently in the first year of myPhD at the University of Kent’s Centrefor Sports Studies under the supervisionof Dr James Hopker. I am working incollaboration with Medway NHSFoundation Trust on a long-term project:‘The pre-operative effects of exercise andtraining on post-surgical outcome invascular and cancer patients’.
“I have been working closely withpatients, surgeons, anaesthetists andnurses to promote this research and toset up a new cardiopulmonary exerciseservice at the hospital, allowinganaesthetists to assess patients’suitability for surgery. Being a part of this health-related research at Kenthas allowed me to perform beyond myexpectations and liaise with manyfascinating people.”
Katharine RichardsonKentHealth PhD scholarship awardee
Additionally, Professor Mühlschlegel, who co-chairs the Trust’s Antimicrobial Stewardshipcommittee, has published extensively on adrug-discovery programme that characterisesa new class of antifungal agents. Heexplained: ‘The management of fungalinfections has undergone a profound change.Several new agents are now available andinternational expert panels have released newguidelines on how to treat fungal infections.Some agents are very cost-intensive. Togetherwith my antimicrobial pharmacist colleagues,we are actively researching this issue anddeveloping a leading programme in antifungalstewardship that aims to improve outcome.’
Professor Mühlschlegel is on the editorialboard of several mycology and microbiologyjournals, has contributed to referencemycology text books, organised mycologyconferences and has been invited to speakacross the globe. He comments: ‘I feelextremely honoured to share my expertise and have been invited to give a seminar atDartmouth Medical School, a member of theAmerican Ivy League, in June this year.’
For further details, see:www.kent.ac.uk/bio/kfg/publications.html
PhD students are life-blood ofhealth research Although we do not have a Faculty of Health,there are a large number of PhD studentsworking across the University of Kent in avariety of health-related environments. Most ofour Centres and Schools are represented inour KentHealth database, which holds over
RESEARCH
Professor Grenville Hancox, Director of Musicat Canterbury Christ Church University said:‘The Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health recently found benefits in anevaluation of silver song clubs for olderpeople. We hope this new study providessound evidence for people who commissionservices.’
Research profile: ProfessorFriedrich MühlschlegelImproving outcomes for deep-seated fungalinfectionProfessor Friedrich Mühlschlegel (right) holdsan Honorary Chair at the University of Kentand is internationally recognised as a leadingexpert in mycology. His research focuses onhow fungi such as C. albicans cause disease,and his recent work in particular is recognisedto be of fundamental importance in theunderstanding of fungal biofilms and medicaldevice-associated infections.
Professor Mühlschlegel is also Consultant andHead of Service in the East Kent HospitalsUniversity NHS Foundation Trust’s ClinicalMicrobiology Service and, together with hiscolleagues from Neonatal Intensive Care andHead and Neck Surgery, he aims to translatethese findings into improvements for patientcare.
Deep-seated fungal infection caused by yeastspecies including Candida albicans, orinvasive aspergillosis caused by Aspergillusfumigatus, are associated with high morbidityand mortality rates. Notably more than 40% ofblood-stream infections caused by Candidaspecies are found in intensive or high-dependency units. In addition, increasingnumbers of medical device-related infectionsare caused by C. albicans.
Professor Mühlschlegel explained: ‘Surgicalvoice restoration prostheses, implanted incancer patients following laryngectomy, oftenfail because of Candida infection. Togetherwith my Consultant colleagues from Head and Neck Surgery and the Macmillan cancernurses, we are actively working on thisproblem and designing a patient carepathway that aims to improve outcome.’
INNOVATION AND ENTERPRISE
The University ofKent’s dedicatedbusiness developmentunit, Kent Innovationand Enterprise, builds strong linksbetween research andbusiness, to develop,support and create innovative projects and enterprisingpartnerships. It works with a range of business partnersincluding start-ups and academic spin-outs,local and regional companies, multinationalsand public, private and third sectororganisations.
The department actively works with NHSorganisations and a number of Trusts withinthe region, and funding is available for some partnership working – for example,Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) can support a range of health activities.
KTP is a UK-wide programme enablingorganisations to improve theircompetitiveness, productivity andperformance. Successful national KTPprogrammes in health have, for example,included the development of structuredsystems for performance management andevaluating change in service delivery. Inaddition to Technology Strategy Board-fundingfor health-related KTP projects, three researchcouncils also provide funding support: theMedical Research Council (MRC), theBiotechnology and Biological SciencesResearch Council (BBSRC) and the Economicand Social Research Council (ESRC).
Some of our successes, and proposalscurrently being investigated include:
Identifying lung and heartdisordersThe University of Kent’s Centre for SportStudies has secured a contract to carry outcardio-pulmonary exercise (CPX) testing ofpatients referred by Medway NHS FoundationTrust over the next five years. CPX testingconsists of analysing the responses of thecardio-respiratory, circulatory and metabolicsystems of referred patients against a rampexercise protocol. It is used in theidentification of lung and heart disorders and exercise capacity.
Developing telecare
The ICE-T (International Centre of Excellence forTelecare) has been developed by the South EastHealth Technology Alliance (SEHTA) to supportorganisations developing business opportunitiesfor telecare, while also meeting the needs ofnational government agendas to provide moreefficient and effective healthcare using newcommunications technologies.
Kent Innovation and Enterprise has beeninvolved in a number of projects that you mayhave already read about in this Annual Report.These include the development of softwareenabling care home residents to stay in touchwith their families via Facebook, texts, emailsand an online social network, and a projectaddressing the issues of data security.
Mechanisms of diseaseThe MRC and AstraZeneca have asked forproposals to research human mechanisms of disease and the development of potentialtherapeutic interventions. The University’sSchool of Biosciences has put forward threeproposals, and the Medway School ofPharmacy has also submitted a proposal.
The School of Biosciences has also seen anapplication to the MRC Developmental PathwayFunding Scheme go through from initial outlineto full application.
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EDUCATION AND TRAINING
New framework for specialistMasters programmesKentHealth has been instrumental in helping to reconfigure the University of Kent’s existingpostgraduate training provision so that it is fitfor purpose in the rapidly changing healthcareenvironment. We have assisted the University’sCentre for Professional Practice to develop ageneric framework for University-led trainingfor PG qualifications in work-based disciplines.The Centre provides a generic core ofmodules in Advanced and SpecialistHealthcare which are then supplemented byspecialist modules contracted from NHS staffto provide the subject-specific elements tolead to a Master’s degree.
This framework has initially been used toredesign our previous courses in SurgicalPractice and in Supportive & Palliative Care,and to develop a new programme in MinimallyInvasive Surgery with Maidstone & TunbridgeWells NHS Trust IMACS Centre (see below).However, now that a sustainable and cost-effective framework is in place, we are keen tofind partners who wish to develop training inother higher specialist subjects such asgynaecology, cardiology, orthopaedics andneurology.
For further details, visitwww.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgrad/
Centre for Professional PracticeBased at the Universities of Medway Campus,the University of Kent’s Centre for ProfessionalPractice delivers vocationally relevant coursesacross Kent and the Thames Gateway,including a portfolio of programmes relevantto healthcare professionals. Many students areattracted because they can bring to theirstudies existing knowledge and skills, whichhave been acquired throughout theirprofessional and personal lives. Programmesbegin by building upon the wealth of work-related experience the students possess and,where possible, accredit it. This means thatstudents do not have to re-learn what theyalready know, and this can cut down the timespent studying. Working people are oftenapprehensive about returning to study. This isparticularly true when they haven’t learned forsome time and wonder if they will be able tocomplete their study while juggling a busylifestyle. Staff at the Centre understand theseconcerns, and provide work-based learningmentors who are able to support students atvarious stages throughout their studies.
In addition to the Master’s programme inAdvanced and Specialist Healthcare (see left),the Centre also validates and contributes toseveral programmes in Primary Dental Care.
IMACS Centre
The International Minimal Access Centre for Surgery (IMACS, right)at Maidstone Hospital allows surgeons from across the world tolearn advanced techniques in laparoscopic surgery, and keyholeoperations are broadcast from a state-of-the-art Endo-Alphaoperating theatre within the hospital.
Professor Amir Nisar, the Director of IMACS, travels to othercountries in Europe and Asia to teach and train surgeons and toshare the skills and techniques developed in Maidstone andTunbridge Wells Hospitals. Partnerships are in place with leadingcentres in America, South Africa and Hong Kong.
IMACS facilities include a brand new 180-seat auditorium, high-definition links, operations skills lab and lecture rooms with state-of-the art AV facilities.
The introduction of the unique Master’s degree in Minimally InvasiveSurgery marked the beginning of a new relationship between theUniversity of Kent and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust,
Courses include:
HealthcarePGCert Advanced and Specialist HealthcarePGDip Advanced and Specialist HealthcareMSc Advanced and Specialist Healthcare
Each programme contains a number of coremodules, but enables students to also takespecialist modules in either Surgical Practice,Minimally Invasive Surgery or Supportive andPalliative Care.
DentistryPGCert Primary Dental CarePGDip Primary Dental CareMSc Primary Dental Care
All these programmes are taught incollaboration with the Faculty of GeneralDental Practice and with the KSS Deanery.The University validates the contribution of the partner organisations to ensure that theprogramme is fully compliant with therequirements of the award of a University of Kent degree at postgraduate level.
Professional PracticeMA/MSc Professional Practice
For more information, visit:www.kent.ac.uk/cpp/
with a commitment on both sides to develop professionalhealthcare education in Kent and to share skills, knowledge,facilities and research findings, with the ultimate aim of improvingstandards of healthcare.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Chief Executive GlennDouglas said: ‘Developments in minimally invasive surgery at theTrust are of local, national and international importance.
‘Our partnership with the University of Kent is a sign of the skillswe have at the Trust, and an indication of the standards we areaspiring to achieve within the NHS for our staff and patients alike.We are a county that can be proud of its academic achievementsand advances in patient care.’
For further details, visit http://www.imacs.org.uk/
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ACADEMIC ACCREDITATION
Academic accreditation ofexisting postgraduate training in healthcareRather than establishing new courses in areaswhere appropriate training already exists,KentHealth is working closely with regionalNHS Trusts to consolidate or develop their in-house training, mapping it onto a Universitycredit framework for taught programmes.
This is carried out in collaboration with theUniversity of Kent’s Quality Assurance andValidation Office, which has extensiveexperience and resources to help partnerorganisations through the process. TheOffice’s comprehensive code of practicecovers all aspects of running a course,including the level of information available forstudents – from timetabling to examinationconventions, requirements for monitoringcourses and student progress – and guidancefor examiners.
We have already collaborated with the Kent,Surrey and Sussex Deanery, helping todevelop its existing provision for GP trainerswhich is now validated as a PostgraduateCertificate in Strategic Leadership andMedical Education (see right). We have alsovalidated a Postgraduate Certificate in PrimaryDental Care for both the KSS Deanery and the
Faculty of General Dental Practice. Over 60postgraduate students have registered in 2012.KentHealth liaised with the University’s Centrefor Sports Studies, Centre for ProfessionalPractice, and the Quality Assurance andValidation Office to set up these courses; theagreement is now validated under aMemorandum Of Understanding which clearlyoutlines the responsibilities of the two partners.
A similar model has been used to agree acollaborative provision arrangement with KentCommunity Health NHS Trust to develop aPostgraduate Certificate pathway for Trust staff. Students can now register on an initial 20-credit module on Woundcare Managementand further modules in Palliative Care andTherapeutics are in the pipeline.
NHS Postgraduate Deanery for Kent, Surrey and SussexThe NHS Postgraduate Deanery for Kent,Surrey and Sussex (KSSD) co-ordinates thedelivery and funding of postgraduate medicaland dental education in Kent, Surrey andSussex. Within KSSD, the Department ofPostgraduate General Practice Educationcovers the suburban and rural coastal areas of Kent, Surrey and Sussex and is responsiblefor the health of 3,200,000 people.
A main activity is the recruitment of doctors to GP speciality training and the qualityassurance of that training in both hospitalrotations and GP placements.
Professor Abdol Tavabie, Postgraduate GPDean and Deputy Dean Director at KSSD,explained the background to the introductionof the Postgraduate Certificate for GPeducators: ‘The General Medical Council andRoyal College of General Practitioners havelaid down standards for medical educators,moving to increased professionalisation of theteaching role with the gaining of an academicaward. It was therefore most timely for KSSDto offer this qualification.
‘It was also logical to work with KentHealth todevelop the award: based on the Medwaycampus and working in partnership with otherhigher education providers in the region,KentHealth delivers postgraduate educationand training courses across Kent and theThames Gateway. It has expertise insupporting professionals as they work byproviding programmes leading to skills andqualifications which enhance theirprofessional development.’
For more details, see http://kssdeanery.org/
12 KentHealth / The First Year 2011-2012
CHANGES TO CENTRE FORHEALTH SERVICE STUDIES
University strengthens CHSSThe University of Kent’s Centre for HealthService Studies (CHSS), a research unit of theUniversity’s School of Social Policy, Sociologyand Social Research (SSPSSR), undertakescommissioned research and has a portfolio ofcompetitively funded studies. It has a history of forming collaborative partnerships withservice users, professionals and policy-makersin health and social care nationally andinternationally to undertake research which is theoretically and empirically grounded.
The Centre is now entering an exciting newphase and, after a comprehensive reviewconducted by a panel of both University and external members, will be investing in anumber of new appointments (see opposite).These include a new director, ProfessorStephen Peckham, who joins CHSS in summer2012 from the London School of Hygiene andTropical Medicine. In particular, the Centre will be increasing its expertise in the areas of health economics and biostatistics, and themanagement of large-scale data sets, alltopics key to health service systems research.
This expansion will allow CHSS to enhance itsreputation for providing high-quality appliedmulti-disciplinary research across the healthspectrum. This reputation is alreadyaugmented by its attachment to SSPSSR,which was given the top rating of 5 in the lastResearch Assessment Exercise. By offering arange of research and evaluation approachesincluding clinical trials, surveys and qualitativeperspectives, CHSS is one of the mostexperienced and methodologically-focusedresearch centres in the local health economy.
CHSS’s main business is research anddevelopment activity, and it has a long-standingtrack record of applied, multi-method researchin a range of health-related areas. With itsmulti-disciplinary background, CHSS has beenable to attract a diverse range of researchgrants from local, national and internationalfunding bodies including Kent County Council,NIHR Research for Patient Benefit, NIHR HealthTechnology Assessment, NIHR Public Health
Research, Medical Research Council,Department of Health, Royal College ofPhysicians and EU Framework Programme.Activity focuses on vulnerable groups and thegeneration of an evidence base for healthimprovement; subject areas include olderpeople, addictive behaviour, palliative care,teenage pregnancy, ethnic groups andadolescent health. Over the past five years,staff have been involved in almost 80 researchprojects and generated £5 million in researchincome for the University. In 2009, CHSSappointed Professor Simon Coulton and, sincethen, profitable trials activity and opportunitiesto collaborate with new partners haveincreased.
In 2008, CHSS was awarded a contract by the Department of Health to run one of ten National Institute for Health Research,Research Design Services (see below).Providing assistance in acquiring NIHRfunding is integral to CHSS, but it also givescomprehensive help across all fundingsources.Through its teaching programme, theCentre also shares its expertise, with coursescovering health services research, substancemisuse management and short courses onresearch skills.
NIHR RDS South East ServiceCHSS and the Universities of Surrey andBrighton were awarded over £5m by theNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)to run one of ten Research Design Services,providing research support services for fiveyears to the NHS in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
Bridget Carpenter, Co-Director Business at the NIHR RDS-SE, explained: ‘The ResearchDesign Service South East provides anaccessible one-stop-shop for researchers inthe region seeking to improve patient carethrough research. It provides expert advice to local academics, NHS staff and others
involved in health-related research, covering all aspects of preparing grant applications forapplied research in health and social care,including statistics, quantitative and qualitativeresearch techniques, clinical trials, evidencesynthesis, health economics, epidemiology,public and patient involvement, ethics andgovernance.’
As well as workshops, help comes in the formof one-to-one advice and assistance. JennyBillings, Acting Director of CHSS, added: ‘Our wide-ranging pool of academic expertiseensures that research bids are of the highestquality.’
The RDS in particular is able to helpresearchers to ensure that the NIHRrequirement for patient and public involvementin research is developed – research ‘with’ or‘by’ people who use health services, ratherthan ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. The NIHRencourages patients and the public to beactively involved in all NIHR-funded health and social care research; the key stages are:• Set research priorities• Identify the important questions that healthand social care research needs to answer
• Give their views on research proposalsalongside clinicians, methodologists,scientists, and public health and otherprofessionals
• Help assess proposals for funding• Take part in clinical trials and other healthand social care research studies, not just as subjects but as active partners in theresearch process
• Publicise the results.
Recent successful bids the RDS has helpedwith include a project designed to improve theconfidence and skills of teachers and parentsof children with physical difficulties who havepostural care needs. Previous research hadrevealed that lack of knowledge andconfidence in providing postural care canhinder therapeutic goals, affecting children’sposture, function and wellbeing. Parents andschool staff will be given training sessions toincrease their understanding of postural care,with one-to-one support from physiotherapistsand occupational therapists, in a programme tobe rolled out across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
NEW HEALTH EXPERTS
University makes significantinvestment in new health expertsOver the last two years, the University of Kenthas recruited over ten new academic staff who specialise in healthcare research. Theserange from computer scientists, through social care experts, to virologists andpharmacologists. They are eager to engagewith regional healthcare professionals and wehave gathered the brief details of some ofthem together with their contact information.
David BrownProfessor of Structural Biology
‘Together with three other ex-colleagues from Pfizer, I shall be expanding on previousresearch links with the University by launchinga new start-up company, Cangenix, from the Canterbury campus. This is a contractresearch organisation that offerscrystallography and biophysics services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. I will also be developing my own researchprogramme as an academic and supportingongoing research in the department withadditional Structural Biology capabilities in the Biosciences department.’
Janet Krska Professor of Clinical and ProfessionalPractice, Medway School of Pharmacy
‘My research centres on community pharmacypublic health services, adverse drug reactionsand medicines optimisation. I am investigatinglinks between public health policy andpractice in community pharmacy, the public’sviews on these services, and evaluatingpharmacy interventions about safe alcoholconsumption. Other work explores howpatients identify adverse drug reactions,reducing medicines-related risks onadmission to hospital, and the impact of long-term medicines use on quality of life. A newproject will explore use of medicines forbehaviour control in nursing homes.’
Dr Caroline LiLecturer, School of Computing
‘My main area of research is in brain signalprocessing and its applications, includingEEG-based biomarker discovery for braindiseases, neurofeedback applications formedical and sport applications and the brain-computer interface. Also I am working onsignal processing methods, including adaptive filtering, time-frequency analysis
methods and machine learning methods forpattern classification. The research aims topromote the application in public life-longhealth, wellbeing and healthcare.’
Professor Samuele MarcoraResearch Director, Centre for Sports Studies
‘My study on the effects of mental fatigue on perception of effort and endurancereceived worldwide media attention. Bystudying the neurophysiology of perception ofeffort in healthy humans, I hope to provide abasis for future clinical studies on why patientswith, for example, cancer, rheumatoid arthritisand chronic kidney disease, have anabnormally high perception of effort duringactivities of daily life. I have also published on muscle wasting in chronic diseases,chemotherapy-related fatigue in breast cancer,fatigue in chronic kidney disease, and effectsof progressive resistance exercise training inpatients with prostate cancer.’
Martin MichaelisProfessor of Cell Biology, School of Biosciences
‘I have studied the actions of a broad range of different drugs in models from the fields of oncology, virology, angiogenesis, andimmunology. A central research focus is theinvestigation of drug-resistant cancer cells inorder to understand the underlying resistancemechanisms, to identify markers that predictthe drug resistance status of cancer cells, and to determine therapeutic targets.’
Dr Jeremy RossmanLecturer in Virology
‘I received my PhD in emerging infectiousdiseases at the Uniformed Services Universityin the USA and then completed a postdoctoralfellowship with the Howard Hughes MedicalInstitute at Northwestern University. Mylaboratory is currently investigating thefunctions of influenza virus morphology usingadvanced microscopic methodology.’
Dr Mark ShepherdLecturer in Microbial Biochemistry
‘I have a long term interest in bacterial haembiosynthesis, but have recently focused onnitric oxide stress in Campylobacter and
uropathogenic E. coli. Other interests includephotodynamic inactiviation as a strategy tocombat antibiotic-resistant bacteria.’
Yuri UshkaryovProfessor of Biological Sciences, Medway School of Pharmacy
‘My laboratory is investigating how presynapticreceptors and trans-synaptic interactionsregulate presynaptic Ca2+ andneurotransmitter secretion. The team hasdiscovered latrophilin, an unusual adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor, which controlsneurotransmitter release. Recently, we alsodiscovered an endogenous ligand oflatrophilin, a large postsynaptic receptor,Lasso/teneurin-2. Lasso interacts withlatrophilin across the synaptic cleft, and thislink is important for functional maturation ofsynapses. Both proteins have been stronglyimplicated in the same group ofneuropsychiatric disorders.’
Dr Scott WildmanSenior Lecturer in Biological Sciences, Medway School of Pharmacy
‘My research focus is urinary systemphysiology (the nature and regulation ofepithelial transport processes along thenephron, which has been extended to includeepithelial cell function in the urinary bladder), a poorly represented area of basic and applied research, especially in the UK.’
Dr Wei-Feng XueLecturer in Chemical Biology, School of Biosciences
‘My research interests include supramolecularprotein assembly, protein folding/misfolding,and amyloid disease/function. Manydevastating human diseases such asAlzheimer’s, Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD),Huntington’s and Parkinson’s are linked to theway amyloid structures are assembled anddeposited in the human body. However,amyloid fibrils can also occupy importantfunctional roles, and they are incredibly strongand stable, having potential as engineerednanomaterials. My aim is to understand theirassembly and nano-scale properties, and howamyloid behaves in disease and in a functionalcontext.’
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