A nurse at the James Paget University Hospital has published a report which aims to help hospitals develop research and midwifery teams.

Claire Whitehouse, who is lead nurse for research, wrote the report after completing a year-long project funded by the Florence Nightingale Foundation, which aims to advance the study of nursing and to promote excellence in practice.

The scholarship saw her visit 43 hospitals, healthcare organisations and government departments in the United Kingdom and Ireland to investigate research nursing and midwifery structures and strategies across adult, mental health, community, secondary care and paediatric services.

It has resulted in the publication of the Whitehouse Report, which contains the first model for developing clinical research nursing and midwifery teams.

The model is the first of its kind to describe a recommended process for developing a research nurse and midwife workforce.

She said: “It has been a fascinating but challenging project to be involved in,” said Claire. “Clinical research is the basis of so much continuous improvement in healthcare – so it is essential to have the right structures in place to maximise opportunities in this important field.

“My report has taken best practice from around the UK and the Republic of Ireland to come up with a model which can be adopted by hospitals to help their research efforts for the benefit of patients both now and in the future.”

The Florence Nightingale Foundation has been providing scholarships since 1929 to nurses and midwives so they can make a difference to patient care, policy and practice in their chosen fields. The Foundation’s principal focus is on improving health, clinical outcomes and patient experience, through building leadership capability and capacity.