The Allied Health Professions department undertakes applied research that will impact upon clinical practice and healthcare workforce development. Our research is conducted through collaboration between clinical, educational and research experts from across the allied health professions and from within the wider health and social care community.

Our researchers work closely with other health and social care researchers within the soon to be launched Applied Health and Social Care Research Centre, which has three primary objectives:

1. To support healthy populations and communities
2. To transform the health and social care workforce
3. To enhance the health and wellbeing of individuals

The Centre has four well-established primary themes within which our researchers work:

• Maternal, child and family health and care
• Ageing and long-term conditions
• Health and social care workforce
• Technology, data and digital innovations

Examples of our current research projects include innovations in cancer therapies, including the influence of exercise in patients with prostate cancer and new innovations in breast cancer radiotherapy treatment. 

Other programmes are focussed on improving the quality of life for people living with long-term conditions such as stroke or osteo-arthritis; for example our researchers are investigating the use of power-assisted exercise and external devices to support their recovery.

Our researchers also lead a wide number of projects related to innovations in the healthcare workforce and supporting new ways of working to respond to changing health and social care needs. Recent projects have included investigating why healthcare staff may leave the NHS, and how gender and diversity issues may impact on allied health professionals.