We're dedicated to improving the health and well-being of people through innovative nursing and midwifery research. We are responsive to the ever-changing culture of health and society. We deliver real-world impact, improving the way professionals deliver care and transform lives of service users and carers at every stage of life.

Our research is interdisciplinary and carried out in collaboration with clinical partners and healthcare organisations. 

Our research is applied, helping to inform policy, clinical guidelines and practice and education, improve healthcare professionals' practice and provide better health and social care in the UK and internationally. 

Our research groups

We have four key research groups. Each provides a focus for research excellence in a strategic research area, drawing together researchers from across our three health and social care departments, the wider institution, and forging collaborations with partners locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

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

Maternal, child and family health and social care

Professor Hora Soltani is leading maternal and infant health research with significant and high impact outputs, some of which have been far reaching and embraced worldwide. A collaboration with King's College London, University of Warwick and the National University of Ireland, Galway, has focussed on the evaluation of models of maternity care with evidence of midwife life continuity of care (MLCC) reducing adverse outcomes and enhancing maternal satisfaction during pregnancy and birth. The work has influenced maternity policy and practice development at the national and international levels. This has specifically underpinned the World Health Organisation antenatal and intrapartum guidance.

Additionally, through an EU funded project, the research team demonstrated the value and feasibility of the MLCC model along with maternity peer supporters (MPS) in three European countries (UK, Greece and the Netherlands), highlighting the crucial roles played by MPS's with impacts best described in human and social capital terms. Consolidated work in our region points to evidence of community networking, community building and sustainability in the continuing activities of the MPS's. These care models are therefore implemented to reduce health inequalities among communities from marginalised and deprived backgrounds. 

Health and social care organisation and workforce

Our research on HIV nursing roles has driven extensive development of the HIV nursing workforce and substantial increases in advanced nursing contributions to HIV healthcare provision. It generated several workforce development and specialist training initiatives which has stimulated multiple quality improvements in HIV services to the benefit of people living with HIV in the UK, and particularly those with multiple psychosocial difficulties and complex needs.

The Applied Health and Social Care Research Centre

The soon to be launched Applied Health and Social Care Research Centre embraces inter-disciplinary research across the three academic health and social departments (Nursing and Midwifery, Allied Health Professionals and Social Work and Social Care and Community Studies), with a shared vision to "deliver world-leading applied research in health and social care which impacts individuals, communities, populations and the health and social care workforce."

The Centre is innovative in its creation and dissemination of knowledge to support healthy populations and communities, to transform and health and social care workforce and to enhance the health and wellbeing of individuals. In doing so, we aim to transform the lives of our students and the health economy.