A new research study will be conducted by Oxford Brookes University to investigate the strain on NHS staff working amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study, lasting for 18 months, will survey and interview staff from across health and care who have been involved directly in the delivery of care for COVID patients, and is being backed by the Economic and Social Research Council.
An enormous effort has been required by NHS staff to cope with the increased pressure on the healthcare system and the study aims to find out the long-term effects of the past year. Once complete, the study hopes to use its findings to provide future guidance for the NHS and wider system.
Oxford Brookes are now asking for NHS staff to register for the online survey. If you have been directly involved in the delivery of care for COVID patients, or you were managing COVID-19 teams and wards or high dependancy units, they would like to invite you to participate. The organisation will be providing an incentive for people providing their time.
Professor of Psychology, Vincent Connelly, from Oxford Brookes University is the research lead for the project, said: “The pandemic response has seen an unprecedented deployment of medical personnel, which is a true testament to the work ethic and resilience of those in the NHS.
“As such, COVID-19 has posed unique challenges for the successful development of teamwork and communication between team members and we are very interested in how team leaders and team members have responded to the challenge over the past year.”
The project is a collaboration between Oxford Brookes University’s Psychology Department, the Oxford Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR), Robert Gordon University and King’s College London, and is supported by the Florence Nightingale Foundation and the Faculty of Medical Leadership Management.
NHS employees can register for the survey here.
