Development of a supported self-management package for people who have been treated for colorectal cancer (HS6)

Supervisory team:

Professor Alison Richardson, Dr Deborah Fenlon and Dr Jane Winter

Project Summary:

Everyone who has been treated for cancer will experience some consequences of the cancer itself, the treatment or both. Stratification of needs into three risk groups (low, medium, complex) is now advocated to inform the targeting of support and follow up.

Those with complex needs will continue to be followed up in secondary care, but those with low-medium needs will in the future be primarily followed up in primary care, with some level of support and interaction with secondary care, but primarily will be expected in the first instance to self-manage many aspects of their condition (with appropriate education and advice).

People who have had treatment for colorectal cancer often experience a range of physical, psychological and social problems following treatment and will be the target population for this study. Currently primary care professionals and services are not equipped to meet the needs of cancer survivors.

This research will aim to develop a collaborative pathway of care between primary and secondary care with an intervention directed at community nurses to enable them to meet patient need, to develop the training and resources needed to support the nurses deliver the intervention and undertake an evaluation of the impact of the intervention on patient outcomes.

Project Details:

The Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton working in partnership with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, is offering a Clinical Academic Doctoral Fellowship for a qualified nurse.

The successful candidate will spend two days per week as a Band 5 Registered Nurse in cancer services, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and 3 days per week working on the PhD research study. You will join a thriving and expanding group of Clinical Academic Doctoral Fellows based at the Clinical Academic Facility, Southampton General Hospital for the academic component of the Fellowship.

The Fellowship is for 4 years will begin in September 2013. You will be supported by an annual £14,000 stipend and an additional sum of £800 to support additional training and development costs during the Fellowship.

This is an exciting opportunity and will enable aspiring individuals to combine clinical practice with a research role, working across the University and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. The successful candidate will work with their nominated clinical mentor and a Faculty of Health Sciences academic mentor in a tri-partite arrangement to develop their clinical academic role in both practice and University settings.

It is essential that you have successfully achieved a 2:1 or a Postgraduate Diploma distinction in nursing. It would be desirable if you have achieved a 1st class honours degree.

Further information can be found in our FAQ document at:
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/healthsciences/postgraduate/research_degrees/studentships.page

or contact:

Professor Alison Richardson:
[Email Address Removed]

or

Dr Greta Westwood, University of Southampton:
[Email Address Removed]

Interviews will be held in Southampton on 21st June 2013.