What is the solution to Emergency Department pressures?

This is a competition funded studentship and more projects are advertised then places available.

Emergency Department (ED) pressures arise each year over the winter period in England ( ‘winter pressures’). The healthcare system has piloted a range of schemes in order to help manage pressures by diverting demand into other areas of the system. The multitude of schemes aiming to impact on ED creates issues of impact identification, and largely focus on the availability of alternative health care as the problem with the view that creating alternatives would divert activity.

The PhD would seek to understand the drivers of winter pressures in ED and evaluate a range of schemes seeking to reduce ED pressures that are occurring in Greater Manchester and nationally. The PhD will have particular emphasis on the impacts on access to health care, it might explore:

·        The impacts of schemes on health service use.

·        Whether schemes sufficiently meet the demands of patients or whether other aspects of access limit the success of schemes (such as patient acceptability of schemes).

·        Whether there are inequalities in access and the role of schemes to help address this issue.

The PhD will require advanced applied econometric or similar quantitative skills. Opportunities to develop qualitative skills will be encouraged, this will help add an understanding to the underlying mechanisms of patient choice by including qualitative assessments of schemes.

Applicants are expected to hold, or about to obtain, a Masters degree in Economics or other subject containing a substantive quantitative component.

For information on how to apply for this project, please visit the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health Doctoral Academy website (https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/). Informal enquiries may be made directly to the primary supervisor. You MUST also submit an online application form - choose PhD in School of Nursing, Midwifery & Social Work.

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. The full Equality, diversity and inclusion statement can be found on the website https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/research/apply/equality-diversity-inclusion/