Perioperative care fellowship

Older people form the majority of those undergoing elective surgery in the NHS, but outcomes vary, particularly for patients at higher risk due to co-morbidities or poor functional capacity. Much work is underway to secure the uptake and spread of promising innovations in perioperative care for older people but the evidence base is underdeveloped.

One approach with a rapidly developing evidence base and increasing traction among the clinical community is the Perioperative Care for Older People Undergoing Surgery (POPS) model. POPS has been taken up by NHS Elect’s Acute Frailty Network, to drive the adoption and spread of this service model across the NHS.

THIS Institute is interested in studying the conditions that enable spread of promising approaches to care across organisations, and the ways in which these approaches are replicated and adapted in diverse settings. The institute is therefore seeking to fund a fellow to undertake research alongside the Acute Frailty Network’s POPS programme. The fellowship should combine retrospective analysis of the initial round of support for spread of POPS with prospective research on future rounds, and focus on the following themes:

• Organisational decision-making and participation in spread programmes
• How the spread of a new model of care takes place
• Evaluating uptake and its impact

Applications are invited from individuals currently in post at UK universities or other research-intensive environment (eg charity, non-profit think tank or NHS organisation). The successful applicant will remain employed by their own university or organisation, and will be part of a vibrant professional learning community supported by THIS Institute.

This fellowship should be completed within 15 months, or up to a maximum of 24 months if part-time. It is expected that the fellowship will begin in early April 2022.

What we offer

Each award will include salary costs (at the agreed proportion of FTE) and research expenses directly relevant to the project up to a maximum of £140K.

It is expected, at a minimum, that a university or organisation will use the funding to pay for:

• Salary costs for the fellow including all on-costs (superannuation, NI and apprenticeship levy).
• Research costs (e.g. items of small equipment, data access, transcription costs, meeting costs, and expenses for service-user participants).
• Participation costs and expenses. Please consider the costs for engagement with a diverse range of participants and stakeholders. Examples might include costs for translation services, accessibility support etc.
• Dissemination and publication costs, for example open-access publications.
• The appointed fellow will be offered a professional development programme which will be discussed on award and customised to the specifics of the fellow’s needs, commitments, and fellowship duration. The programme may include, for example, membership of a learning set, coaching, and/or mentoring. Full engagement with the agreed programme will be expected.

Who can apply?

Candidates from any UK university or research-intensive environment (eg charity, non-profit think tank or NHS organisation) may apply to the scheme. More than one application per organisation can be submitted. Applicants should be already in post in their employing organisation, and will remain employed by their own organisation.

Applicants should have a background in health services research, with good knowledge of existing research on innovation, spread and replication in healthcare. Knowledge or experience in the care of older people and perioperative care will be beneficial. Applicants do not need to have a clinical background, although applications from clinicians will be welcomed.

Applicants should have a PhD in a relevant area or, exceptionally, equivalent postgraduate research experience. Applications are accepted from all career stages, though we would expect that this opportunity may be especially suitable for those with significant postdoctoral experience. Applicants should have a good publication record for stage of career, including peer-reviewed qualitative or mixed-methods research publications.

Applicants should be sufficiently experienced (post-doctoral or equivalent) to able to lead a project independently while working in collaboratively with colleagues at THIS Institute, the POPS team and the Acute Frailty Network.

All applications must be submitted via our Fellowship Management System. All applications should have organisational support and be approved by a budgetary authority/finance office. For further information please refer to the guidance for applicants.

What we’re looking for

• Understanding of existing research and theory on replication and spread, particularly debates around fidelity and adaptation
• A good command of the social scientific literature on the organisation of healthcare improvement, including for example the role of the professions in leading and coordinating improvement
• Experienced researchers who can lead the project independently while being highly-skilled to work collaboratively with stakeholders.
• Applicants should have a PhD in a relevant area or, exceptionally, equivalent postgraduate research experience. Applicants may have a clinical or non-clinical background.
• Good publications record for stage of career, including peer-reviewed outputs including peer-reviewed qualitative or mixed-methods research publications.

How to apply

All applications must be submitted via our Fellowship Management System. All applications should have organisational support and be approved by a budgetary authority/finance office. For further information please refer to the guidance for applicants.

Application stages

1. Before you apply

We encourage you to check that your application is eligible and competitive by reading the guidance for applicants. Applicants will be required to agree to THIS Institute’s standard Themed Fellowships Award Conditions at the time of application. If you have questions about the fellowship, please contact fellowships@thisinstitute.cam.ac.uk

2. Submit your application

All applications must be submitted online through the Fellowship Management System by 12 noon on 26 January 2022. Late submissions will not be accepted.

3. Review and shortlisting

Applications will be checked initially for eligibility and completeness, and assessed by an expert panel against the selection criteria included in the guidance for applicants.

4. Interview

Short-listed applicants may optionally be invited for interview at the discretion of the panel.

5. Final decision

All applicants will be notified of the funding decision.