Torbay physiotherapist awarded place on national research leadership training scheme

A physiotherapist in Torbay is working towards becoming a researcher of the future after being selected to take part in a national training programme.

Martin Fancutt, Lead Spinal Orthopaedic Physiotherapist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT), has successfully enrolled in the NIHR’s six month Associate Principal Investigator (API) Scheme which enables healthcare professionals to gain practical experience in delivering an NIHR research study, under the mentorship of an experienced local PI.

Martin is being mentored by his colleague, Kathryn Bamforth, Physiotherapist and Clinical Research Team Leader at Torbay Hospital.  Kathryn is the Principal Investigator on the POiSE Study which is looking at the effects of an epidural steroid injection in people with sciatica. The study is being led nationally by Dr Siobhan Stynes at Keele University.

“The API scheme is a great way for healthcare staff with busy clinical roles to get involved in practicalities of running research studies and offer their patients the option to take part and ultimately improve the services we provide”, she said.  “When I heard that Dr Stynes was looking for sites to recruit to the POiSE study, I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to get a physiotherapist involved in a musculo-skeletal study. I contacted Dr Carl Edwards, our Clinical and Operational Manager of Musculo-Skeletal Therapies, who circulated the information to the spinal team and Martin expressed an interest in finding out how to set up the study in his service.”

Dr Edwards was supportive of Martin’s request to become an API, despite not having heard of the scheme before. He said: “Now more than ever we need to demonstrate our effectiveness within the healthcare setting. This scheme enhances staff knowledge regarding good clinical practice and real-world research, with the support of an experienced PI. Whether Martin goes on to develop a research career using this as a spring board or not, the knowledge gained will not be lost. I am convinced that Martin will go on to provide the evidence needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of his service enhanced through this scheme.”

Martin, who had previously not been involved in research since his days as an undergraduate, said the idea of being mentored and learning from someone already active in research was what appealed to him.

He said: “The API scheme seems to highlight the opportunities and skills needed to begin a journey in research to encourage any clinicians working within the NHS to participate and take a closer interest in what we can all contribute to further our knowledge.”

Kathryn then contacted Dr Stynes, the Chief Investigator of the study to discuss opening the study to APIs.  

Dr Stynes said: “I had not heard of the API scheme before so was very grateful that Kathryn alerted me to the scheme. I looked on the NIHR website about the scheme and could see that the POiSE study would be eligible to register. Although the Scheme seems more focused on supporting Associate PIs in clinical trials, many of the criteria/elements are relevant to setting up and running a clinical prospective cohort study as well. It seemed like a great idea.”

Martin was quickly enrolled onto the API scheme. “Acting as a spinal specialist within the role I recruit appropriately screened patients into the study and gain consent to contact so the Clinical Trials Unit at Keele University can contact and gain the information from the patient,” he said. “I also work alongside Kathryn in organising the local running of the study with the practical pathways, checklists and IT solutions needed for my team to be able to support the study. In a wider context I am also learning about research methods locally from the R&D department, Trust Lead Research Nurse, Chrissy Dixon, and other API's enrolled on the scheme.”

Dr Stynes said she believes the benefits of the API scheme are two-fold.

“Firstly, it has a structured support and training plan for NHS staff keen to move into this role,” she said. “Secondly, it is beneficial for Chief Investigators and the wider study team as there is a named clinician at the site, who is learning the ropes about the study and is a valued additional point of contact for the study.

“So far, Martin has brought his enthusiasm and keen interest to the study and the Associate PI scheme. He has asked relevant questions about the study set up. He is an ideal candidate as he understands the clinical setting, pathways and patients that we are recruiting to POiSE. He has already made suggestions as to how we could run the study more efficiently at his site. This is music to the ears of a CI to get this hands-on support.  I am excited to see how the Associate PI scheme evolves and what the outputs will be,” she said. “The Keele team and I will learn from taking part and will be able to disseminate our experiences and tips to our wider team and to the NIHR. We will take on board any feedback from Martin and Kathryn and look forward to collaborating with them on this scheme over the next 6 months.” Dr Stynes has enrolled further APIs to her study since Martin joined.

Kathryn added: “Martin is pivotal in linking the R&D team with his colleagues in the spinal service. He has been able to identify any queries from the team and discuss them with R&D and Siobhan’s team in a timely way so they don’t present a problem further down the line. As a result, all the spinal physios have attended the training and are also now part of the recruiting team. We have now recruited 3 participants to the study and are off to a great start.”

Talking about the benefits of the API Scheme to an organisation, Kathryn said: “The API becomes a role model for their colleagues which we hope will inspire other clinicians to want to undertake the scheme. This in turn will help to embed research into clinical areas and provide patients with greater opportunities to get involved in research and shape future services.

“The scheme is a great way to get closer working relationships between the R&D team and the clinical services. It provides a unique CPD opportunity for clinicians who might be interested in research but may feel a little overwhelmed or don’t know where to start.  There is no requirement to have a Masters or PhD and it is a great way to get involved in research. It may also act as a springboard for staff to pursue their own clinical academic research careers. I am looking forward to working with Carl, Martin and Siobhan to identify other research studies that we can open here at TSDFT as well as training up the next APIs from across our organisation.”

Chrissy Dixon, Trust Lead Research Nurse, added: “This scheme is so important to introduce the staff of the future to good research practice and how to conduct research safely as a Principal Investigator. Joining the scheme allows clinicians to experience the day to day requirements of a Principal Investigator with the added security of a Principal Investigator supervising and advising.”