Topic
Date published
30/07/2019
A researcher from Nottingham has won two national awards for his pioneering work in promoting physiotherapy in the care of people with musculoskeletal complaints.
Dr Rob Goodwin evaluated physiotherapy as a first point of contact service for people with musculoskeletal problems during his PhD research project. His work was recognised in the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer’s (CAHPO) Awards 2019.
Allied health professionals (AHP) are a diverse group of healthcare professionals who work alongside nurses and doctors. The awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the vital contribution and impact of the allied health professions.
The researcher was presented with the AHP Research Impact and AHP of the Year awards at the ceremony, which took place on Wednesday, 17 July, at The Royal Society in London.
He said: “I’m feeling overwhelmed, surprised, extremely honoured. Aware that it brings with it some responsibility to further disseminate my research findings, explore future research opportunities and role model AHP leadership over the next 12 months.
“I want to acknowledge my family and especially my partner Kate, Tracy Tyrell, the executive team at Nottingham CityCare, and the exceptional MOSAIC Team and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.”
Dr Goodwin works as a Clinical Lead Academic Physiotherapist at Nottingham CityCare. His PhD study was funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midlands. NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands is a partnership of the NHS, universities, patients and industry which sets out to improve patient outcomes by conducting research of local relevance and international quality.
Professor Kamlesh Khunti, who is the Director of the NIHR CLAHRC East Midlands and is also a Professor of Primary Care, Diabetes and Vascular Medicine at the University of Leicester, said: “Massive congratulations to Rob. This is great example of how NIHR research can make a positive impact to improve frontline healthcare and we are delighted that Rob has received this national credit.”
Dr Emma Rowley, Capacity Development Lead at CLAHRC EM, added: “Rob’s PhD is a perfect demonstration of how research can support health and social care providers to deliver improved services. We are pleased that his achievements have received national recognition and we wish him all the best.”
Speaking about the study, Dr Goodwin said: “The 12-month pilot scheme was the first step in my personal research journey and I am pleased to see the impact it has had nationally. I am committed to researching the area and further contributing to deepening the understanding of implementing such transformative initiatives.”
The work in Nottingham has contributed significantly to the national agenda, influencing the recent NHS England commitment to an additional 20,000 non-doctor clinical staff in general practice, including first point of contact physiotherapists.
In January 2019, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens, highlighted the scheme as an example of a way to increase capacity in primary care and reduce the burdens on general practitioners.