Leading health organisations join forces to launch research academy
Published: 27 February 2009
The first ever Academy of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Research (UK) will be launched today to bring together all aspects of nursing, midwifery and health visiting research in the UK.
The Royal College of Nursing, Unite/Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association and the Royal College of Midwives will be joining forces with seven other leading healthcare professional and clinical research organisations to form the Academy, which will act as a collective voice in promoting excellence in research.
The Academy will be responsible for establishing effective mentoring and leadership schemes to benefit all clinicians and practitioners working in nursing, midwifery and health visiting research.
Professor Tony Butterworth CBE, Chair of the Academy of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Research (UK), said:
“The Academy will act as a collective voice to ensure the needs of nurses, midwives and health visitors involved in research are met. Developing effective mentorship schemes and expert support for those pursuing clinical academic careers will help promote excellence in this area of research.”
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said:
“We are delighted to be involved in the creation of a new Academy dedicated to furthering health research. The direct relationship nurses, midwives and health visitors have with their patients on a daily basis means they are ideally placed to ensure patient experiences are accurately represented in research. The Academy will play a unique role in promoting research excellence by positioning these clinicians at the forefront of health and social care research.”
Lord Victor Abedowale, President of Unite/Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association, said:
“Powerful partnership working such as this will heighten the opportunity to establish a strong research platform for these professions. It is particularly important that public health practice has more underpinning research as effective practice enhances the health and wellbeing of the whole population.”
Professor Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said:
“This is a significant and positive move for midwives and their colleagues in the other health professions. Research is not just about ideas in academic ivory towers, it is about raising standards of care. Research leads to improvements in practice and a higher quality service.”
Further information about the Academy is available at http://www.researchacademy.co.uk/
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Notes to Editors
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.
For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
The organisations working in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing, Unite – Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association and the Royal College of Midwives to form the Academy are: The Council of Deans for Health, Nurse Directors Group of the Association of UK University Hospitals, Association for Leaders in Nursing, Queens Nursing Institute, Mental Health Nurse Academics UK, UK Clinical Research Facility Network, Nurses in Primary Care Research.