Health and Care Research Wales announces recipients of 2019-20 funding awards worth over £5 million

We are pleased to announce the recipients of our 2019-20 funding call awards. In 2019-20, the Health and Care Research Wales grants team ran calls that resulted in 30 new funding awards with a combined lifetime value of over £5.16 million.

Each grant scheme offers a different type of support or addresses a different research need. For example, the Research for Patient and Public Benefit Wales award funds research that will affect day-to-day health service practice, whereas the Research Funding Scheme: Social Care Grants support high-quality research projects relevant to health and wellbeing needs and the organisation and delivery of social care services in Wales.

This year’s awards cover a broad range of topics from anti-microbial resistance to the impact of short breaks for people living with dementia and their carers.

We are also pleased to fund an Advanced Fellowship award following a successful application from a Wales-based Senior Clinical Lecturer and GP, Dr Harry Ahmed, to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Fellowship Programme.

Michael Bowdery, Head of Programmes, Health and Care Research Wales, said:

“The standard of applications was very high this year. We are pleased with the diversity of awards we were able to make, all of which will deliver useful evidence across a range of health and social care priority areas. Investing in this research, and the researchers undertaking, will contribute to both health and prosperity in Wales.”

You can read more about the funding awards and recipients below.

Health Research Fellowships

Providing talented individuals with the support they need to become independent researchers through leading and undertaking high-quality healthcare research.

• Ceri Battle, Swansea Bay University Health Board

Co-PaCT study: Development of Co-produced guidance for the care of Patients with blunt Chest wall Trauma: a mixed methods study

• Emily Holmes, Bangor University  

The Economics of Rapid Diagnostics to Reduce Antibiotic Prescribing in NHS Wales (TRaDe)

• Amy Mizen, Swansea University (deferred start – 1 June 2021)          

Discovering which modifiable characteristics of the built-environment support good adolescent mental health and wellbeing

• Wioleta Zelek, Cardiff University    

Drug design for specific inhibition of the Membrane Attack Complex (MAC) in common inflammatory diseases.

Research Funding Scheme: Social Care Grants

Supporting high-quality research projects with clear relevance to health and wellbeing need and/or the organisation and delivery of social care services in Wales.

• Cindy Corliss, Cardiff University

‘Selfies, Snapchat and Keeping Safe: How do looked-after children engage online? A mixed methods investigation

• Clive Diaz, Cardiff University

Understanding the implementation of children’s social care policy in Wales: A study of the new child sexual exploitation guidance

• Helen Hodges, Cardiff University

Looked after children in the youth justice system: A mixed methods feasibility study

• Joe Hollinghurst, Swansea University

How does the environment in and around the home impact social care and health outcomes for older people?

• Nina Maxwell, Cardiff University

County lines: a co-ordinated Welsh community response to child criminal exploitation

• Gill Toms, Bangor University

Short breaks for people living with dementia and their carers: exploring wellbeing outcomes and informing future practice development through a Social Return on Investment approach

• Nell Warner, Cardiff University

Children in households with substance misuse, domestic violence or mental health problems: Who is at risk of entering care?

Research for Patient and Public Benefit (RfPPB) Wales

Funding research related to the day-to-day practice of the health service, with clearly defined patient and public benefit.

• David Bosanquet, Aneurin Bevan UHB

PERCEIVE: PrEdiction of Risk and Communication of outcomE followIng major lower limb amputation- a collaboratiVE study

• Joanne Goss, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB

A randomised controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of hearing aids (intervention setting) compared to hearing aids (placebo setting) in reducing tinnitus for adults with mild hearing loss

• Gillian Richardson, Public Health Wales

Health Experiences of Asylum seekers and Refugees: how well are their interpretation needs met? (HEAR 2)

• Barbara Ryan, Aneurin Bevan UHB

Hospital to Community: identifying the value of optometrists monitoring & managing chronic sight threatening eye disease in primary care

• Gregory Taylor, Swansea Bay UHB

ExtraPeritoneal End Colostomy Trial (ExPECT): Feasibility phase                                           

• Jared Torkington, Cardiff & Vale NHS Trust

Extending the Hughes Abdominal Repair Trial: Long-term Follow-Ups by Routine Data (exHART-FURD)

NHS Research Time Awards

Funding sessional time for talented NHS staff to engage in research and development activity.

• David Bosanquet, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

• Kieran Foley, Velindre University NHS Trust

• Lynette James, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board

• Pasquale Inomminato, Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board

• Eiriini Skiadaresi, Hywel Dda University Health Board

• Chris Subbe, Betsi Cadwaldr University Health Board

Health and Care Research Wales/National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Advanced Fellowship

Supporting individuals on their trajectory to becoming future leaders in research. Health and Care Research Wales takes on the funding and management of successful applications to the NIHR Fellowship Programme.

• Harry Ahmed, Cardiff University

Antibiotic treatment and major bleeding in anticoagulant medication users: analysis of health record data to support safer monitoring and prescribing

Health Research PhD Studentships

Supporting capacity-building in health and social care research by funding high quality research projects, the Studentship offers talented individuals the opportunity to undertake research and study leading to a PhD.

• Otar Alkanyeti, Aberystwyth University

Automatic Assessment of Gait Impairment and Recovery in Stroke

• Alison Bullock, Cardiff University

The impact of mobile technology in hospitals on patient care management and clinical practice

• James Cronin, Swansea University

Repurposing approved drugs to target metabolic flexibility in ovarian cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment

• Chris Pugh, Cardiff University

The independent and combined effects of exercise training and statin therapy in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

• Richard Stanton, Cardiff University

Modulating Immune Responses to Control Virus Infection

• Caleb Webber, Cardiff University

Stratifying deeply phenotyped Parkinson’s patients with blood-based immune signature