Southampton has 'set the benchmark nationally', says departing director of research academy

Professor Alison Richardson says she is excited to see the Southampton Academy of Research (SoAR) in a positive place as she moves on from her role as its founding director.

She has decided it is the ‘right time’ to hand over leadership of SoAR, which she established almost a decade ago.

Setting up SoAR

Alison, who trained as a nurse, first came to Southampton as a Clinical Professor in 2009.

Part of her job description was to develop a research strategy for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (AHPs) working at University Hospital Southampton (UHS).

She spent almost two years speaking to all the relevant people and putting together a strategy. This reviewed the research activity of people working in these professions at the time.

Looking back at the strategy, she reflects that there were a few isolated individuals with the capacity and capability to lead research in the healthcare professions. This became a key motivation for her to establish SoAR.

“It helped identify where there were people - lots of isolated pockets of research activity,” she says. “But it was very sporadic, completely invisible, and many of those individuals were under-supported and not connected.”

She set up SoAR in 2016, with the intention of connecting these ‘isolated pockets’ of research activity. The goal was to provide support and recognition for researchers in these professions.

Kay Mitchell, now Senior Programme Manager at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), was instrumental in working up the case for SoAR. In her previous role at University College London Hospitals, she had developed the concept for the Centre for Nurse, Midwife and AHP Research. 

Working closely with Kay and Christine McGrath, Director of R&D at the time, Alison set up SoAR and got it up and running.

Providing a ‘front door’

Since then, the SoAR team has grown, increasing their capacity and enabling them to support more researchers across UHS.

SoAR now has two Associate Directors, Dr Kristin Veighey and Prof Lynn Calman, who are supported by Audrey Dooks (Office Manager), Dr Lindsay Murphy (Project Manager) and Remya Sreedharan (SoAR Administrator). They work with Dr Dan Owens (R&D Clinical Research Fellows Lead), and the NIHR Southampton BRC’s Academic Career Development Leads Professor Mark Johnson and Malcolm West to deliver SoAR’s offering.

The initiative’s reach and influence has also grown. It now has a very visible identity, with a logo, branding and website, and is known throughout UHS.

It has also developed close connections with the NIHR ARC Wessex, the NIHR Southampton BRC and the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility. This allows them to work together to provide grants and events for researchers in Southampton.

“It now acts as that pivot, as that focus, for training, learning and development, not only in the Trust, but also where other parts of the NIHR infrastructure connect,” says Alison.

Most of all, she says it’s about having a ‘front door’ for researchers – a place where anyone working at the Trust who is interested in research can come for advice and support.

This includes both those starting out in research, as well as more established researchers looking to take the next step in their career.

Recognising researchers

Alison says that, while there is always more to be done, SoAR is now achieving what it set out to do. She says one key change it has helped to deliver is recognition for researchers at UHS.

“It’s helped develop recognition that research is a legitimate activity,” she says, “not only for nurses, midwives and AHPs, but also for healthcare scientists, pharmacists and doctors.”

Reflecting on her time with SoAR, she says the development of the research workforce has become much more visible. This shows researchers they don’t need to ‘hide’ their research, but can be proud of it, as it actually contributes to the core business of the hospital.

One of the key turning points for this was the start of the UHS Research Leaders Programme, which SoAR was the architect for and now oversees. Through this, the Trust offers dedicated funding and time, awarded through a competitive process, for staff to undertake research.

Alison says that part of being a good leader is recognising when it’s the right time to step aside and let others carry it on. She believes, after almost 10 years with SoAR and 40 years since she first graduated, now is that time.

“SoAR’s in a really positive place,” she says. “It’s set the benchmark nationally, and many other Trusts have followed.”