The program has increased staff confidence and engagement in research activities and supported career progression within the NHS workforce.

Since completing the program, participants have secured about £3.2 million in research grants and produced more than 230 publications, reflecting strong scholarly and practical outputs.

This summary relies solely on the provided article text, presenting its reported outcomes and implications for healthcare research culture and practice.

As part of UHCW’s Research for All strategy, the initiative signals the Trust’s commitment to fostering a culture of research across professions to improve patient care and outcomes.

The iCAhRE program at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust trains nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and healthcare scientists in research to improve patient care.

A mixed-methods evaluation by Coventry University and University of Nottingham researchers found significant gains in participants’ research knowledge, skills, and ability to inform and change clinical practice.

The findings appear in BMC Medical Education (2025) with DOI 10.1186/s12909-025-07982-2, detailing the study led by Eleanor Lutman-White et al.

Nicolas Aldridge of UHCW reports positive staff feedback and ongoing interest, with cohort nine currently running; the Bronze program has enabled 59 staff to gain Master’s-level training in research methodology and real-world clinical research.

The study highlights that nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and healthcare scientists historically have fewer research opportunities, underscoring the need to expand research training across non-medical clinical staff.