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Research degrees with the College of Nursing Midwifery and Healthcare

Research specialisms

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Our College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare supports research with a focus on:

  • Ageing and care of the elderly in health and social care settings
  • Healthcare leadership and role development
  • Improving health and social care services and practice

  • Learning/intellectual disabilities

  • Chronic long-term conditions
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Preventing infection and patient safety
  • Public health, policy and global challenges
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Our staff are available to offer supervision within their field of expertise.

In the past we have received funding from bodies including:

  • The National Institute for Health Research
  • Health Education England (North West London & Thames Valley)
  • The General Nursing Council Trust

Research degrees

Studying for a PhD enables you to develop an area of specialism that will give you an edge, whether you are planning to work in industry, or to develop expertise to teach in academia.

Our College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare offers the following theory-based PhDs and professional doctorate courses:

Research Centre

Most of our research takes place within the Richard Wells Centre:

Research degree projects

  • Healthcare workforce in learning disability services

    Principal supervisor:

    • Professor Kay Mafuba

    Context 

    The vulnerability of people with learning disabilities has been unequivocally established for some time. In response to these continuing, and now very public concerns about safe nursing practice, a new nursing strategy was launched late 2012 that set out the purpose of nurses, midwives and care staff in delivering high quality, safe and compassionate care, and their role to achieve excellent health and well-being outcomes (DH, 2012).

    In addition, the introduction of the NMC (2018) Future nurse: Standards of proficiency for registered nurses has ushered in new knowledge and skills for registered nurses. The proposed research will contribute to the improvement of safety in learning disabilities nursing practice. 

    Proposed title 

    Relationship between staffing levels, context of care, and patient safety for people with learning disabilities: A multiple method study. 

    Aim

    To investigate the relationships between staff levels and context of care in learning disability services, and the delivery of safe and compassionate care in a range of care settings. 

  • Patient safety - infection prevention and control

    Principal supervisor:

    • Professor Jennie Wilson

    Context

    The integration of infection prevention and control measures into care practices is essential to ensuring that patients remain safe and that healthcare infection is minimised.

    Using human factors ergonomics to improve this integration is one way of achieving better adherence to key infection prevention and control practices.

    Proposed title

    Applying human factors ergonomics to improve IPC practice in the healthcare environment 

    Aim

    To better understand how to integrate the use of hand hygiene and personal protective equipment to ensure that healthcare workers use them at the right time/place.

Current research degree projects

Below are the research degree projects currently being studied by our postgraduate students.

Awarded research degrees

Below are the research projects and degrees awarded each year.

  • Research degrees awarded in 2020-2021

    Exploring the significance of clothing to people with dementia using sensory ethnography

    • PhD awarded to Rebecka Fleetwood-Smith, September 2020
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Victoria Tischler

    Development, usability and acceptability of an informed choice tool on cervical screening for women with severe mental illness 

    • PhD completed by Frederique Lamontagne-Godwin, with award date to be determined.
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Caroline Lafarge

    Working with community mental health practitioners to develop team working, job satisfaction and personal resilience: An action research project (AR)

    • PhD completed by Nicola Moone, with award date to be determined.

    • Principal supervisor: Dr Rowan Myron

  • Research degrees awarded in 2019-2020

    Improving hydration of care home residents by addressing institutional barriers to fluid consumption – an improvement project

    • PhD awarded to Agnieszka Bak​, October 2019
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Amalia Tsiami

  • Research degrees awarded in 2018-2019

    The lived experiences of childbearing midwives: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

    • PhD awarded to Tina South, September 2018
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Julia Magill-Cuerden and Professor Bob Gates

  • Research degrees awarded in 2017-2018

    Placental genomics: Regulatory roles of histamine in pre-eclampsia

    • PhD awarded to Obed Brew, May 2018
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Anthony Woodman

    Men's sexual health: Understanding the individual and community perspectives of South Asian men in Brent and Leicester

    • PhD awarded to Mohammed Shaikh, June 2018
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Heather Loveday

    An exploratory study of the subjective experience of Patients who have had Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) following a heart attack (myocardial infarction): personal journey to discharge

    • PhD awarded to Cas Shotter, July 2017
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Anthony Olden

     

  • Research degrees awarded in 2016-2017

    An exploratory study of the subjective experience of patients who have had primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) following a heart attack (myocardial infarction): the personal journey to discharge

    • Doctor of Nursing (DNurs) awarded to Cas Shotter Weetman, July 2017
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Tony Olden

  • Research degrees awarded in 2015-2016

    The impact of a UK HIV-1 resistance database for the management and improvement of the clinical care of people living with HIV-1

    • PhD awarded to Eilidh MacRae, June 2016
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Clive Loveday

  • Research degrees awarded in 2014-2015

    Supporting teenage mothers to initiate breastfeeding and developing a support intervention to increase breastfeeding rates in a vulnerable group – the importance of place

    • PhD awarded to Louise Hunter, September 2014
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Julia Magill-Cuerden

    The design and application of surveillance systems in improving health outcomes and identifying risk factors for healthcare associated infections

    • PhD awarded to Jennie Wilson, December 2014
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Clive Loveday

    Exploring barriers associated with uptake of structured patient education: examining policy implementation for type 2 diabetes

    • PhD awarded to Jennie Wilson, July 2015
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Joelle Fanghanel

    Towards empowerment of non-English speaking immigrant women

    • PhD awarded to Zahra Ghaffari, July 2015
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Julia Magill-Cuerden

    To critically investigate and evaluate supplementary vitamin B12 effects on elevated homocysteine levels of vegetarians, who may have a resultant susceptibility to hyperhomocysteinemia related diseases

    • PhD awarded to Derek Obersby, August 2015
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Amalia Tsiami

  • Research degrees awarded in 2013-2014

    African and African-Caribbean Londoners’ Experiences of Cancer Services: A Narrative Approach

    • PhD awarded to Marvelle Brown, June 2014
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Tony Olden

    A phenomenological investigation into the lived experiences of patients with cancer suffering from fungating / cancerous wounds

    • MPhil awarded to Sara Rowan, June 2014
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Tony Olden

  • Research degrees awarded in 2012-2013

    Public health: Community learning disability nurses’ perception and experience of their role - An exploratory sequential multiple methods study

    • PhD awarded to Kudzai Mafuba, April 2013
    • Principal supervisor: Professor Bob Gates

  • Research degrees awarded in 2011-2012

    How do people with autistic spectrum conditions experience pain: a phenomenological study

    • PhD awarded to Zuzana Matousova-Done, June 2012
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Steve Trenoweth

  • Research degrees awarded in 2010-2011

     BastosDeveloping and testing an educational intervention to reduce the routine performance of episiotomy in Brazil

    • PhD awarded to Maria Helena Bastos, May 2011
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Julia Magill-Cuerden

    South Asian women’s reproductive / sexual health related knowledge, attitudes and experiences in the UK: Implications for public health and service delivery

    • PhD awarded to Sangeetha Paramasivan, March 2011
    • Principal supervisor: Dr Carol Pellowe

Applying for a PhD

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If you are considering applying for a PhD, the first step is to contact a supervisor in a relevant research area - contact emails are listed against projects above.

Find out more about the funding we offer, the application process and other frequently asked questions.

If you have any questions please contact us by email: postgraduate.admissions@uwl.ac.uk

Applying for a PhD

Find out more

  • Research Centres

    Find out about our multi-disciplinary areas of expertise, research, and teaching.

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  • Research impact

    Learn how our research has helped communities locally, nationally and internationally.

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  • Research degrees

    Find out more about PhD and Professional Doctorate opportunities and how we will support you within our active and interdisciplinary research community.

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