We are currently advertising a fully-funded PhD in mental health, which will cover UK academic fees and provide an annual stipend of £15,609 for three years! This project is ideal for anyone interested in mental health, clinical psychology and improving healthcare. The primary supervisor is Prof John Baker and I am the secondary supervisor. As such, the successful applicant will benefit from links with both the School of Healthcare and the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds. The project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (YH PSTRC) and so the appointed candidate will also have a base at the Bradford Institute for Health Research and become an NIHR trainee.
The project
This important project addresses the challenging issue of self-harm on mental health inpatient units. Self-harm occurs frequently in these settings and can then trigger the use of restrictive care practices by staff. These practices can increase both the psychological and physical harm experienced by service-users and lead to stress and burnout in healthcare staff, potentially creating a vicious cycle. Psychological interventions have the potential to reduce self-harm on inpatient units, but the interventions which have been developed so far have needed a high levels of input which many mental health units may feel unable to resource and staff. This project will address this gap, by 1) reviewing the current interventions on offer, 2) exploring the extent to which these are currently used and 3) identifying a range of recommendations which units can implement to reduce self-harm and improve patient care.
The opportunity
This PhD in mental health is a great opportunity for ambitious and dedicated prospective students who are interested in pursuing future careers in mental health nursing, clinical psychology, patient safety and healthcare-related research. The successful applicant will be encouraged to present their research in different forums and publish in peer-reviewed academic journals, in order to build their academic health career. They will also be offered a wide range of development opportunities, including training courses focused on building methodological and research expertise, alongside those focused on career management. These opportunities will be available both via the University of Leeds and the Bradford Institute for Health Research.
This opportunity is open to prospective applicants who are eligible for UK academic fees. The deadline for applying is March 25th 2022 for an anticipated October 2022 start date. For more information and to apply see here.
