Research and Development strategic activity

Research and Development officers undertake a range of strategic activities to inform and influence the agendas that impact on occupational therapy research and knowledge management

These include:

• Membership of two national committees of Connecting for Health (CfH) in England. The National Advisory Group (NAG) provides feedback to inform CfH projects and initiatives. The National Clinical Reference Panel (NCRP) provides strategic clinical advice, guidance and recommendations to the NHS Care Record Service Programme Board.
• Participating in national scoping events that inform the development of department of health project plans, e.g. quality metrics in community services, clinical engagement in the national programme for IT, and improving AHP use of information.
• Membership of the SDO Studies Panel in order to provide an allied health professions' perspective on a committee that has responsibility for agreeing research priority areas for commissioning in NHS service design and organisation.
• Professional representation on the NICE Partners' Council in order to contribute to a forum for the exchange of ideas, concepts and future plans relating to healthcare interventions in England and Wales.
• Membership of the Research Forum for Allied Health Professions, a strategic group that undertakes partnership activity and lobbying to promote allied health professions' research activity and build research capacity.
• Research Forum representation on the National Physiotherapy Research Network as this group seeks to broaden its area of interest across the AHPs.
• Acting as a professional link with NIHR funding bodies in order to promote occupational therapy and the wider AHP research agenda.
• Ongoing collection and dissemination of information about current research opportunities for members.