Background: While there are many examples of roles to assist clinical services in developing a research agenda, most depend on congenial academic and clinical services’ relationships or joint appointments. 

Aim: To present one such role, which has been successful in developing a research-active organisation. 

• Methods and setting

A research consultant with an academic background was employed two days per week in a community palliative care service to:

-          assist with developing projects and publishing the findings that would otherwise not receive attention;

assist staff with developing confidence in writing and presentation skills;

-          link staff to opportunities for presenting their work, in Journals or at Conferences.

• Results

The research consultant readily identified projects as of sufficient importance to be published. Over about four years, 13 papers have been co-written with clinicians and published in peer-reviewed Journals. Additionally, posters, papers and workshops have been delivered at local and international conferences. A surprising outcome is that several papers are on ‘cutting-edge’ clinical issues, perhaps a benefit of the close clinician-academic relationship.

The academic link has been important to provide access to research advice, academic partners on projects and access to the library and ethical review.

• Implications for practice

A small outlay can result in creating a research-active environment, with significant and meaningful outputs, and clinical staff appreciate the broad exposure for their work. The role is a focus for external research projects like Rapid. Outputs provide ready evidence of change for accreditation purposes, and measures for individual professional development.

The close clinician-academic relationship ensures that important contemporary issues are showcased to the benefit of the broader discipline of palliative care.

• Conclusion

This project is an example of the significant organisational benefits from developing strategic relationships between clinicians and academics.