Same Day and Urgent Care Workforce: Retaining and supporting staff to thrive

An opportunity to apply for a funded full-time PhD in the College of Health, Science and Society, UWE Bristol.  The studentship will be funded by UWE Bristol.

Ref: 2526-JAN-CHSS01.

The expected start date of this studentship is 1 January 2026.

The closing date for applications is 12 October 2025.

We are seeking two highly motivated PhD candidates to join the Same Day and Urgent Care Workforce Research Partnership (SURGE) – a major National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded initiative addressing one of the most pressing challenges in the NHS: how to build and sustain a thriving, diverse, and effective workforce in same day and urgent care services.

The studentship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a high-impact, multidisciplinary research programme that will help to shape national policy and practice in same day and urgent care delivery.

The PhDs will explore innovative workforce models and system-level changes that can improve recruitment, retention, and staff wellbeing in healthcare settings such as general practice, ambulance services, urgent treatment centres, and Emergency Departments.

Potential areas of investigation include:

• Workforce planning and service redesign
• Use of digital technologies
• New and emerging roles in same day and urgent care
• Workforce configuration
• Staff experiences and wellbeing
• Equity and inclusion in workforce policy.

The chosen projects will be co-designed with stakeholders including NHS staff, patients, and a diverse Patient and Professional Advisory Group (PPAG), ensuring relevance and real-world impact.

We welcome candidates from a range of backgrounds. This could include health and care practice, in addition to wellbeing, human resources, policy and service planning and design.

The successful candidates will have the opportunity to work with national and international experts in workforce research. We are committed to a supportive and inclusive research environment and will work with the candidates to seek opportunities for post-doctoral awards and funding.

If you are interested in applying, please provide a cover letter explaining why you are a suitable candidate, including what you consider are the main challenges for the health and care workforce. Please also include a copy of your CV.

For an informal discussion about the studentship, please email Professor Nicola Walsh at Nicola.walsh@uwe.ac.uk or Professor Sarah Voss at sarah.voss@uwe.ac.uk.

The studentship is available from 1 January 2026 for a period of three years, subject to satisfactory progress and includes a tax exempt stipend, which is currently £20,780 (2025/26) per annum.

In addition, full-time tuition fees will be covered for up to three years (Home).

Applicants must:

• Hold a 2:1 honours degree or higher in a related area, or a Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline
• Have a strong interest in applied health research and workforce issues
• Possess excellent communication and analytical skills
• Ideally will have previous experience of undertaking workforce research; all methodological expertise will be considered
• A recognised English language qualification is required.

This studentship is available to international applicants. Whilst home fees will be covered by the studentship,  successful international candidates will be responsible for covering the remainder of the international fee.

Please submit your application online. When prompted use the reference number 2526-JAN-CHSS01.

Supporting documentation:If you are interested in applying, please provide a cover letter explaining why you are a suitable candidate, including what you consider are the main challenges for the health and care workforce. Please also include a copy of your CV. Please also provide all your degree certificates and transcripts and a recognised English language qualification is required.

References: you will need to provide details of two referees as part of your application.

The closing date for applications is 12 October 2025.

It is expected that interviews will take place week commencing 27 October 2025. If you have not heard from us by mid October, we thank you for your application but on this occasion you have not been successful.