Lancaster University and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust
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Patient Safety in Hospital Care: Two PhD Studentships
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Ensuring patient safety is important in the UK National Health Service, 
and it
is important in turn to recognise impending problems before they become 
serious.
This may be possible through real-time monitoring of patients' conditions.
We are seeking two PhD students to work in this area.

These studentships are a joint venture between the University Hospitals of
Morecambe Bay NHS Trust (UHMB) and Lancaster University. The research is
expected to lead to academic publications and to influence the safety and
quality of patient care. We anticipate that the successful candidates will
take an active interest in the academic and practical work of the Trust in
improving patient safety, as well as conducting their PhD work at the 
University.

PhD student I is to work on the statistical aspects and will be 
supervised by
Professor Peter Diggle, Professor of Statistics in the Department of 
Medicine
at Lancaster University. Applicants for this studentship should have, or
expect to gain, at least an upper second class honours degree in statistics.

PhD student II is to work on the organisational and operational aspects and
will be supervised by Professor Mike Pidd and Dr Jerry Busby of the 
Department
of Management Science at Lancaster University. Applicants for this 
studentship
should have, or expect to gain, at least an upper second class honours 
degree
that includes management science, systems or operational research.

Prof Andy Smith, of the Department of Anaesthesia and Research and 
Development,

UHMB, will also be member of the supervision team for both students.

There are close links between Lancaster University and staff UHMB, and the
project will require a collaborative style of working with both 
organisations.

UHMB is a research-minded organisation which recently acquired full 
teaching
status, delivering healthcare services on 3 hospital sites in Lancaster,
Kendal and Barrow-in-Furness. It has a very supportive Research and
Development department, and excellent library facilities in the
newly-opened Education Centre.

Lancaster University is one of the UK’s leading research universities and
is expanding its work in Health and Medicine. Its research groups in
statistics and in Management Science are RAE rated at 6*. Hence the
successful applicants will be supervised in a top quality research
environment. The two PhD students will be expected to co-operate,
to bring both quantitative and qualitative insights to bear on
the substantive problem.

The studentships will cover UK/EU fees and will provide a tax-free stipend
of £17,000 pa for 3 years, which may be extendible to 4 years subject to
good progress. The project will begin in October 2007.

Application forms can be found at:
www.lancs.ac.uk/admissions/postgrad/pgform1.htm.

For more details, contact either Professor Peter Diggle or Professor 
Mike Pidd,
as shown below.

Professor Peter Diggle Professor Mike Pidd
Department of Medicine Department of Management Science
Lancaster University Lancaster University Management School
Lancaster LA1 4YF Lancaster LA1 4YX
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01524 593957 01524 593870