The training team

I am a Senior Lecturer in Pain Medicine at the Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences, Keele University. I also work clinically in North Staffordshire, leading an interdisciplinary team in the IMPACT Community Pain Service.

I trained in medicine at the Universities of St Andrews and Manchester and completed specialist training in Anaesthesia before further specialising in Pain Medicine. My research is inspired by my clinical work and focuses on improving care for patients with long-term pain.

In my clinic I regularly meet patients who struggle with chronic pain and see little alternative to continuing opioids, even when they no longer help or cause troublesome side-effects. Previous studies with colleagues at Keele have explored the long-term use of opioid painkillers and as Principle Investigator, I am delighted to be co-leading the enthusiastic team delivering the PROMPPT programme. Too often, people with long-term pain struggle to find the help they need and this programme is a great opportunity to help patients who may be continuing unnecessarily on medicines that are harming rather than helping them.

I trained as a physiotherapist at Kings College London, graduating in 2000 and have worked with patients living with persistent pain in a variety of health sectors including the NHS, the British Armed Forces, and the private sector. My PhD (Keele University, 2018) investigated the epidemiology of patients with neuropathic pain. I now work in part, as a Specialist Pain Physiotherapist with the IMPACT Community Pain Service (Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) and in part, as a Research Associate at Keele University. In my clinical role, I support patients living with persistent pain including those with fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain to do the things that are of importance to them. In my academic role, I am working with a team on a project investigating prescribing trends of gabapentinoids (pain medication often prescribed for neuropathic pain) in UK primary care but spend the majority of my time working on the PROMPPT study. I am really excited to be working with the PROMPPT research team to improve the care of people living with pain. I provide clinical expertise, support the team by managing the study on a day-to-day basis and I am one of the faces behind @KeelePain.

I graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2019 with a degree in medicine, before starting work as an Academic Foundation Doctor at the University Hospitals of North Midlands. I am currently splitting my time between clinical work at Biddulphdoctors and academic work with the PROMPPT study.
Despite being in the early stages of my career I have interacted with many patients struggling with chronic pain, who often feel opioids are the only option. I am therefore thrilled to be given the opportunity to be involved in such important research, which I hope will improve the care of these patients, as well as shaping my future practice as a GP.

I am a GP in Stoke as well as Senior Lecturer at Keele University School of Medicine where I lead consultation skills training for the undergraduate medical students. My PhD was a collection of published papers which I called “Action research: towards excellence in teaching, assessment and feedback for clinical consultation skills”.

My involvement in the PROMPPT study is helping to devise and deliver the training for these vitally important consultations between clinical pharmacists and their patients who are taking long-term opioids. I am excited to support this initiative which will hopefully change patients’ lives and will doubtless change my own GP consultations too!

I hold a PhD in psychology (University College London), as well as Masters Degrees in experimental research methods in psychology (UCL), and epidemiology (Cambridge University). I am a registered practitioner with the Health and Care Professions Council.

I hold a PhD in psychology (University College London), as well as Masters Degrees in experimental research methods in psychology (UCL), and epidemiology (Cambridge University). I am a registered practitioner with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Most recently my research has focused on delivering effective reassurance to patients in primary care, and studying the use of technology to deliver rehabilitation. My practical work focuses on training practitioners in effective communication skills and fostering awareness of patients’ psychological needs and concerns.

One of the most challenging problems in the field of health at the moment is our relationship to pharmacological interventions. PROMPPT addresses this problem by testing a novel solution that might really change people’s lives. My role within this project is to explore how best to optimise the behaviours of clinicians to elicit and maintain a change in the behaviour of patients.

I am a GP Partner in Stoke-on-Trent and a Clinical Lecturer in Medical Education at Keele University Medical School. I have been involved in teaching and training at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level for over 10 years. I am currently co-lead for the year 5 MBChB programme. My research interests include interprofessional learning between pharmacy and medical students and the assessment of professionalism. Working in General Practice I can fully appreciate the impact that the PROMPPT study is likely to have on patient care and very much look forward to being involved.