What are health care assistants’ experiences of redeployment?
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN67766303 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN67766303 |
| IRAS number | 349764 |
- Submission date
- 28/03/2025
- Registration date
- 14/04/2025
- Last edited
- 18/06/2025
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
The proposed study aims to explore the lived experiences of healthcare professionals affected by redeployment, focusing on its challenges and opportunities. Ultimately, this research aims to develop knowledge which allows us to support staff in times of crisis (and post-crisis) and increase the level of resilience within healthcare systems. The research aims to explore the lived experiences of healthcare professionals who have been redeployed into other services, examining the impact on both the staff involved and patient care and experience. It seeks to understand what constitutes a 'good' redeployment and identify the necessary conditions for achieving successful redeployment.
Who can participate?
Participants should be within a healthcare support worker/healthcare assistant role within an NHS Trust or an FT within the Midlands region. They must have experienced redeployment within the last twelve months for at least one shift (and not as part of an agency shift).
What does the study involve?
The study will employ a qualitative approach, specifically a Husserlian approach of descriptive phenomenology, using epistemology. A purposeful sampling method will be used to recruit participants. Semi-structured interviews will be offered either in person or over Microsoft Teams.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
This study aims to improve the experience of redeployment in the future, and therefore this study should ultimately improve working lives; however, recounting these experiences may be distressing and they should consider this if wishing to take part.
Where is the study run from?
Both the University Hospitals of North Midlands and the Midlands Partnership support the study
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2025 to August 2027. Interviews will take place from September 2025 for a period of up to a year.
Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded
Who is the main contact?
Ben Richards, ben.richards@open.ac.uk or ben.richards@combined.nhs.uk
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
Lawton House
Bellringer Road
Stoke on Trent
ST4 8HH
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0009-0001-8671-9109 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)300 123 1535 (ext 6661) |
| ben.richards@open.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Multicentre observational health professional phenomenological study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Semi structured interview study |
| Study setting(s) | Hospital, Internet/virtual, Telephone |
| Study type | Safety, Efficacy |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format. Please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | What are health care assistants’ experiences of redeployment? |
| Study objectives | Ultimately this research aims to develop knowledge which allows us to support staff in times of crisis (and post crisis) and increase the level of resilience within healthcare systems. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 18/05/2025, Health Research Authority (2 Redman Place, Stratford, London, E20 1JQ, United Kingdom; +44 (0)207 104 8000; approvals@hra.nhs.uk), ref: 25/HRA/2114 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Lived experiences of healthcare professionals affected by redeployment, focusing on its challenges and opportunities. |
| Intervention | The study will employ a qualitative approach, specifically a Husserlian approach of descriptive phenomenology, using epistemology. A purposeful sampling method will be used to recruit participants. Semi-structured interviews will be offered either in person or over Microsoft Teams. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Healthcare assistant lived experiences of redeployment measured using qualitative interviews at the point of interview, the experience having occurred in the past 12 months for at least one shift and not as a result of an agency shift. |
| Secondary outcome measures | Healthcare assistant perceptions of patient care impact of staff redeployment measured using qualitative interviews at the point of interview, the redeployment experience having occurred in the past 12 months for at least one shift and not as a result of an agency shift. Healthcare assistant suggestions of what aspects a good staff redeployment would possess measured using qualitative interviews at the point of interview, the redeployment experience having occurred in the past 12 months for at least one shift and not as a result of an agency shift. |
| Overall study start date | 01/01/2025 |
| Completion date | 01/08/2027 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Health professional |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Upper age limit | 99 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 20 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Healthcare Support Worker / Healthcare Assistant 2. Impacted by redeployment (at least one shift) in the last twelve months 3. Employed in an NHS Trust or Foundation Trust in the NHSE Midlands Region |
| Key exclusion criteria | Redeployment experience relates to an agency shift |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/09/2025 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/03/2026 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
St Georges Hospital
Corporation Street
Stafford
ST16 3SR
United Kingdom
Stoke-on-trent
ST4 6QG
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
England
United Kingdom
| Website | https://www.open.ac.uk |
|---|---|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/05mzfcs16 |
Funders
Funder type
Other
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/09/2031 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in publicly available repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | 1. Professional Doctorate Thesis 2. Sharing within the participating Trusts 3. Further publication |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during the study will be published, in anonymised form, onto Open University Research Online - https://oro.open.ac.uk/ |
Editorial Notes
18/06/2025: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The IRAS number was added.
2. The ethics approval was added.
17/04/2025: The public title and scientific title were changed from "What are health professionals' experiences of redeployment?" to "What are health care assistants’ experiences of redeployment?"
14/04/2025: Study's existence confirmed by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (UK).
