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

UWE, Bristol - College of Health, Science and Society

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate 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 PhD 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

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.

For further information please contact Professor Nicola Walsh or Professor Sarah Voss.

The studentship is available from 01 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; and ideally will have previous experience of undertaking workforce research; all methodological expertise will be considered.

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.