Research aims to improve hospital care for children with complex needs
Dr Emma Popejoy
Children with complex care needs will benefit from substantial new funding for national research to improve their care in hospitals.
Clinical expert Dr Emma Popejoy has been awarded the Postdoctoral Award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and aims to develop real-world solutions to problems including fragmented care and communication barriers.
This new research will also look at the emotional and practical burden on families when a young person is admitted to hospital with complex needs and who may require highly specialised medical and developmental support spanning both inpatient hospital stays and community support.
Dr Popejoy said: “I have seen first hand the problems many children and families experience when they are admitted to hospital. This ranges from delays in care due to communication failures and lack of coordination, patient safety incidents such as drug errors and families feeling that their expertise is not valued in decision making.
“Some of these children and families have extended hospital stays, spanning months to years and this has significant physical, emotional and financial implications for them.
“Our aim is to work together with children, families, professionals and clinical leads to design a model of care which addresses the current problems and enhances the experiences and outcomes when a child with complex care needs is admitted to hospital.”
Dr Popejoy began her career as a frontline nurse in paediatric acute general medical care, where she developed a deep understanding of the realities of hospital care for children and families. Through both her early clinical experience and current CNS role, she has seen the significant challenges faced by children with complex care needs during hospital stays.
Dr Popejoy’s research for the VALUE US study will be conducted across England, running until March 2030, and will include families and carers most affected to ensure solutions are acceptable, relevant and impactful.
The award is delivered in partnership between Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) alongside the University of Leicester, where Dr Popejoy will have access to a supportive network of post-graduate researchers and vibrant research community. Leicester Clinical Trials Unit will also support the study.
Dr Popejoy is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Children and Young People’s Nursing and combines her academic role with frontline clinical practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) for Children with Medical Complexity at Nottingham Children’s Hospital. Her academic work focuses on improving care for children within acute hospital settings through research and quality improvement initiatives.
The VALUE US study will respond to the current care gaps by developing and testing a new approach to acute hospital care. Research will examine what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and why, so that future care models are grounded in evidence, clinical practice, and the experiences of children, young people, parents, carers, and health professionals.
Under this, the team will review existing evidence to understand how acute care can work better for children with complex care needs. Furthermore, they will work with families and professionals to co-design the VALUE US intervention and an implementation toolkit for hospitals. The team will also test whether the intervention can be delivered and evaluated across three NHS hospitals.
Professor Joseph Manning MBE, Professor of Nursing and Child Health at the University of Leicester and NUH and Lead Advisor, said: “This award recognises Dr Popejoy’s exceptional clinical academic leadership and the importance of improving acute hospital care for children with complex care needs.
“The VALUE US study has been shaped by families, grounded in frontline practice, and designed to produce practical evidence that hospitals can use. It has the potential to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and families nationally, while supporting Dr Popejoy’s development as a future clinical academic nursing leader.”
By the end of the award, the team aims to have produced a co-designed intervention, an implementation toolkit, and a refined understanding of how acute care can be improved for children with complex care needs. The findings will support a future large-scale trial and help inform national conversations about improving care for this growing group of children and families.
Professors Melissa Gladstone and Lindsay Pennington, co-chairs of the British Academy of Childhood Disability Strategic Research Group said: "Children with complex care needs, including those with neuro-disability, are among the highest users of healthcare services, yet many aspects of their hospital care remain under-researched. There is a clear need for high-quality research to better understand how services can meet the needs of these children and their families. We are delighted to see this important work supported through a Career Development Award.”