A nurse at the Royal Free London (RFL) wants to inspire more nurses and midwives to undertake research as part of their clinical roles.

Helen Jones, who has been named a senior nurse and midwife research leader by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), says research should be an integral part of a nurse or midwife’s career.

As part of her new role as a research leader, Helen will be working with nurses across the trust to explore research opportunities and helping them access research funding.

She is one of 70 nurses and midwives from the across the NHS to have been named a research leader by the NIHR as part of their 70@70 programme, which coincides with the NHS’s 70th birthday.

The NIHR will be funding part of her role, which will allow Helen to concentrate on driving forward nursing and midwifery research at the RFL.

She said: “This is an amazing opportunity to encourage, inspire and facilitate nursing and midwifery research here at the Royal Free London.

“I hope to introduce research projects that are integrated into the care that nurses and midwives are providing to patients every day and not an added extra. Doctors see research as a natural part of their career, but that is not the case for a nurse or midwife – I want to change that perception.

“We should always be improving care and finding better ways of doing things. Nursing has changed an enormous amount in the past few decades, it is constantly moving forward. I want to help more nurses and midwives at the RFL take advantage of available research opportunities.”