Dr Reena Devi

Profile

I carried out my BSc degree in Human Psychology, and my MSc degree in Health Psychology, both at Aston University. I then completed her PhD at Coventry University, the title of my thesis - Evaluating the Effectiveness and Feasibility of a Web-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Intervention.

From 2014 - 2018 I worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, working on projects aiming to improve health care services delivered to older people. From 2016 - 2018 I worked on a project called the Proactive HEAlthcare of Older People in Care Homes (PEACH) study. The PEACH study used a Quality Improvement Collaborative (QIC) approach to improve the delivery of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) to people living in care homes. My role on this project included being part of a team delivering the QIC intervention, and also using a realist approach to evaluate what works, for whom, and in what ways when a QIC is used to improve the delivery of CGA to people living in care homes.

At the University of Leeds I continue to work on care home related research. I am currently working on the following projects:

1. The NICHE Leeds project. The Nurturing Innovation in Care Homes Excellence projects adopts an approach used in the Netherlands and involves nursing homes and academia partnering together with the aim of implementing scientific research into practice. 

2. The SEARCH U study - Seeking Answers for Care Home Clinical Uncertainties, a study identifying, and prioritising the clinical uncertainties that exist in care homes with nursing.

3. Developing research to address and improve staff retention and turnover in care homes.

4. The SUSTAIN study - SUSTAining Implementation of New Approaches in Care Homes. This project is funded by the Abbeyfield Research Foundation (£48,000, principal investigator) and aims to examine the extent to which improved quality of care is sustained in care homes, and identify the factors that influence sustainability.

5. Engaging General Practitioners in Service Development and Quality Improvement in Care Homes: a Realist Synthesis of the Published Evidence. This project is funded by the NIHR (£164k, co-applicant), and will review the scientific literature to examine how, when, and under what circumstances does GP involvement in service development, implementation and improvement in care homes result in effective implementation or improved outcomes for residents?  

6. A scoping literature review, examining the most effective strategies for improving the quality of care delivered in long term care settings. This project is funded by the East Midlands Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (£31k, principal investigator).

7. Developing an International Collaborative Network to Study LOng Term Care InstitUtionS in Brazil; The LOTUS Project.  This project is funded by The Academy of Medical Sciences, Global Challenges Research Fund (£25k, co-applicant), and is a collaboration between Brazil, UK, The Netherlands, and Austria.

I am also developing research to address health and social care workforce issues in care homes. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to enquire about my work.

Qualifications

• BSc in Human Psychology (Aston University)
• MSc in Health Psychology (Aston University)
• PhD (Coventry University)