Emilie Couchman

Profile

I have recently joined the department as NIHR Clinical Lecturer in General Practice. I am an academic GP based in Wiltshire and have recently completed my PhD (relating to continuity within the primary palliative care context) with the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre at the University of Sheffield.

My academic field of interest is people with palliative care needs, and I have experience of undertaking qualitative, realist, and mixed-methods research in primary care, A&E and inpatient settings. I am interested in the sociological aspects of living with and dying from illness, and the provision and utilisation of healthcare services among these patient populations. My other specific interests include continuity of care; the deficit in palliative care provision experienced by those with non-malignant disease; the tension between specialist and generalist palliative care provision; and how the increasingly multidisciplinary NHS workforce might impact the capacity of GPs to provide palliative care.

I am currently co-chair of the Society of Academic Primary Care Palliative Care Special Interest Group. I have medical journalism and editorial experience, having previously undertaken placements at the British Journal of General Practice, and the British Medical Journal.

I have a Certificate in Learning and Teaching from Queen Mary University of London and am an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I regularly provide clinical supervision to allied health professionals in my role as a salaried GP and in the out of hours context. Since medical school I have been involved in teaching and mentoring medical students and junior colleagues. Most recently, I became an Academic Personal Tutor for Gateway foundation year medical students at Leeds University.

As a GP, I consider my clinical remit to be generalism. I recognise the value of continuity of care for both patients and healthcare professionals and am a firm advocate of this in clinical practice. I am familiar with the NHS primary care system from a variety of front-line perspectives, and because of my engagement with extensive clinical practice and policy literature.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch regarding potential collaboration.

Research interests

Research focus: palliative care and primary care. I am interested in the provision and utilisation of healthcare services; continuity of care; inequity in palliative care provision; the tension between specialist and generalist palliative care provision; and how the increasingly multidisciplinary NHS workforce might impact the capacity of GPs to provide palliative care. I have experience of qualitative, realist, and mixed-methods research in various settings.

Qualifications

• PhD
• MBChB
• BMedSci
• PGCert in Learning & Teaching
• PGCert in Applied Research Methods

Professional memberships

• MRCGP