HSR UK in Action: From Conference Connections to Continuing Collaborations

Yingxi Zhao, University of Oxford

Damian Hodgson, Manchester Metropolitan University

“One session at HSR UK 2025 in Newcastle stayed with us longer than most. A workforce research discussion session brought together four presentations (1) on new and extended roles in UK health and social care – Damian Hodgson and Emily Wood examining new roles in mental health trusts, Yingxi Zhao presenting on physician assistants/associates in hospitals, Imelda McDermott exploring new and extended roles in general practice, and Antonina Semkina analysing the work of care coordinators. On the surface, these were distinct projects in very different settings, but as the discussion unfolded in the room, we found ourselves circling around similar issues.”

“A central question was the problem of how these new roles were defined, how they then developed, and the variation of these roles in practice. Despite growing interest in workforce redesign, reflected in NHS England Long Term Workforce Plan commitments to expanding new roles, it was clear that there was little clarity about what terms like 'new roles', 'extended roles' or 'skill mix change' mean in practice.”

“We ended up continuing the conversation after the session and agreed that it would be worth staying in touch. Damian Hodgson and Pauline Nelson were looking to revise and extend existing typologies of skill mix change, and it felt like this might be useful to test across all our work.”

“The conversation also opened up a comparative dimension that we had not anticipated. Yingxi Zhao had been involved in research in global health, alongside colleagues working in African health systems, where concepts such as ‘task shifting’ and ‘task sharing’ are much more common than ‘skill mix’. In settings like Kenya, new roles have often developed out of necessity, shaped by long-standing resource constraints, and are already an established part of how health systems function. The parallels with current NHS workforce pressures were striking, and it was clear there was more to learn from international experiences than is often recognised.”

“A few months later, we realised most of us would be attending the 2026 Organisational Behaviour in Health Care (OBHC) Conference in Oxford. This presented an ideal opportunity to develop and expand the conversation started at HSR UK. We organised a symposium, bringing in colleagues examining ward assistants supporting nursing roles in Kenya and broader patterns of skill mix change in sub-Saharan African health systems. This extended the discussion considerably, raising questions about our conceptualisation of skill-mix, impacts on workforce wellbeing, and how power dynamics affect the shape, position, and stability or fluidity of new roles.”

“Since then, the conversation has continued – informally but productively. It has involved ongoing email exchanges, joining each other’s project dissemination events, and early conversations about joint outputs such as commentaries or special issues. We are planning to bring the conversation back to HSR UK 2026 in Manchester, in a dedicated workshop.

“Looking back, it seems important also to reflect on what made this possible. This all grew from one conference session which created the right conditions – bringing together people working on related questions, allowing time to listen, and adopting a structure which encourages collective conversation, not individual presentation. This is not a trivial contribution. At a time when health services research is under pressure to demonstrate impact and relevance, and when the challenges faced are so pressing, the spaces and connections that HSR UK creates to think together across projects, settings and disciplines are enormously valuable – and perhaps underappreciated when we account for the ways research communities develop and produce knowledge.”

Here at HSR UK, we are thrilled to have created the space for connections like this to take shape and grow into productive collaborations. We are also delighted that Yingxi and colleagues will be returning for HSR UK 2026 to deliver the workshop “New and extended roles in health and care: developments and challenges” (scheduled for 1 July, 11:45am, Room 4).

Yingxi will also be presenting at our Rapid Fire session (30 June, 3:45pm, Room 4) and at the Workforce Skillmix Research Discussion (30 June, 2:00pm, Room 1). We can’t wait to see what conversations and future collaborations emerge next!

HSR UK 2026 will be held at the University of Manchester on 30 June & 1 July. Browse the full programme of Research Discussions and register here.

Blog Authors:

Dr Yingxi Zhao, Postdoctoral Research Scientist and NIHR Fellow, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford

Professor Damian Hodgson, Professor of Organisation Studies, MMU Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University

(1) All presentations at both conferences were on behalf of larger research teams, and we are pleased to acknowledge the contribution of all collaborators below (with presenters in bold):

Co-Presenters at HSR UK 2025

1. What can we learn from the international experiences of developing and integrating physician associates to inform their implementation in the UK hospital settings: a realist review

• - Yingxi Zhao - University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Medicine
• - Mike English - University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Medicine
• - Shobhana Nagraj - University of Cambridge Department of Public Health & Primary Care
• - Rhys Swainston - University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Medicine
• - Attrakrit Leckcivilize - University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Medicine
• - Geoff Wong - University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences

2. New Roles in Health and Social Care: What is the nature of new care coordinator roles (within Integrated Care Systems)?

• - Antonina Semkina - King's College London
• - Annette Boaz - King's College London
• - Ruth Harris - King's College London
• - Caroline Norrie - King's College London

3. New and extended roles staff in general practice: A realist evaluation of supervision and support mechanisms

• - Imelda McDermott - Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester
• - Sharon Spooner - Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester

4. New roles in mental health services in England: a qualitative study of boundary work and organisational change

• - Emily Wood - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield
• - Damian Hodgson - MMU Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University
• - Pauline Nelson - Sheffield University Management School, University of Sheffield
• - Sally Sanger - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield
• - Jaqui Long - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield
• - Helen Crimlisk - Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
• - Michelle Horspool - Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
• - Mohinder Kapoor - South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• - Tony Ryan - Health Sciences School, University of Sheffield
• - Scott Weich - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research (SCHARR), University of Sheffield
• - Ellie Wildbore - Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS Foundation Trust

Symposium Collaborators at OBHC 2026

• - Damian Hodgson, Manchester Metropolitan University
• - Pauline Nelson, University of Sheffield
• - Imelda McDermott, University of Manchester
• - Tricia Tooman, University of Aberdeen
• - Antonina Semkina, King’s College London
• - Annette Boaz, King’s College London
• - Mike English, University of Oxford and KEMRI–Wellcome Trust Research Programme
• - Sassy Molyneux, University of Oxford and KEMRI–Wellcome Trust Research Programme
• - Claire Blacklock, University of Oxford
• - Yingxi Zhao, University of Oxford