Help with your research? Sources of information and support

High quality research is essential to the provision of excellent health care in both primary and hospital settings. Midwives, health visitors, other community practitioners and allied health professionals should be encouraged to initiate and participate in research. No one should undertake research in isolation. Those who are novices should make sure that they are part of a team of more experienced researchers from whom they can learn and develop their own research skills. The National Institute for Health Research provides research training programmes, research funding and infrastructure to support researchers. The latter includes RDInfo, a free resource for all health and social care researchers in the UK. It provides comprehensive information on available research funding and training as well as individualised referrals for research advice.