Loughborough U PhD Studentship (UK)

Receptionist-led telephone triage in GP Practices: Communication barriers to patient access?
ESRC DTP Joint Studentship in the Midlands Graduate School
Loughborough University and University of Nottingham

The Midlands Graduate School is an accredited Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), with the first intake of students to begin in October 2017. One of 14 such partnerships in the UK, the Midlands Graduate School is a collaboration between the University of Warwick, Aston University, University of Birmingham, University of Leicester, Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham. The Midlands Graduate School is now inviting applications for an ESRC Doctoral Joint Studentship between Loughborough University (where the student will be registered) and the University of Nottingham to commence in October 2017.

The project will investigate how receptionist-led triage happens in patients’ telephone calls to GP practices. The study will investigate a corpus of real-time recorded interaction between receptionists and analyse the data using conversation analysis. Analysis might focus on, for instance, what happens when receptionists ask patients to ‘give some idea of what the problem is’, in order to ‘triage’ their needs. Overall, the project will identify troubles that can emerge, as well as practices that work, in enabling patient access to GP services.

Application Process To be considered for this PhD, please complete the Joint Studentship application form available online here. Please include a CV along with two references and email all documents to Dr Bogdana Huma (b.huma AT lboro.ac.uk).

Application deadline is Friday, 17th February 2017

Midlands Graduate School ESRC DTP
Our ESRC studentships cover fees and maintenance stipend and extensive support for research training, as well as research activity support grants. Support is available only to successful applicants who fulfil eligibility criteria. Check your eligibility.

Informal enquiries about the research or the Department of Social Sciences prior to application can be directed to Professor Elizabeth Stokoe (e.h.stokoe AT lboro.ac.uk).