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The following study relates to the development of a research and statistic training course for staff members and postgraduate students within the Faculty of Health Sciences, Staffordshire University. As part of the research and advanced scholarship university agenda, the demand for increase in research and advanced scholarly outputs, a need was identified by numerous staff and postgraduate students for additional research and statistics methods training. University funding was obtained to further investigate staff and students' specific needs for such training. As a result, a basic research and statistics course was developed and delivered as a pilot to a small group of staff and postgraduate students. Written evaluation of the course was obtained by all attendees and analysed with the aim of improving the training course. Staff and student involvement was a vital part of the study throughout all stages, from course design to delivery and evaluation. The paper presents and discusses the key study findings as well as recommendations for practice.

Oral care has been traditionally considered poor in nursing homes and increased dental problems have been associated in people with dementia. Whilst behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) have been associated with pain in general, a link with dental pain has so far not yet been established. This study investigated the potential link between treatable dental problems (that might cause pain) and BPSD. Sixty five residents exhibiting BPSD were recruited in the study from three nursing homes in West Midlands. Patient cognitive and behavioural status was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Cohen-Mansfield Inventory (CMAI), and then subjected to dental screening using the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT). The dental examination by a qualified dentist revealed no dental problems that required treatment or likely to cause pain in any of the participants. The results suggest that in this exploratory sample BPSD was not caused by dental problems or dental pain. More trials are necessary to establish whether dental or other types of pain are linked with BPSD and whether analgesic treatment versus antipsychotics will aid behavioural management.

Staffordshire University has delivered the Certificate of Credit in Money Advice Practice (CMAP) in partnership with the Institute of Money Advisers (IMA) and since 2010 and over 1000 money advisers across the United Kingdom have achieved the qualification (Wright et al., 2014). CMAP graduates and employers expressed a need for an advanced specialist accreditation module for experienced money advisers to build on the CMAP. A Delphi study, a consensus method for curriculum design, was carried out to support the new course development. Participants were 13 experts in Money Advice Practice, including CMAP graduates. Three rounds of the Delphi process were carried out and consensus was obtained on course structure and content of modules, assessment, communication & support, professional competencies & skills, fees & duration, entry criteria, induction and materials and benefits of the advanced accreditation. The Delphi technique proved successful in involving experts in the design of a new course. A Feedback/ Feed forward event was also carried out to aid the process and the course is currently being developed.