Table 1.

Clinical academic partnership training pathway: five key features and actions.

Feature	What is involved
1. Focuses on practice-relevant research agendas for patient benefit that is close to practice	Including clinicians, managers and researchers in mutually agreeing topics in priority areas; planning to generate knowledge relevant to patients and healthcare organisations; co-ordinating research programmes between NHS organisations and the HEI
2. Creates powerful and sustainable partnerships and collaborations	A named Clinical Academic Co-ordinator responsible for developing partnerships between HEI and NHS organisations Creating linkages between clinical and research teams, and novice and experienced researchers Creating mechanisms by which research skills and practice knowledge are exchanged, developed and enhanced in pursuit of service improvement Establishing joint appointments Enabling new collaborations among clinicians, teams, networks and organisations
3. Makes investments in infrastructure to develop strategy, co-ordinate activities and overcome barriers	Establishing strategic Steering Group and operational delivery group with representation from Health Education Wessex, NHS organisations and the University of Southampton Developing and implementing key strategic and operational elements of programme on behalf of organisations Securing engagement from named senior individuals from HEI and NHS organisations to input to strategic and operational developments Making provision for space dedicated to housing clinical academic staff
4. Incremental approach to developing research and clinical leadership across the pathway	Agreeing a career pathway and capability framework that describes progressive skill and knowledge development Providing training schemes, mentorship and supervision opportunities; providing clinical, leadership and quality improvement skills development
5. Translates findings and innovates and educates to improve healthcare and health outcomes	Supporting the development of critical thinking, which can be applied to practice decision making Developing leadership skills to work with clinical teams, services and departments in order to generate improvements to care pathways and local services Working to achieve innovation, knowledge translation (implementing products, technologies and services) and knowledge mobilisation (use of research evidence) Contributing to training future generations of health professionals