{"id":2183,"date":"2026-01-13T10:03:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T10:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/?p=2183"},"modified":"2026-01-15T10:40:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T10:40:43","slug":"apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Supporting Research Capacity in Community Rehabilitation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m a physiotherapist by background, and I currently work across two roles: one in the NHS, supporting Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) across Devon, and one in academia, where my research focuses on community rehabilitation and the workforce that delivers it. Across both roles, there is a common thread \u2014 and it\u2019s the part of my work I enjoy most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporting AHPs working in rehabilitation to take their first steps into research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why rehabilitation generates research questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rehabilitation is inherently complex. It\u2019s delivered across settings, shaped by workforce capacity, and tailored to people living with long-term conditions, frailty, or recovery after illness or injury. Outcomes matter \u2014 but they\u2019re not always easy to define or measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of this, rehabilitation clinicians are constantly making judgements, adapting interventions, and navigating system pressures. Unsurprisingly, that can generate questions:<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cWhy does this work well for some people but not others?\u201d<br>\u201cHow do we know this service is doing what we think it is?\u201d<br>\u201cWhat outcomes really matter in community rehabilitation?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are research questions \u2014 even if they don\u2019t always label them that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Research advice clinics: supporting rehabilitation clinicians<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of my role with NHS Devon, I run \u201cResearch Advice Clinics\u201d for AHPs, many of whom work in community and intermediate care rehabilitation services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people come with a specific rehabilitation-focused idea \u2014 for example, around service models, outcomes, workforce roles or a specific intervention. Others come because they are starting to think about research as part of their career and want to understand what that might look like within a rehabilitation context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The clinics are informal by design. They create space to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>shape early rehabilitation research ideas,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>work out whether a question is research, evaluation or improvement,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>explore how research careers can sit alongside clinical rehabilitation roles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For many, the biggest shift is realising that their everyday rehabilitation practice already places them at the centre of important research questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing that doesn\u2019t surprise me \u2014 but does still disappoint me \u2014 is that no clinician who has come to a clinic has described having protected research time within their role. Research is something people are trying to fit around clinical demand, often in their own time, despite the fact that rehabilitation services are expected to be evidence-informed, adaptive and outcomes-focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Building a rehabilitation research community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Individual support is important, but rehabilitation research capacity grows more effectively when people are connected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I co-founded the South West Community Rehabilitation Research Network to bring together clinicians, academics, service leaders and partners who share an interest in improving community rehabilitation. The network provides a space to share challenges, align priorities, and develop research that reflects the realities of rehabilitation delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crucially, it also reinforces that rehabilitation research is not just about interventions, but about systems, workforce, and how care is experienced by people using services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Small steps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not everyone I support will go on to lead a large rehabilitation study. But if clinicians feel more confident questioning practice, using evidence, or exploring research pathways, that strengthens rehabilitation as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research capacity in rehabilitation is built gradually \u2014 through conversations, relationships, and support that reflects the complexity of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why this matters to me \u2014 and why I love doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"930\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg 930w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570-768x413.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Volunteer Woman Visiting Senior Woman In The Nursing Home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supporting Research Capacity in Community Rehabilitation I\u2019m a physiotherapist by background, and I currently work across two roles: one in the NHS, supporting Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) across Devon, and one in academia, where my research focuses on community rehabilitation and the workforce that delivers it. Across both roles, there is a common thread \u2014 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":989,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[87,133,135],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall - Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall - Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Supporting Research Capacity in Community Rehabilitation I\u2019m a physiotherapist by background, and I currently work across two roles: one in the NHS, supporting Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) across Devon, and one in academia, where my research focuses on community rehabilitation and the workforce that delivers it. Across both roles, there is a common thread \u2014 [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-13T10:03:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-15T10:40:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ma403\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ma403\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/\",\"name\":\"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall - Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T10:03:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-15T10:40:43+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#\/schema\/person\/c879bec898b001b848409d05d9725536\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg\",\"width\":930,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Volunteer Woman Visiting Senior Woman In The Nursing Home\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/\",\"name\":\"Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#\/schema\/person\/c879bec898b001b848409d05d9725536\",\"name\":\"ma403\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c7e96a207860f7603daa58c73bdc5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c7e96a207860f7603daa58c73bdc5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ma403\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/author\/ma403\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall - Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall - Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog","og_description":"Supporting Research Capacity in Community Rehabilitation I\u2019m a physiotherapist by background, and I currently work across two roles: one in the NHS, supporting Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) across Devon, and one in academia, where my research focuses on community rehabilitation and the workforce that delivers it. Across both roles, there is a common thread \u2014 [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/","og_site_name":"Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog","article_published_time":"2026-01-13T10:03:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-15T10:40:43+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg"}],"author":"ma403","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ma403","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/","name":"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall - Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-13T10:03:04+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-15T10:40:43+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#\/schema\/person\/c879bec898b001b848409d05d9725536"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/249\/2026\/01\/seniorwoman_withvisitor885552570.jpg","width":930,"height":500,"caption":"Volunteer Woman Visiting Senior Woman In The Nursing Home"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/2026\/01\/13\/apex-rehabilitation-theme-blog-dr-abi-hall\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"APEX Rehabilitation Theme Blog \u2013 Dr Abi Hall"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/","name":"Exeter Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#\/schema\/person\/c879bec898b001b848409d05d9725536","name":"ma403","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c7e96a207860f7603daa58c73bdc5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6c7e96a207860f7603daa58c73bdc5a8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ma403"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/author\/ma403\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/989"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2183"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2191,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2183\/revisions\/2191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/apex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}