Eleanor Hoverd is a Research Fellow based at the University of Oxford (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) working on the realist reviews as part of Workforce Voices. She is a registered nurse by background and worked in the NHS in a variety of roles for 24 years including with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) delivering clinical research studies in the West Midlands and policy and strategy in the nursing directorate at NHS England. She has extensive experience of engaging and involving patients and members of the public in health and care research, particularly through co-production.
In April 2025, Eleanor joined the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford as a realist researcher within the Workforce and Learning Research Group. Her work focuses on understanding workforce challenges in primary care and maternity services, especially in underserved communities. A registered adult nurse by background, she has worked across NHS hospital and primary care settings. She also held key roles as a national research lead with the Chief Nursing Officer for England’s policy and strategy unit and the Regional Research Delivery Network West Midlands, delivering clinical research studies. These experiences have cultivated her strong passion for research equity, inclusion (especially regarding race and ethnicity), health inequalities, and patient and public involvement (PPI). Her National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) clinical doctoral research fellowship at the University of Warwick investigated inclusion and participation in health and care research among Black communities in the UK, aiming to provide recommendations and a theoretical framework for more inclusive research. Eleanor is a dedicated advocate for ensuring the patient voice is integral to the design, delivery, and dissemination of health and care research. She is also the PPI Lead on an NIHR-funded program at the University of Leicester focusing on healthy eating and physical activity for people with type 2 diabetes from Black African and Black Caribbean backgrounds.