Dr Victoria Silverwood
- Title
- Location
- Keele University
- Role
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Lecturer (ACL) in primary care
Biography
Victoria studied medicine at Keele University, graduating in 2012 with a distinction. She completed both her foundation training and GP training in North Staffordshire. Alongside her clinical training she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education, a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Sciences and an MPhil in primary care mental health. Her PhD entitled ‘Defining optimal interventions for Perinatal Anxiety (PNA) in a general practice population: a multi-methods study’ was awarded in 2024 and explored interventions for perinatal anxiety in primary and community care. Victoria is a Society of Academic Primary Care (SAPC) Mental Health Special Interest Group (SIG) and Women’s health SIG. She is a member of both the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Perinatal Network and the North West Perinatal Research Network and works closely with various community based perinatal mental health organisations.
Victoria works clinically as a salaried GP two days a week at Cumberland House Surgery, in Macclesfield Cheshire where she delivers a weekly perinatal clinic and teaches undergraduate medical students. She is a committee member of General Practitioners Championing Perinatal Care (GPCPC) (https://gpcpc.co.uk) which aims to improve perinatal care in primary care. She is a career coach for GPs working in East Cheshire as part of an initiative to improve support for GPs and improve GP retention across the region.
Research and scholarship
Victoria’s postdoctoral work is focussed on improving equitable access for all women for perinatal mental health (PMH) problems within primary care and community settings. She works closely with a PMH patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) group for all of her work.
Publications
- Silverwood, V., Fisher,, Shivji, N., Archer, C; Evans, J; Fisher, Tamsin; Kessler, D; Kingstone, T; Petersen, I; Procter, J; Turner, K; Wu, P; Chew-Graham, C., Challenges and opportunities of using electronic healthcare records to identify perinatal anxiety: a mixed methods study. (Under review with Health Expectations, submitted Dec 2025)
- Yu, D; Bailey, J; Chew Graham, C; Smith, H; Archer, C; Evans, J; Fisher, Tamsin; Kessler, D; Kingstone, T; Petersen, I; Proctor, J; Shivji, N; Silverwood, V; Spruce, A; Turner, K; Wu, P; Blagojevic-Bucknall, M; Jordan, K. Impact of perinatal anxiety on healthcare utilisation: a matched cohort study using electronic health record in the United Kingdom. (Under review with BMJ Mental Health, post-peer review manuscript accepted for publication Jan 2026)
- Silverwood, V, Chew-Graham C. A. How can we improve diagnosis and support for patients with Bipolar disorder in primary care? BJGP Clinical Practice (Post peer review manuscript accepted for publication Dec 2025)
- Sheldon, E. M., Ezaydi, N., Hahn, D., Hobbs, K., Ahmed, S., Miles, H., Thompson, J., Marvin-Dowle, K., Fryer, K., Sutton, L., Silverwood, V., Mitchell, C., Hind, D., & Mackenzie, K. (2025). The PRAMS (Perinatal Redesign for Accessing Mental Health Services) Study: a research protocol. British Journal of General Practice Open (BJGP Open), BJGPO.2025.0206.https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2025.0206
- Fisher,T., Kingstone, T., Shivji, N., Turner, K., Chew-Graham, C., Smith, H., Proctor, J., Evans, J., Kessler, D., Petersen, I., Yu, D., Archer, C., Bailey, J., Wu, P., Silverwood, V. Identification of increased risk of perinatal anxiety: a multi-perspective qualitative study. BJGP; 2025. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2024.0691
- Al-jarshawi, M., Kobo, O., Ko, D., Wijeysundera, H., Golam Azam, M., Silverwood, V., Bajpai, R., Bagur, R., Mamas, M. The Prognostic Value of the American Heart Association PREVENT Cardiovascular Disease Risk Equations in Cancer Survivorship: A NHANES Population-Based Study (2009-2018). Journal of the American Heart Association: 2025. https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.125.042209
- Smith H. C., Archer C., Bailey J., Chew-Graham C.A., Evans J., Fisher T., Kessler D., Kingstone T., Proctor J., Shivji N., Silverwood V., Spruce A., Turner K., Wu P., Yu D., Petersen I. Maternal perinatal anxiety and infant primary care use in 1998–2016: a UK cohort study. BMJ Mental Health, 2025; 28(1):e30116. DOI: 1136/bmjment-2024-301160.
- Winn E., Kissane M., Merriel S., Brain T., Silverwood V., Whitehead O., Howe L., Payne R., Duncan P., on behalf of the Primary Care Academic Collaborative (PACT). CHiP study protocol: using the primary care academic CollaboraTive to explore the characteristics and healthcare use of older housebound patients in England. BJGP Open. 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2023.0114
- Silverwood V., Bullock L., Jordan J., Turner K., Chew-Graham C.A., Kingstone T., Dawson S. Non-pharmacological interventions for the management of perinatal anxiety in primary care: a meta-review of systematic reviews. BJGP Open. 2023. DOI: 10.3399/BJGPO.2023.0022
- Silverwood V., Bullock L., Turner K., Chew-Graham C.A., Kingstone, T. The approach to managing perinatal anxiety: A mini-review. Front. Psychiatry. 2022; 13:1022459. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1022459
- Ridge D., Bullock L., Causer H., Fisher T., Hider S., Kingstone T., Gray L., Riley R., Smyth N., Silverwood V., Spiers J., Southam J. 'Imposter participants’ in online qualitative research, a new and increasing threat to data integrity? HEX. 2022. DOI: 10.1111/hex.13724
- Gopal D., Waqar S., Silverwood V., Mulla E., Dada O. Race and racism: are we too comfortable with comfort? BJGP Open 2020; 4 (5): BJGPO.2020.0143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2020.0143
- Oh S., Chew-Graham C.A., Silverwood V., Shaheen S., Walsh-House J., Sumathipala A., Kingstone T. Exploring women’s experiences of identifying, negotiating and managing perinatal anxiety: a qualitative study. BMJ Open 2020;10:e040731. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040731
- Silverwood V., Nash A., Chew-Graham C.A., Walsh-House J., Bartlam B.,Sumathipala A., Kingstone T. ‘Healthcare professionals perspectives of identifying and managing Perinatal Anxiety: a qualitative study.’ BJGP. 2019; 69: 688 e768-e776.
- Silverwood V., Shiers D., Chew-Graham C.A. ‘Improving the physical health of people with severe mental illness: don’t just screen, intervene’ InnovAIT. 2019; 12(4), 203-210.
- Silverwood V., Chew-Graham C.A., Raybould I., Thomas B., Peters S. ‘If it’s a medical issue I would have covered it by now’: learning about fibromyalgia through the hidden curriculum: a qualitative study. BMC Medical Education. 2017; 17:160. DOI 10.1186/s12909-017-0972-6.
- Silverwood V., Broad J. Poisoning and Overdose. InnovAiT. December 2015 vol. 8 no. 12 725-735.
- Silverwood V., Blagojevic-Bucknall M., Jinks C., Jordan J. L., Protheroe J., Jordan K.P. Current evidence on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2015 (Apr); 23(4): 507-15.
- Silverwood V., Higgins A., Swift C., Bridgen D.: Medical Students and Lifelong Learning: The Journey Starts Here! The Higher Education Academy 2009 (Summer): 19(1): 28-29.
Collaborations and grants awards
- Team member for the PRAMS study – funded by Three Schools for Mental Health
- NIHR ACL in Primary Care 2024 – 2029
- Team member for the CLASP study – funded by the SPCR
- NIHR Academic Foundation Programme Training post – 2012-2014
- NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in General Practice post - 2014-2019
- RCGP Scientific Foundation Board Grant – 2017-2019
- Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD Fellowship – commenced October 2019
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