Hayley is a Lecturer in Rehabilitation in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences at Loughborough University and a Specialist Physiotherapist at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust.
She joined Loughborough in 2026 after completing her NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Nottingham in 2025. Hayley currently holds an NIHR Development and Skills Enhancement Award, with a focus on clinical trials of surgical and rehabilitation interventions for musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions (NIHR504163, 2026-28).
During her PhD, Hayley co-developed a shared decision-making intervention and clinical treatment recommendations to support evidence-based management of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Her wider research interests focus on the design, evaluation and implementation of complex interventions for the management of orthopaedic and musculoskeletal conditions. She is passionate about delivering and researching rehabilitation interventions that enhance function, support condition management, and enable people to maintain or return to physical activity and sport.
Hayley currently leads and contributes to research on musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions including shared decision-making, ACL injuries in adults and paediatrics, adolescent knee pain, and osteoarthritis.
Vice Chair and Research Lead – Association of Trauma and Orthopaedic Chartered Physiotherapists
Featured publications
- Carter, H.M., Beard, D.J., Dodsley, C. et al. (2026). Exploring implementation of a shared decision-making intervention for patients following an Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture: a qualitative investigation. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak . DOI: 10.1186/s12911-026-03430-3
- Carter, H., Beard, D., Dodsley, C., Leighton, P., McCallion, J., Moffatt, F., Smith, B. E., Webster, K. E., & Logan, P. (2025). Use of a shared decision-making intervention to support treatment decision-making for patients following an anterior cruciate ligament rupture: a mixed methods feasibility study. BMJ Open, 15(8), e095189. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095189
- Carter, H., Beard, D., Harvey, A., Leighton, P., Moffatt, F., Smith, B., Webster, K., & Logan, P. (2023). Using normalisation process theory for intervention development, implementation and refinement in musculoskeletal and orthopaedic interventions: a qualitative systematic review. Implementation Science Communications, 4(1), 1–25. DOI: 10.1186/s43058-023-00499-z
- Carter, H., Beard, D., Leighton, P., Moffatt, F., Smith, B., Webster, K., & Logan, P. (2024). Development of an intervention for patients following an anterior cruciate ligament rupture: an online nominal group technique consensus study. BMJ Open, 14(7), e082387. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-082387
- Carter, H., Lewis, G., & Smith, Benjamin. (2023). Preoperative predictors for return to physical activity following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR): a systematic review. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 24(1), 1–14. DOI: 10.1186/s12891-023-06489-5
- Carter, H. M., Beard, D. J., Leighton, P., Moffatt, F., Smith, B. E., Webster, K. E., & Logan, P. (2024). ‘Going through the motions’; a rich account of the complexity of the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction pathway, a UK qualitative study. BMJ Open, 14(9), e079468. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079468