Community health, care and policy

Researchers examine and influence policy and practice that affects health, including within communities such as care homes, patient groups, the health workforce and prisons. Research interests within this topic range from food safety and standards law, cancer care, health inequalities and workplaces, to health systems modelling.

Colleagues work across health and medical sciences research groups and externally with partner universities, the health sector and governmental departments.

Research projects

Understanding the impact of changes in cancer care during covid-19 on patient experience and outcomes | Cancer Care

This Health Foundation funded research project uses colorectal cancer as an exemplar to help understand the impact of changes in cancer care during covid-19 on patient experience and outcomes. Led by Dr Katriina Whitaker, of particular interest to researchers is how these changes are likely to impact socioeconomic inequalities in cancer care. Follow Katriina on Twitter @Katriina01

Gender pay gaps in medicine review | Human Resource Management | Economics

This project, led by Dr Jo Blanden and colleagues, focuses on parents and examines the impact of school availability and attendance on parental labour supply, family finances and mental health. It is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and has been extended to run from Oct 2020 to March 2022.

Looking at the impact of school closure on parents’ and children’s mental health.

This project focuses on parents and examines the impact of school availability and attendance on parental labour supply, family finances and mental health. It is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and has been extended to run from Oct 2020-end March 2022, with Dr Jo Blanden as one of the leads.

Doctor and patients sat together masked up

How general practice team composition and climate relate to quality, effectiveness and human resource costs: a mixed methods study in England.

Funded by NIHR, this project is investigating the workforce configuration in general practices in England both before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Heather Gage (Surrey Health Economics Centre) and researchers from the Universities of Exeter, Kent and Leeds are analysing how the composition of GP teams affects the quality of care and health outcomes for patients, and the costs for the practice.

Retention of the clinical and ambulance workforce in English NHS hospitals | Health Economics

The project team, led by Dr Giuseppe Moscelli, will use hospital workforce data from NHS Digital, combined with other existing databases, to investigate factors determining workforce retention over time and across hospitals.

Equipping community services to meet the palliative care needs of older people with frailty approaching the end of life | Palliative Care & Ageing

This five-year study, led by Professor Caroline Nicholson, funded through the HEE/NIHR ICA Senior Clinical Lectureship scheme, aims to identify and understand Palliative Care needs of severely frail elders, develop the evidence-base for provision of community palliative care and co-design resources better to access and deliver palliative care.

Developing and trialling the DAFNEplus (Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating) intervention. A lifelong approach to promote effective self-management in adults with type 1 diabetes | Health Psychology

Dr Debbie Cooke is a co-investigator on this £2.7 million programme, with collaborators in Sheffield. Behaviour change techniques, coupled with structured support and new technology (such as smartphones and apps) are used to help support adults in day-to-day management of their own conditions in the longer term.

Discarded plastic waste including bottles, yogurt pots and bags

How local and national governments in six Development Assistance Committee countries frame messages about plastics | Law

The Network will focus on Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, examining how regulation, governance and enforcement structures affects the use of plastic. Professor Rosalind Malcolm will work with colleagues at the University of Nairobi. @plasticsgov

AI for sound | Signal Processing

This research, led by Professor Mark Plumbley and Dr Emily Corrigan-Kavanagh, will employ a series of participatory approaches with stakeholders and end-users, such as world cafes and soundwalks, to explore how people feel about sounds around them in a variety of contexts, how they would like to change them, and how AI for sound technology could facilitate this responsibly.

Comparing intersectional life course inequalities amongst LGBTQI+ people in Four European Countries (CILIA-LGBTQI+) | Sociology

The key objective is to provide novel cross-cultural evidence concerning life course inequalities experienced by LGBTQI+ people across four European countries: England, Scotland, Portugal and Germany. Additionally, the project, led by Professor Andrew King, examines how inequalities related to gender identity and/or sexuality vary and intersect with others, such as social class, ethnicity, citizenship status, health status, dis/ability, religion and geographical location across the life course. @LGBTQILives

Nursing Ethics Heritage Collection | Literature | Archives

Professor Patricia Pulham is hoping to work on the Nursing Heritage archive recently acquired by the University, focusing on the history of women's professionalisation in the caring sector. She is also interested in the value of bibliotherapy in the treatment of mental health.

Understanding women’s experiences of food in prison | Sociology

This project aims to analyse the experience of food in women’s prisons using an intersectional approach. The study, with Dr Vicki Harman as co-investigator, will open up wider conversations about food in prisons through an exhibition of prisoners’ art run in partnership with Koestler Arts.

Building resources for maternal and paternal perinatal support | Sociology

Pooling together academic research and professional expertise in the area of mental health support for new parents, Dr Paul Hodkinson and Dr Ranjana Das are working on the development of resources for parents and practitioners to better support perinatal mental health over the course of 2020 and 2021.

Actively anticipating the unintended consequences on air quality of future public policies (ANTICIPATE) | Sociology

A NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) funded project forming part of its Clean Air Programme, it will bring together policy analysts and policy makers to explore forthcoming policy initiatives for their consequences on air quality. Professor of Sociology, Nigel Gilbert, is leading the project. @air_ANTICIPATE

Classification systems for processed foods | Psychology

Researchers, including Professor Monique Raats, reviewed scientific papers to examine if different criteria exist in developing classification systems for processed foods and, if so, what distinguishes them. Classification systems that categorise foods according to their “level of processing” have been used to predict diet quality and health outcomes, inform guidelines and in product development.

The association between loneliness, social isolation and inflammation | Health Psychology

The review, supported by Dr Kimberley Smith, synthesised evidence examining the association between loneliness with inflammation and social isolation with inflammation in adults aged 16 or older from the general population.

Four students walking alongside each other

Healthcare professionals’ identity conflict perception and responses in challenging situations | Organisational Behaviour

Researchers conducted a qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews, among healthcare professionals working for the NHS. They implemented both theoretical and random samplings and followed grounded theory approaches to analyse the data. Findings looked at by Dr YingFei Héliot show that identity conflict was perceived between different identities but also within the same identity.

Vitamin B12 status in health and disease: a critical review | Nutritional Genomics

A review involving Dr Kourosh Ahmadi discusses currently available knowledge on vitamin B12, the pitfalls of tests for assessing its deficiency, reviews B12 status in various populations at different disease stages, and provides recommendations for interpretation, treatment, and associated risks.

Quality improvement of physical health monitoring for people with intellectual disabilities: an integrative review | Integrated Care

An integrative review was undertaken to synthesise evidence on the implementation of quality improvement (QI) strategies to improve physical health monitoring of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) by healthcare professionals. Dr Freda Mold was one of the authors of the study.

Person wrapping tape measure around their stomach

Genetic factors influencing adult obesity take effect in early childhood | Bioinformatics and Statistical Genomics

Researchers analysed measures such as BMI and growth rates from 2 weeks to 13 years of age of more than 22,000 children and compared these to variations in their genetic make-up. Dr Alex Couto Alves, first author of the study, said: “Between the ages of five and seven years old, the genetic determinants of adult obesity start acting, highlighting a critical developmental window when intervention strategies ...could be implemented.”