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Institute of Health, Health Policy and Social Care Research

Examples of research studies

COVID-19 studies

The Institute of Health, Health Policy and Social Care Research has conducted a number of COVID-19 related studies. The following study, which commenced in early May 2020, recruited family carers who have a relative permanently living in a UK care home. A summary of this study is provided below along with the current outputs. This study is led by Associate Professor Dr Kathryn Hinsliff-Smith E: Kathryn.hinsliff-smith@dmu.ac.uk

Study Title: The experience of family carers and keeping in regular contact with loved ones who permanently live in a care home during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A UK perspective

Study outputs

LTCcovid blog -

LTCcovid webinar:

LTCcovid webinar:

Peer reviewed articles:

“We went from understanding, to disappointment, resentment and often grieve all in the space of 6 months. The stories of family carers for care home residents during the pandemic in 2020”

“Strategies for communication between residents who live in Long-Term care for older people and their relatives: A rapid evidence assessment” Authors: Kathryn Hinsliff-Smith*, Reena, Devi, Alys Wyn Griffiths, Sarah Ellen Griffiths, Tina Hamilton, Wendy Padley, Jayne Brown

Final Study Report

Other Covid-19 related studies from the Institute

Stribling, J., Clifton, A., McGill, G., de Vries, K. (2020) Examining the UK Covid-19 mortality paradox: Pandemic preparedness, healthcare expenditure and the nursing workforce. Journal of Advanced Nursing

Berghs M (2021) Who Gets Cured? COVID-19 and Developing a Critical Medical Sociology and Anthropology of Cure. Front. Sociol. 5:613548. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2020.613548

National Lottery Funded programme: Work. Live. Leicestershire Evaluation Programme

The Work. Live. Leicestershire (WiLL) programme is a partnership of nine voluntary and public sector organisations, led by sight loss charity, Vista. A grant of £2.4m from the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund’s Building Better Opportunities initiative is helping over 500 people in rural Leicestershire, who are unemployed or economically inactive, to move into job search, training or employment.  

The WiLL partnership organisations are: Vista, B-Inspired, CASE, º£½ÇÉçÇø (º£½ÇÉçÇø), Leicestershire County Council, Prince’s Trust, Rural Community Council, Voluntary Action Leicestershire, and Workers’ Education Association.  

º£½ÇÉçÇø Leicester (º£½ÇÉçÇø) researchers from the Institute of Health, Health Policy and Social Care Research will evaluate the programme.  Professor Jayne Brown, Professor of Nursing, said: ”As the Sunday Times University of the Year for Social Inclusion, it is highly appropriate that º£½ÇÉçÇø joins Vista and partners in promoting employment for those furthest from the job market, providing holistic support to make access to work and training more inclusive.”

Participants on the evaluation project will be joining the research team on co-production of steering and direction, assessing methods and outcomes, making sure we are capturing the participant experience fully, and producing outputs.

This project is funded by the European Social Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund.

Centre for LGBTQ research

Cousins, E., de Vries, K. and Harrison Dening, K. (2020) LGBTQ+ people living with dementia: An under-served population, British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 16 (5).

“More Than A Diagnosis”: Promoting Good Outcomes in LGBT Cancer Care: a qualitative study of patients’ experiences and professionals’ interactions in clinical oncology. Funded by Macmillan Cancer Support Professor Julie Fish.

School of Applied Social Sciences funding Professor Julie Fish.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Sex-Work Migration and Health Implications British Academy: SG162768 Dr Zowie Davy.

School Cultures and Gender Variant Children: Parents’ and Guardians’ Perspectives, VC2020 Research Fund Dr Zowie Davy.

An exploration of the health issues and challenges experienced by older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersex (LGBTI) people. Collaboration with: University of Brighton. Professor Kay de Vries.

BAME men who have sex with men: health interventions and learning sets, Evaluation Project. 2014-2016  Julie Fish Periklis Papaloukas Rusi Jaspal (PI) and Iain Williamson. Public Health England.

Health Policy Research Unit

NIHR HS&DR Dr Andy Northcott.

UKRI, Funder AHRC £1,203,198 2013 – 2018 

Better Visits: Improving the experience of visiting for families and people living with dementia (2017-18) Andy Northcott with C Elsey. Managed by Learning for the 4th Age (L4A). LASA Seedcorn funding

The Cuban Health System: Lessons for Global and Domestic Policymakers  (2012-2013). R. Baggott and G. Lambie.  Funded by British Academy Small Grant Scheme

Conceptualising Community as a Social Fix, argument and persuasion in health, housing and local governance. A review of the literature. (2011) Kathryn Jones and L Hamalainen (2011). Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre

Leicester Ageing Together Evaluation Study (2018-2019) Led by Dr Kathryn Hinsliff-Smith, Professor Jayne Brown and

An exploration of the experience of using the TENA Pants product compared to usual continence products as perceived by carers of people with dementia in care homes.

Scaling up the Family Carer Decision Support Intervention: A multisite dementia care home implementation evaluation. Collaboration: Queen's University Belfast, Lancaster University. Alzheimer’s Society. Professor Kay de Vries.

Co-designing person-centred frailty interventions in partnership with older people and health professionals.  Collaboration: University of Brighton, Birmingham City University. Burdett Trust. Professor Kay de Vries.

An investigation of use of simulated training to enhance clinical leadership skills within the nursing and residential care sector. Collaboration: University of Brighton. Burdett Trust. Professor Kay de Vries.

Centenarian study: An exploration of the experience of being a hundred years old or older. Collaboration: Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan. Professor Kay de Vries.

The use of dance as a vehicle/instrument for enhancing communication and relationship building when supporting people with dementia. Associate Professor Karan Jutlla and Dr Chris Knifton.