Biography

My career began with roles within the statutory and voluntary sector, working with a range of diverse service user groups, including women fleeing violence, homeless people, female offenders. I then worked within the field of housing rights and advocacy. I moved into higher education in the early 1990s.

I am a Sociologist by subject and, for many years, taught social sciences to students on Youth and Community Work and Social Work qualifying courses within Yorkshire and for the Open University. I also supervised students on professional placements within these programmes. Much of the teaching that I have done is concerned with social inequalities and the social construction of identities within contemporary society. I now teach Sociology and Social Policy related modules on our BSc (Hons) Public Health and Community Wellbeing and Nursing programmes. 

 I have significant experience of curriculum development both nationally and internationally. From 1999 – 2008 I was a participant in two EU funded Tempus curriculum development projects (Social Policy and Social Work) in Ukraine and Belarus and an EU funded Socrates project concerned with developing postgraduate courses in Intercultural Communication.

 I am currently the programme coordinator for one of the Faculty’s collaborative provision programmes: Postgraduate Diploma for Practitioners with a Special Interest (available to GPs and nurse practitioners who wish to specialise in one of four areas: Cardiology, Diabetes, Gynaecology and MSK). This is in partnership with The Ridge Medical Practice in Bradford.

Research

My research has included internally and externally funded contributions to enhance and improve patient safety in Leeds Teaching Hospitals, as well as to projects in Bradford, Leeds and Tyneside that seek to evaluate digital health interventions and healthcare innovation to improve experiences for marginalised groups, patients, and health care practitioners. 

• I am currently the lead researcher for the University of Bradford evaluation team (comprised of myself, Professor R. Randell, Faculty of Health Studies and Professor P. Gardner, Faculty of Life Sciences) undertaking a realist evaluation of the implementation of innovation within Bradford District and Craven Health and Social Care Partnership. This is funded by the Health Foundation and is due to complete in March 2025. https://www.health.org.uk/funding-and-partnerships/programmes/bradford-and-craven-innovation-hub
• I am a member of The Workforce Observatory http://www.workforce-observatory.com/. See publications.
• Rapid Review on the use of Remote Consultations. in collaboration with Dr L McVey and Faculty of Health colleagues (ongoing)
• Evaluating Technology Enabled Care. Part of the team undertaking HEIF funded realist evaluation on the use of technology enabled care (‘Safe and Sound’). Led by Professor R Randell  (ongoing)
• The impact of electronic care plans on the burden of nursing documentation. Team member of this HEIF funded project led by Dr Ray Samuriwo on the impact of electronic care plans on the burden on nursing documentation, in collaboration with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. (ongoing)   
• Tyneside Integrated Musculoskeletal Service (TIMS) evaluation. Funded by TIMS to undertake realist evaluation of the implementation of an integrated musculoskeletal service in Tyneside in collaboration with Dr N Alvarado. see publications.
• Telecare consultations in care homes. Funded by HEIF and Bradford CCG to evaluate the use of telecare consultations in Bradford and Airedale care homes during the period of COVID-19. This was undertaken in collaboration with Professor R. Randell and Faculty of Health colleagues (May to June 2021).   
• Experiences of undergraduate Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students on Health and Wellbeing Programmes (report for the Faculty of Health EDI Committee, presented 2020). With N Prinjha and J Walker.
• University of Bradford funded projects to a) explore barriers and facilitators to increasing exercise and physical activity rates among asylum seeking communities in Northern England  (2018)  and b) to evaluate perceptions of asylum seeking communities of a physical activity animation intervention (developed by the research team) (2019-20).  See publications.
• Health Foundation funded research to explore longer term sustainability and commitment to Patient Safety Huddles in eight acute hospital ward teams (2018).  This was an extension to a Health Foundation project undertaken by the University of Bradford - led by Professor M.A. Mohammed -  to evaluate the scaling up of patient safety huddles in five trusts in Yorkshire. See publications.

Publications