Social care

An effective health service is reliant on an effective social care system, and it is therefore vital that we develop a robust research base for social care, to ensure that local authorities (LAs) and third sector organisations provide the most effective services within a wider integrated system of health and social care.

Our research projects

COMPLETED SOCIAL CARE: Building Bridges: Elevating Research Culture in Social Care through Collaboration, Qualitative Insight and Relationship-Driven Impact

ADOPTED: FLOWS Planning for Frailty: Optimal Health and Social Care Workforce Organisation Using
Demand-led Simulation Modelling

SOCIAL CARE: Evaluation of Southampton City Council’s Male Engagement Worker (MEW) Project

COMPLETED SOCIAL CARE: Building capacity in social care through co-produced research and a research learning partnership between University of Portsmouth and Portsmouth City Council

SOCIAL CARE: Local Authority Adult Social Care Recruitment and Retention research project

Professor Lee-Ann Fenge

Social Care lead

Growing social care research capacity

ARC Wessex and CRN Wessex have pulled together to expand research into social care. Four researchers have been funded to work with local councils inDorset, Portsmouth, Southampton and Hampshire.

Senior Research Fellow Doctor Michelle Myall has just been named researcher-in-residence at Southampton City Council. Amy Drahota will work with Portsmouth City Council, Andy Pulman with Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Council and Dorset Council and David Raper with Hampshire County Council. The researchers come from the Universities in Southampton, Bournemouth, Winchester and Portsmouth.

Research projects are at an early stage but will include issues like domestic abuse and social care workforce capacity. Funding is also available to support development of Research Champions within councils to work with the four research leads.

The social care research champions will be existing employees from the councils concerned. The specific focus of the role will differ by individual council and its needs. This will be an opportunity for learning for all involved, to understand more about what support is needed to enable growth in social care research.

Our Post-Doctoral Fellows

Dr Andy Pulman

Bournemouth University

Dr Amy Drahota

University of Portsmouth

Dr Michelle Myall

University of Southampton

Dr Rachel Harrison

University of Winchester

As part of the ongoing Social Care projects established throughout Wessex, a lunch-time seminar series will be taking place each month. Please take a look at our events page for details. The next webinars are:

Feb 15, 2024 12:00 Evidence for the role of social care in reducing ambulance conveyance for older people with and without dementia in the South Central region by Carole Fogg and Patryk Jadzinski

Mar 21, 2024 12:00 Participatory action research by Professor Lee-Ann Fenge

Apr 18, 2024 12:00 My journey from dementia care assistant to PhD and beyond by Leah Fullegar

If you missed an online seminar see below for the recordings