Our research

The Faculty of Health and Social Care enjoys a growing research culture, offering research degrees, knowledge transfer activities as well as a number of funded research projects.

The Research Office regularly works with a range of client organisations from the public, voluntary and private sectors from across Cheshire, Wirral & Merseyside and has conducted a range of externally commissioned quantitative and qualitative research projects. In this context, the Research Office Team has recently been evaluating different services in their efficiency and effectiveness, such as the podiatry service provision across the Cheshire West and Chester Primary Care Trust area. The Research Office Team has also been commissioned to undertake a one-year qualitative study determining patients’ experiences of being discharged from the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The Research Office team at the Faculty of Health and Social Care would welcome the opportunity to discuss any ideas of how we may be of assistance in pursuing specific research interests and realising potential research projects.

Staff in the Faculty are undertaking research across a wide range of topics including:

• Exploring the perceptions of pre-registration student nurses’ regarding mentorship and the potential benefits of formally teaching mentorship. The project employs visual methodology using images created by student nurses. 
   
• Investigating learning disability field student nurses’ and lecturers’ perceptions of older people and understanding whether they hold a unique discipline related viewpoint.
   
• Collaborative research with students to develop a good practice guide to inform assessment information with the aim of enhancing student satisfaction, retention, and success.
   
• Development of a “Dementia and End of Life Care mobile application (App)”.  This educational app uses storytelling to educate formal and informal carers about the means of enabling people with dementia to live and die well.  This project has £70,000 funding from Health Education England (North West).
  The app can be downloaded for apple and android devices.
   
• Co-production of a mobile application focusing on people who hear voices. The app has been developed with people who hear voices and includes a simulation of the experience of hearing voices that can be downloaded by users. This project has £63,000 funding from Health Education England (North West).  
  The app can be downloaded for apple and android devices.
   
• An exploration of the extent, and means by which, the representation in red top tabloids of people with dementia, between 2005 and 2015, contributed to the processes of stigmatisation.
   
• An evaluation of the effectiveness of a Mental Health First Aid course for Higher Education (MHFA – HE) which aims to reduce in mental health related incidents within the higher education community.  This project is  funded by Mental Health First Aid England.
   
• A review of preceptorship programmes in North West England resulting in the development of an evidence based preceptorship framework and a web based toolkit for use by professionals working in hospital trusts.  This project has £63,000 funding from Health Education England (North West).
   
• Exploring the representation of people with dementia in red top tabloid newspapers, between 2005 and 2015, with to identify the extent, and means by which, this has contributed to the processes of stigmatisation.
   
• An exploration of the extent, and means by which, the representation in red top tabloids of people with personality disorder who have committed homicide, between 2001 and 2012, contributed to the processes of stigmatisation.