My background is health services research and specifically access to services for adults with learning disabilities, therefore it was important for me to bridge to social care research since the people I work with use services from both sectors. In 2020, I was funded for one day per week to build my networks and contacts in social care in order to develop a bid to the NIHR. This resulted in my successful EQUALD project which has worked with over 80 people from 15 local authorities to study Individual Service Funds (ISFs) – a creative new approach to funding adult social care.
My focus was to develop a bid to explore ways to improve access to personalised support for adults with learning disabilities. The objectives were to:
• Gain an in-depth understanding of the funding, organisation and delivery of social care
• Build contacts and identify collaborators from all stakeholder groups including commissioners, care providers, third sector organisations, adults with learning disabilities and their families or other allies
• Establish effective ways to collaborate with service users and other stakeholders
• Network with other researchers for collaboration on future funding bids
• Identify and appraise relevant policy and research literature
Liz’s research interests include:
- Inclusive research with people with learning disabilities and other underserved populations.
- I am a qualitative researcher with expertise in realist methods and developing and evaluating complex interventions
Award outputs:
