Title: NIHR School for Social Care Research Phase III
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: This application from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is led by the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU). LSE is a highly regarded university which specialises in the social sciences. PSSRU is a long-established group specialising in research on social care, mental health, some long-term health issues and related fields. The aim of this proposal is for LSE to be a member of the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR). Our application is led by Martin Knapp (PSSRU Director). Other named research leads are Jose-Luis Fernandez, David McDaid, Juliette Malley and Raphael Wittenberg. Many other researchers at LSE will contribute importantly if our proposal is successful. We can draw on a range of skills from 40 social care researchers in PSSRU, plus others across LSE. We also collaborate extensively outside LSE to bring in additional skills. We have an established track record of conducting high-quality research, evaluation, modelling, policy analysis and consultancy on social care, mental health and long-term health issues. We do this both in the UK and internationally. Through our research we want to inform policy discussion and practice development, and in that way to improve societal outcomes and the lives of individual people. We involve users, carers and practitioners throughout our research. These and other members of the public play key roles through active involvement in research projects and in research organisations. We employ many different approaches to get our research findings out to people and organisations that might find them helpful, and we always try to do so in a jargon-free, accessible way. We have an excellent reputation for clear communication of our work. We are energetically committed to having wide non-academic impacts from our research. If LSE was selected to be member of NIHR SSCR, we would be able to contribute in many ways. We have lots of experience of carrying out adult social care research for more than 20 years. We think we offer valuable strengths. For example, we have lots of experience in collecting new data from individuals and organisations, as well as analysis of data collected previously by others, such as government departments or local authorities. We have invested in high-performance computing to make it easier to analyse big data . We have carried out evaluations of some very complex interventions, and we almost always adopt methods that combine both quantitative and qualitative information. We already employ some excellent researchers with the right skills to analyse and interpret this kind of information. We also employ researchers with expertise in reviewing previous research. We have an excellent reputation for conducting cost-effectiveness studies of a wide range of social care, mental health and other policies or services. We are also well-known for analysing how social care needs, workforce, and the costs of support might change in the future, and to think about the implications for public and private spending. We believe that we have a very good appreciation of national and local policy contexts and also on how decisions get taken. Over many years, we have built up mutually beneficial collaborations with local authorities, public and non-public service providers, NHS bodies and various national bodies such as the Care Quality Commission. We have strong, mutually beneficial links with charities such as Age UK, Alzheimer s Society, Carers UK, Mind and the Stroke Association: these help us to understand what are pressing issues that need to be researched. They also help us to conduct our research and communicate and discuss our findings far and wide. In PSSRU, we have always put a lot of emphasis on building research capacity by encouraging people to come into the social care field, supporting and training them, and helping them to become expert researchers and potential research leaders. We would be able to bring that experience into NIHR SSCR: we have given a great deal of thought to the research capacity challenge over many years. We are delighted that NIHR has made a commitment to a third phase of the School for Social Care Research, and we would also be delighted if LSE was chosen for membership of the School at a time when adult social care in England is likely to go through some major transformations. Those challenges make it imperative that public bodies and others can call on robust research evidence to inform their decision-making.

Lay abstract: This application from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is led by the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU). LSE is a highly regarded university which specialises in the social sciences. PSSRU is a long-established group specialising in research on social care, mental health, some long-term health issues and related fields. The aim of this proposal is for LSE to be a member of the NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR). Our application is led by Martin Knapp (PSSRU Director). Other named research leads are Jose-Luis Fernandez, David McDaid, Juliette Malley and Raphael Wittenberg. Many other researchers at LSE will contribute importantly if our proposal is successful. We can draw on a range of skills from 40 social care researchers in PSSRU, plus others across LSE. We also collaborate extensively outside LSE to bring in additional skills. We have an established track record of conducting high-quality research, evaluation, modelling, policy analysis and consultancy on social care, mental health and long-term health issues. We do this both in the UK and internationally. Through our research we want to inform policy discussion and practice development, and in that way to improve societal outcomes and the lives of individual people. We involve users, carers and practitioners throughout our research. These and other members of the public play key roles through active involvement in research projects and in research organisations. We employ many different approaches to get our research findings out to people and organisations that might find them helpful, and we always try to do so in a jargon-free, accessible way. We have an excellent reputation for clear communication of our work. We are energetically committed to having wide non-academic impacts from our research. If LSE was selected to be member of NIHR SSCR, we would be able to contribute in many ways. We have lots of experience of carrying out adult social care research for more than 20 years. We think we offer valuable strengths. For example, we have lots of experience in collecting new data from individuals and organisations, as well as analysis of data collected previously by others, such as government departments or local authorities. We have invested in high-performance computing to make it easier to analyse big data . We have carried out evaluations of some very complex interventions, and we almost always adopt methods that combine both quantitative and qualitative information. We already employ some excellent researchers with the right skills to analyse and interpret this kind of information. We also employ researchers with expertise in reviewing previous research. We have an excellent reputation for conducting cost-effectiveness studies of a wide range of social care, mental health and other policies or services. We are also well-known for analysing how social care needs, workforce, and the costs of support might change in the future, and to think about the implications for public and private spending. We believe that we have a very good appreciation of national and local policy contexts and also on how decisions get taken. Over many years, we have built up mutually beneficial collaborations with local authorities, public and non-public service providers, NHS bodies and various national bodies such as the Care Quality Commission. We have strong, mutually beneficial links with charities such as Age UK, Alzheimer s Society, Carers UK, Mind and the Stroke Association: these help us to understand what are pressing issues that need to be researched. They also help us to conduct our research and communicate and discuss our findings far and wide. In PSSRU, we have always put a lot of emphasis on building research capacity by encouraging people to come into the social care field, supporting and training them, and helping them to become expert researchers and potential research leaders. We would be able to bring that experience into NIHR SSCR: we have given a great deal of thought to the research capacity challenge over many years. We are delighted that NIHR has made a commitment to a third phase of the School for Social Care Research, and we would also be delighted if LSE was chosen for membership of the School at a time when adult social care in England is likely to go through some major transformations. Those challenges make it imperative that public bodies and others can call on robust research evidence to inform their decision-making.

Research activity codes: 7.4 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DISEASE MANAGEMENT);8.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (HEALTH SERVICES)
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE;NEUROLOGICAL