BUSINESS PLAN 2019 –2024 - sscr.nihr.ac.uk · This Business Plan sets out the School’s mission, activities, governance structure, research programmes, budget and timetable for

NIHR ScHool foR SocIal caRe ReSeaRcH: PHaSe III BuSINeSS PlaN

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NIHR ScHool foR SocIal caRe ReSeaRcHPHaSe III: 2019–2024

BUSINESS PLAN 2019–2024

www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk

http://www.nihr.ac.uk

NIHR ScHool foR SocIal caRe ReSeaRcH: PHaSe III BuSINeSS PlaNNIHR ScHool foR SocIal caRe ReSeaRcH: PHaSe III BuSINeSS PlaN

coNTeNTS

1. BACKGROUND 1

2. MISSION AND ACTIVITIES 1

3. MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE 3

4. CONDUCTING HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH 9

5. COMMISSIONING RESEARCH 12

6. METHODOLOGICAL REPERTOIRE AND RIGOUR 15

7. RESEARCH FOCUS AND STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP 15

8. IDENTIFYING EVIDENCE GAPS 16

9. BUILDING RESEARCH CAPACITY 16

10. USER, CARER, PRACTITIONER AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 17

11. KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND IMPACT 17

12. RESEARCH PROGRAMME 18

13. PERFORMANCE REVIEW 18

14. BUDGET 18

15. TIMETABLE 19

ANNEX A: User, Carer, Practitioner Involvement Strategy 20

ANNEX B: Knowledge Exchange and Research Implementation Action Plan 23

ANNEX C: NIHR SSCR Research Themes 27

ANNEX D: Key researchers in Core Member universities 28

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the nation's largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR:• Funds, supports and delivers high quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care• Engages and involves patients, carers and the public in order to improve the reach, quality and impact of research• Attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to tackle the complex health and care challenges of the future• Invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and

services• Partners with other public funders, charities and industry to maximise the value of research to patients and the economy

The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research, and is funded by theDepartment of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR commissions applied health research to benefit thepoorest people in low- and middle-income countries, using Official Development Assistance funding. www.nihr.ac.uk

1. BacKGRouNDIn November 2017, the National Institute for HealthResearch (NIHR) announced its ongoing commitmentto adult social care research and the NIHR School forSocial Care Research (NIHR SSCR) by announcingfunding for a further 5-year term from 1 May 2019.The continuation of the School acknowledges theimportant contribution that adult social care makes tothe population's health and wellbeing.

The announcement followed the mid-term review ofPhase II of the School. An open competition wasannounced to renew, refresh and secure the futureof NIHR SSCR for a third phase. (Phase I of NIHRSSCR commenced in May 2009, and Phase II in May2014.) The open competition was intended toestablish NIHR SSCR (Phase III) as a virtual bodyunder the NIHR. It would bring together the leadingresearchers and research groups in the adult social

care field in England. It would combine a group ofCore Members – teams or units in the memberuniversities working in social care research - with anetwork of external fellows, who would be researchcollaborators, including specialists in wider areas ofdisciplinary or methodological expertise relevant toadult social care.

This Business Plan sets out the School’s mission,activities, governance structure, researchprogrammes, budget and timetable for its third phase,commencing 1 May 2019. The Business Plan willinform all activities of the School and will bereviewed regularly over the period to 30 April 2024.The Plan was developed in consultation with theSchool's Advisory Board and its User, Carer,Practitioner Reference Group; earlier drafts werediscussed with NIHR.

2. MISSIoN aND acTIVITIeS

2.1 Mission

The mission of the NIHR School for Social CareResearch (hereafter ‘NIHR SSCR’ or ‘the School’) inPhase III continues to be to develop the evidencebase to inform and improve adult social care practice

in England by commissioning and conductinginternationally leading research. In pursuit of thismission, the School will build on progress made in itsfirst ten years.

2.2 activities

The School will pursue this mission through a number of activities:

• conducting high-quality peer-reviewed researchto produce new knowledge including, whereappropriate, reviewing and synthesising existingknowledge, in order to inform the furtherdevelopment of social care practice

• commissioning high-quality peer-reviewedresearch through competitive tendering;

• adding value to research and associated activitiesfunded by the School in Phases I and II

• providing a focus for adult social care researchwithin NIHR, as well as strategic leadership for thedevelopment of adult social care research moregenerally

• further investing in ongoing efforts to build andstrengthen adult social care research capacity andbuild research awareness and utilisation

• further developing methodological rigour andbroadening the methodological repertoire,including bringing disciplinary perspectivescurrently not well represented in adult social careresearch

• consulting on research questions and distilling,with guidance from the Advisory Board and theUser, Carer, Practitioner Reference Group, intopriorities

• supporting the generation of impact from theprocess of research and from findings, andsupporting wider knowledge exchange andimplementation activities

The approaches that NIHR SSCR will employ inrespect of these activities are described in Sections4–10 below.


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2.3 objectives

The School's objectives are set out in Section 2.2.

In the short term, the objectives are to:

• define an overarching framework for the researchprogramme for NIHR SSCR that i) builds on thework of the first two phases of the School, ii) isrelevant to the current context of adult social carepractice in England, and iii) provides flexibility torespond to new priorities over the period2019–24

• encourage and support collaborative researchactivities across the Core Member universities ofNIHR SSCR

• encourage and support collaborative research andrelated activities with the other two NIHR Schools

• encourage and support the leveraging ofadditional research income from other sourceswithin NIHR and from elsewhere

• review all of the School’s published scoping andmethods reviews to identify opportunities torefresh papers and/or commission new reviews,and to inform decisions regarding the researchprogramme of the third phase of the School

• continue to engage sector stakeholders in thework of the School in contributing to pathways toimpact from its research activities

• continue to experiment with, learn from andimplement methods of achieving impact onimproving adult social care practice;

• commission its first tranche of Core Member-ledand externally-led research projects

• continue to support the Journal of Long-termCare, including through development of itsoutreach

• explore opportunities for, and supportachievement of co-produced research and impactco-produced with users, carers and practitioners

• continue to invest in ways in which NIHR SSCRcan best contribute to developing capacity inadult social care research, in particular throughadditional capacity-building funding for NIHRSSCR and through support of the NIHR SocialCare Incubator in collaboration with the NIHRAcademy

• evolve arrangements to continue to providegovernance oversight of and value for moneyfrom the School’s work and timely reporting ofactivities

• continue to support other parts of NIHR as theyseek to support research on adult social care

In the medium term, the School's objectives are to:

• continue with its horizon-scanning andconsultation work to inform the development ofits research programme, in particular continuing tobuild links with policy communities (national andlocal) and with the new DHSC Policy ResearchUnits, and also being aware of the researchcommissioning intentions and commitments ofother funding bodies

• continue to manage a portfolio of high-qualitycommissioned work

• encourage and support collaborative researchactivities across the Core Member universities ofNIHR SSCR

• encourage and support collaborative research andrelated activities with the other two NIHR Schools

• encourage and support the leveraging ofadditional research income from other sourceswithin NIHR and from elsewhere

• ensure that all commissioned work is completedand reported in a timely fashion and in ways thatwill help achieve impact

• continue with ongoing reflection on publishedNIHR SSCR review papers to identifyopportunities for updates and commissioning newreviews

• continue to ensure that all of the School’sresearch maximises its impact in terms ofimproving adult social care practice


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In the long term, the School's objectives are to:

• successfully complete its Phase III researchprogramme within the funded period of theSchool to 30 April 2024

• significantly develop the evidence base for adultsocial care practice, including throughencouragement to a range of research-fundingbodies to invest in this area

• improve the quality of adult social care research

• show impact from its activities under Phases I, IIand III, including through greater awareness andutilisation of research findings

• support efforts to achieve the continuation of anNIHR-funded School for Social Care Researchbeyond the current period

• contribute to improvements of research capacityin the field of adult social care both withinacademia and more broadly

3. MaNaGeMeNT aND GoVeRNaNce

3.1 Structure of the School

NIHR SSCR is structured as follows:

• a Director of the School, supported by a part-timeResearch Programme Manager, a part-timeFinance and Impact Manager and otheradministrative resources at the London School ofEconomics and Political Science (LSE)

• leads of Core Member universities appointed asAssociate Directors of the School; one of whomwill act as Deputy Director

• the NIHR SSCR Executive, comprising theDirector, the Deputy Director, the five Associate

Directors, the Research Programme Manager andthe Finance and Impact Manager

• individuals appointed as NIHR SSCR SeniorFellows or NIHR SSCR Fellows;

• an independent Advisory Board

• a User, Carer, Practitioner Reference Group(UCPRG)

• ad hoc working groups as needed

• formally established links with the DHSC/NIHR


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Advisory Board

Director

Finances & Impact Manager

Associate Directors

Research Programme

Manager

NIHR

DHSC liaison

NIHR and DHSC Communica ons

NIHRProgrammeManagers

User, Carer, Prac oner Reference Group

Senior Fellows & Fellows

NIHR SSCR Execu ve Group

Administra ve and Communica ons Team

DeputyDirector


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NIHR SScR DirectorThe NIHR SSCR Director –– Professor Martin Knapp(LSE) – will have overall responsibility for leading,managing and directing the School, its affairs andactivities. The Director will be accountable to NIHRfor all aspects of the operation of NIHR SSCR. He willdevote two days a week to the role. The period ofoffice will be for the full 5 years of the third phase ofthe School.

Deputy DirectorThe Deputy Director – Professor Yvonne Birks (York)– was selected by the School’s Executive Group. Shewill deputise for the Director as needed. She will alsotake responsibility to manage (on behalf of the Schoolas a whole) researcher capacity-building, particularlybut not solely through the additional fundingprovided to the School for capacity-building (seebelow). In addition to her Deputy Director position,she will carry out all responsibilities allocated to theAssociate Directors (see below). The Deputy willserve for 5 years.

associate DirectorsThe Associate Directors of NIHR SSCR are university-based individuals who have made a sustained high-quality contribution to research on adult social carepractice in England selected by the NIHR. There isone Associate Director from each of the five CoreMember universities (in addition to the School’sDeputy Director), this being the lead applicant in thatCore Member’s application for membership of thethird phase of NIHR SSCR. They will be fullycommitted to the mission of the School and all itsactivities.

Roles: Associate Directors of NIHR SSCR will provideintellectual leadership for the School, both throughmembership of the Executive Group (as set outbelow) and through shared leadership of the School'sprogramme of research. They will act as ambassadorsfor adult social care research. They will takeresponsibility for guiding projects conducted orcommissioned by the School, in particular bycontributing to the scoping of research questions,preparation of requests for proposals, identificationof potential reviewers, consideration of reviewers’comments, guidance and support for NIHR SSCRFellows and others engaged in the School,assessment of completed reports, knowledgeexchange and impact, and quality assurance of allresearch and research-related activitiescommissioned by the School. Associate Directors willcoordinate NIHR SSCR activities within theirinstitutions. Associate Directors may also takestrategic responsibility for certain activities within theSchool; these areas will be identified in due course.

Specifically, Associate Directors may undertake someof the following activities:

• providing leadership for NIHR SSCR activities(research, mentoring, capacity-building etc.) withinconstituent Core Member universities, includingtaking a lead on developing researchcollaborations and leveraging external funding

• representing and promoting NIHR SSCR andNIHR in public forums, and representing andpromoting NIHR SSCR within NIHR

• attending and actively participating in allExecutive Group meetings and other relevantevents

• developing NIHR SSCR’s research agenda,priorities and programme, including involvementin commissioning of new external research andresearch-related activities such as reviews andworkshops (e.g. identification of researchquestions, preparation of documentation for calls,preparation of research briefs, review of proposalsreceived, and membership of commissioningpanels)

• liaising on an ongoing basis with specifiedcommissioned project teams, including (asneeded) support for project Principal Investigatorsand reviewing NIHR SSCR outputs, andinvolvement in project-specific advisory groups

• supporting NIHR SSCR’s programme ofcommissioned methods/scoping reviews

• supporting the UCPRG and Advisory Board (thelatter through the NIHR SSCR Director asrequired), and membership of any specific workinggroups

• liaising with partner and other externalorganisations to develop strategic links or in otherways to promote NIHR SSCR

• contributing to NIHR SSCR knowledge exchangeand impact activities, such as writing journal orother papers and communications, andcontributing to drafts of annual reports andreporting to NIHR

• participating in, and publicising NIHR SSCR-organised events, including contributions toarrangements, attendance and (as required)presentation at the School’s annual conferences

• ongoing promotion of NIHR SSCR throughreferences to the School in general activities;inclusion of the School in events such asconferences and regional workshops organised bythe Associate Director (where appropriate)

• other support for the NIHR SSCR Director,Research Programme Manager and Finance andImpact Manager as agreed

Selection of core MembersFollowing an open competition to renew, refresh andsecure the future of NIHR SSCR, an independentexpert panel set up by NIHR selected sevenuniversities to be designated and/or redesignated asSchool Members.

The universities were selected for the strength oftheir track record in research, the quality of researchoutputs relevant to adult social care practice, theircritical mass of adult social care researchers, therelevance of their work and the strength of theirsubmitted strategic plans.

Core Members of NIHR SSCR are the London Schoolof Economics and Political Science (lead applicant:Professor Martin Knapp), King’s College London(Professor Jill Manthorpe), University of Birmingham(Professor Catherine Needham), University of Bristol(Professor David Abbott), University of Kent (DrKaren Jones), University of Manchester (ProfessorCatherine Robinson) and University of York(Professor Yvonne Birks).

executive GroupThe Executive Group (EG) will support the Director.The Executive will provide academic leadership forNIHR SSCR, and will be responsible for supportingthe Director in the running of the School andreporting on its activities. Advised by the AdvisoryBoard and by the User, Carer, Practitioner ReferenceGroup (UCPRG) (see below), and operating withinestablished NIHR procedures, the Executive Groupwill make decisions on what research questions are tobe examined, commissioning processes, appointmentof reviewers for proposals, commissioning decisions,monitoring of ongoing studies, assessment of finalreports, and decisions regarding knowledge exchangeand impact.

The EG will comprise the Director, the DeputyDirector and five Associate Directors for the full 5-year funded period. The Research ProgrammeManager and the Finance and Impact Manager will beex officio (non-voting) members. (See below fordescriptions of these posts.) The School’s NIHR CCFliaison contacts will attend Executive Groupmeetings. The School’s DHSC liaison may attendmeetings.

The EG may seek expert advice from relevantindividuals and invite such individuals to EG meetingswhere this will be helpful.

The EG will meet every two months or morefrequently if required. The Director will chairmeetings of the EG. Quorum will be 5 out of 7 ofcurrent membership. (In the event of a meeting notbeing quorate, decisions will be taken by eitherteleconference or email discussion.) Invitedindividuals may attend Executive meetings under

special circumstances, as agreed in advance by theGroup. (The EG might also invite others, includingfrom other parts of NIHR, to join their meetings forparticular items.) Decisions will be made by simplemajority voting. In the event that a member cannotattend an EG meeting, no substitutions will be madeunless under exceptional circumstances (such aslong-term sickness absence).

A joint meeting between the Executive Group andthe UCPRG will take place annually. Executive Groupmembers will regularly attend UCPRG meetings.

NIHR SScR Senior fellowsKey researchers within each of the seven CoreMember universities will be NIHR SSCR SeniorFellows. These are the four individuals other than theCore Member lead named in the Core Member’sapplication for the School. The list of key researchersis given in Annex F. However, other key researchersfrom those Core Member universities couldalternatively or additionally be designated NIHR SSCRSenior Fellows. There is no maximum number.Decisions on who will be designated a Senior Fellowwill be taken by the School’s Executive Group. AllSenior Fellows will be listed on the NIHR SSCRwebsite.

NIHR SSCR Senior Fellows will be current oranticipated future leaders of adult social careresearch groups, with strong track records of work inthe adult social care field that will enhance the workof the School. They will work closely with the NIHRSSCR Core Member leads in furtherance of all ofNIHR SSCR's activities, and will particularly supportthe School in reviewing proposals and reports. TheSchool will support NIHR Senior Fellows to developtheir own research careers. They will be expected tobe actively involved in the School’s capacity-buildingactivities. The responsibilities of Senior Fellows withinCore Member universities will be established throughthe relevant Core Member lead.

NIHR SScR fellowsAll individuals funded from projects commissioned byNIHR SSCR will be designated NIHR SSCR Fellowsduring and up to a year after the end of their NIHRSSCR-funded projects.

advisory BoardThe role of the independent Advisory Board is toadvise and support the NIHR SSCR Director on:

• the programmes of research undertaken by coreor external research teams

• the development of research capacity andresearch literacy across adult social care

• opportunities for maximising impact from NIHRSSCR research


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• the strategic development of NIHR SSCR in thecontext of national and international opportunities

• other matters concerning the development ofadult social care research capacity and capability

Board members will play an ambassadorial role forNIHR SSCR. They will work to ensure optimalpartnerships with key stakeholders, including peoplewho use services, carers, the broader researchcommunity, independent and third sector providersof social care, local government and the NHS, amongothers. Membership of the Board will be for threeyears in the first instance.

Two representatives from the School’s UCPRG willbe invited to participate in Advisory Board meetings.

The terms of reference as agreed with the AdvisoryBoard available on the School's website*.

user, carer, Practitioner Reference GroupA key aim within NIHR SSCR is to involve people whouse services, carers, practitioners, policy makers andrelevant others in all the stages of research. NIHRSSCR therefore aims to ensure the active, informedengagement of people from each of these groups inall of its activities. For example, all research projects(and hence all research proposals) must demonstrateevidence of meaningful user, carer and practitionerinvolvement.

As well as there being representation on the AdvisoryBoard, the School's established User, Carer,Practitioner Reference Group (UCPRG) will continueinto Phase III. As formalised in 2009, the role of theUCPRG is to advise the School’s Executive Group on

all NIHR SSCR research and related activities,including identification of research questions,reviewing proposals, participating in other ways in thecommissioning of research, reviewing reports andother outputs, and communicating findings so as tohave an impact. (User and carer reviewers will be paidfor each proposal and report reviewed.) One of thekey roles of the UCPRG will be to advise theExecutive Group on innovative ways to continue todevelop its engagement with people who useservices, carers and practitioners. Meetings andactivities of the UCPRG will be coordinated by theResearch Programme Manager and chaired by amember of the Group (currently Margaret Dangoor).

The UCPRG will be invited to submit a written orverbal report to the School’s Advisory Board forconsideration at the Advisory Board’s six-monthlymeetings.

The terms of reference as agreed with the UCPRGare available on the School's website*.

ad hoc working groupsTime-limited ad hoc working groups may beconvened to support or deliver the NIHR SSCR’sstrategic objectives. They will be appointed by theNIHR SSCR Executive Group as needed.

links with the DHSc/NIHRLinks between the School and NIHR will bemaintained between the Director and ExecutiveGroup of the School and identified representatives ofNIHR and Department of Health and Social Care. TheSchool’s NIHR CCF liaison contacts will attendExecutive Group meetings.

3.2 administration

The Director will be supported by a 0.90 FTEResearch Programme Manager (RPM). The RPM willensure that adequate structures and processes are inplace for the NIHR SSCR to pursue its agreedactivities and to achieve its objectives. The RPM willserve as the main point of contact for the NIHRSSCR. Specific responsibilities will include:

• operational planning and organisation, includingmonitoring research and related activities fundedby the School

• managing the commissioning of research;

• reporting on NIHR SSCR activities

• facilitating representation from people who useservices, carers and practitioners in the work ofthe School

• identifying further funding opportunities and, incollaboration with the Executive Group, exploringpotential joint funding opportunities with externalfunding bodies

• working to develop links across NIHR and supportit and other organisations as they develop supportfor adult social care research

• supporting the Deputy Director on activitiesrelated to capacity-building, including thoseactivities funded through additional resourcesprovided by NIHR to the NIHR SSCR, andsupporting the NIHR Social Care Incubator

• supporting the Director on research activities andresearch programme leadership

• working closely with the Finance and ImpactManager to achieve the objectives of the School


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* www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk/Terms-of-reference_Advisory-Board.pdf** www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk/Terms-of-reference_UCPRG.pdf

https://www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk/Terms-of-reference_Advisory-Board.pdf

https://www.sscr.nihr.ac.uk/Terms-of-reference_UCPRG.pdf

The Director will be further supported by a part-timeFinance and Impact Manager, whose primaryresponsibilities will include:

• financial administration of all aspects of theSchool’s operations

• liaison with the member universities andexternally commissioned research teams tomonitor expenditure, including ensuringcompliance with NIHR and other regulations andrequirement

• monitoring of expenditure by NIHR SSCR as awhole against agreed schedules, and liaison withNIHR to report expenditure patterns

• monitoring of commissioned research, includingdelivery of written outputs as contractuallyrequired, and to ensure that all project outputsintended for the public domain are submitted toNIHR 30 days before publication

• management of the School’s knowledge exchangeand impact programme, including organisation ofseminars, the annual conference and other events

Full-time administrative and part-timecommunications support will be appointed.

3.3 Monitoring and reporting

NIHR SSCR’s performance will be reviewed by theSchool's Executive Group biannually. A report will besubmitted at the end of each financial year to NIHR,following consultation with the Advisory Board. Inpreparing its annual report, or for other monitoring orreporting purposes, the Executive Group has theright to call upon individuals or project teams fundedby NIHR SSCR for reports or information at anyreasonable time, and will ensure that relevantinformation on activity and projects is maintained.The Executive Group will also ensure that the

Director, Deputy Director, Associate Directors,Senior Fellows, Fellows and staff of NIHR SSCRadhere to all appropriate monitoring and reportingrequirements, including those of organisationshosting the research.

Reporting requirements for individual projects aredescribed in Section 5. These include an annualimpact assessment, and support for individualresearch projects by a nominated academic liaisonmember of the Executive Group.

3.4 Regulation and transparency

NIHR SSCR will comply with guidance issued fromthe DHSC and other statutory bodies such as EUregulations on clinical trials, the Mental Capacity Act2005 and the Mental Health Act 2007 with regard tothe conduct and administration of research. Allresearch will need to comply with the UK PolicyFramework for Health and Social Care Research(2017) and with the requirements of equality andhuman rights legislation. All research will need tofollow requirements set out in the Data ProtectionAct 2018.

Intellectual Property agreements will be drawn up inaccordance with standard NIHR procedures, anddetailed in individual project contracts. Requirementsaround access to data and data archiving will also beset out.

The School will continue to implement NIHR’s OpenAccess policy to support transparency of researchfindings. Every journal article and every other form ofdissemination based on work commissioned by NIHRSSCR will be required to acknowledge funding fromthe School and NIHR.

Everyone involved in NIHR SSCR is expected tocomply with guidance with regard to the conduct andadministration of research set out by the institutionshosting the research. Where guidance from anindividual institution differs from that of the leadpartner, the lead partner’s internal guidance will bedeemed applicable.

NIHR SSCR will adhere to the Freedom ofInformation Act as applicable. Requests forinformation will be dealt with in line with LSE’sFreedom of Information principles.


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3.5 contractual arrangements

The main contract with NIHR will be held with theLondon School of Economics and Political Science,with a collaborative agreement from the LSE to CoreMember universities. For research projectscommissioned from Core Members an agreement willbe issued covering the requirements of the individualfunded project. For Core Member projects, theproject lead will be designated the PrincipalInvestigator with the Core Member lead designatedthe Contractual Lead.

Agreements for externally commissioned individual

projects will be established as part of externalcommissioning processes, and individual researchagreements will be issued at the conclusion of thecompetitive tendering process following approval offunding to the applicants.

Terms and conditions governing research projects willbe the same for both Core and externally-fundedresearch.

Funding for Phase III of the School will start on 1May 2019, and will run for 5 years.

3.6 financial arrangements

Allocation between Core and externally-fundedresearch

After accounting for LSE and other running costs forthe NIHR SSCR, it is intended that, over the 5-yearcontracted period, approximately 80% of the budgetwill be allocated to research carried out by CoreMembers and 20% to research carried out byexternal research teams. The 80:20 allocationbetween Core Member and external research may beamended on agreement with NIHR. Core Memberswill explore collaborative projects with each otherwithin their research budget allocations, and thesewill be discussed regularly as part of Executive Groupdiscussions on the School’s research programme.Non-programme work by external NIHR SSCRFellows could include methodological reviews andconsultation exercises.

Decisions on funding will be taken by the ExecutiveGroup in relation to individual projects after fullconsideration of the current state of evidence in thatfield, the type of research to be undertaken, the bestdesign for that type of research, the expected valuefor money of that work and its relevance to theimprovement of adult social care practice in Englandand independent peer-review. The Executive Groupwill closely monitor expenditure patterns and theconsequences for research quality and thedistribution of resources, and make recommendationsfor change if necessary.

Deputy Director budgetA budget of £25,000 per annum (inclusive of travel,subsistence and other costs) will be available for theDeputy Director in support of her management andrelated responsibilities within the School, as detailedin Section 3.1.

associate Director budget A budget of £20,000 per annum (inclusive of travel,subsistence and other costs) will be available for

allocation to each Associate Director in support oftheir management and related responsibilities withinthe School, as detailed in Section 3.1.

fec/overheadsFunding for all projects, reviews and other research-related activities will be on the basis of value formoney. The School will fund legitimate andreasonable indirect costs for the research proposed.Arrangements for overheads will be stipulated in theSchool’s research commissioning guidelines.

In issuing calls for proposals, the School (through theExecutive Group) may identify target costs forprojects of different sizes and types. Proposals willneed to include full details of planned expenditure,and a detailed statement of expenditure will berequired at each reporting stage. It will be made clearto individuals and organisations tendering for NIHRSSCR funding that value for money will be one of thecriteria used to assess proposals.

financial management and regulationsThe financial arrangements for the School, includingthe allocation of funding to projects, will be overseenby the NIHR SSCR Executive Group. The Finance andImpact Manager will submit an account of all incomeand expenditure to meetings of the Executive on aquarterly basis, to feed into quarterly monitoring ofSchool finances by NIHR.

Any Executive Group member, Senior Fellow orFellow engaged on NIHR SSCR-commissioned workwho additionally receives funds from elsewherewhich contributes to that work, and/or receivesadditional funding leveraged through their Schoolrole, will be asked to notify the Finance and ImpactManager who will keep appropriate records.

Funding regulations for Executive Group members,NIHR SSCR Core Members and Fellows will be setout in the tender documentation and in the contracts.


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InvoicingPayment for commissioned research will be madequarterly from the LSE upon receipt of invoicesdetailing actual expenditure. Payment schedules willbe set out in individual subcontracts.

Project contracts will stipulate requirements tosubmit timely invoices to support the School’sfinancial management processes.

Each Executive Group member, Senior Fellow andFellow receiving funding from NIHR SSCR will berequired to nominate a finance manager orappropriately qualified individual from theirorganisation to liaise with the NIHR SSCR Financeand Impact Manager to provide quarterly updates onexpenditure, project and activity finances. Each mustkeep records which are transparent, auditable andcompatible with good financial practice.

auditingThe Director of the School reserves the right toappoint an independent chartered or certified publicaccountant through the LSE at the NIHR SSCR’sexpense to examine all relevant books and records ofCore Members and Fellows, provided:

• reasonable prior written notice is given by theFinance and Impact Manager

• access is only required during normal workinghours

• the Director and the auditor will make allreasonable endeavours to keep confidential anyinformation that they may require in the exerciseof their rights under this Clause

For all Members and Fellows, audit principles as setout by their host institution will be applicable. Where

an institution’s policies may differ from the leadinstitution’s policies, the LSE’s principles will apply.

Indemnity and insuranceIssues of indemnity and insurance will be set out inthe individual contracts with host universities. It is theresponsibility of the individual host institution toensure that all staff engaged in programmes have theappropriate indemnity for the conduct of research.Proof of indemnity will be requested upon signatureof agreements with the LSE for NIHR SSCR records.

arrangements for withdrawalArrangements for withdrawal will be set out inindividual collaboration agreements for CoreMembers, and individual project agreements.

In the event of withdrawal of an NIHR SSCR CoreMember, the School will discuss with the NIHR whatactions should be taken.

In the event of withdrawal of a Principal Investigatoron a funded research study, the School will discusswith the host university for that project an acceptablereplacement to ensure that the project can continue.Where this is not possible, the Executive Group willmake all reasonable attempts to reallocate thecommitted funding to another university ororganisation that can complete the required project.Any reallocation will be agreed with the NIHR. Awithdrawing Associate Director, Senior Fellow orFellow will not be entitled to receive any additionalpayment for costs incurred from NIHR SSCRactivities that were carried out before the withdrawalunless otherwise agreed.

The process for terminations relating to breacheswith commissioned research will be stipulated in therelevant agreements and dealt with accordingly.

4. coNDucTING HIGH-QualITY ReSeaRcH

4.1 aims

The core aim of NIHR SSCR is to carry out high-quality internationally leading research to producenew knowledge (including, where appropriate,reviews and syntheses of existing evidence), in orderto inform the development of adult social carepractice.

The other activities described in Sections 5 to 10 willcontribute to this main activity. Each of them –consultation on priorities, methodological investment,developing research capacity, knowledge exchangeand impact, and providing research focus andleadership – is essential to the success of the School.

NIHR SSCR will undertake and commission primaryand secondary research on adult social care practicein England, covering the delivery of adult social careby professional and non-professional staff working inthe statutory, private and third sectors.

The term ‘adult social care’ refers to provision ofpersonal and practical care and support that peoplemay need because of their age, illness, cognition,disability or other circumstances. It also includessupport for family members or other unpaid carers.Important aims are to help people remainindependent, retain their dignity and achieve a better


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quality of life. Another important aim is to safeguardvulnerable individuals from abuse and neglect. Careand support are provided in a number of settings: inresidential and nursing homes, in people’s own homes(domiciliary or ‘home’ care) and in other communitysettings such as day centres. There are also variousaccommodation settings, such as sheltered housing,extra-care housing, supported living and Shared Livesschemes. Social workers and other staff carry outassessments, provide information and coordinateactivities to back up this service provision. TheSchool’s work is intended to help to improve thequality of care and support services for all thosepeople who use them. The overall programme willstrike an appropriate balance, as informed by itsUCPRG, Advisory Board and others, between beingas inclusive as possible and being focused onpriorities and areas where impact can be achieved.

NIHR SSCR will draw on a wide range of academicdisciplines and research methods. The School will

encourage multi-disciplinary complex researchquestions relevant to real world practice. NIHR SSCRwill ensure that its research response to anyparticular adult social care practice question isproportionate: the resources and effort devoted toaddressing a research question should be inproportion to the likely implications of the findingsfor adult social care practice.

NIHR SSCR will ensure that the findings from well-conducted research are translated into outputs thatare accessible and usable by all relevant stakeholderswithin adult social care and related systems (seeSection 9). Lessons from Phase I and II activities onimpact and knowledge exchange will be built into theSchool's activities as far as possible.

The quality of the research commissioned by NIHRSSCR will be monitored by the Executive Group andthrough independent reviewing of research proposalsand assessment of final reports.

4.2 Research themes and projects

The School's research programme should endeavourto span the most important themes currentlyemphasised in adult social care policy with othersectors, and practice in England. Section 12.1 setsout further information on the School’s researchthemes.

As required for specific purposes, other cross-cuttingthemes will be used as means of grouping researchprojects and findings in ways relevant to adult socialcare practice, such as service user groups (e.g. peoplewith mental health needs, learning disabilities orsensory needs), care settings (e.g. home care, carehomes, and community), and specific practice andpolicy-into-practice issues (e.g. safeguarding,

commissioning, and housing support). NIHR SSCR willcontinue to be guided by its UCPRG and AdvisoryBoard to ensure the continuing relevance of thesethemes. The School will also continue to take note ofdevelopments beyond the School that relate to whatought to be the most helpful content of the researchprogramme, e.g. James Lind Alliance and otherresearch prioritisation exercises, researchcommissioned by the rest of NIHR and other funders,and significant policy and practice developments.

The type of research to be undertaken – a review, aninitial ‘scoping’ of the issues, an exploratory study or afull evaluation – will be considered by the ExecutiveGroup before work is commissioned.

4.3 over-arching principles and cross-cutting considerations

A number of principles will be adhered to throughout the School’s research activities, namely:

• user, carer and practitioner engagement will beexpected throughout the School’s activities.Procedures will be needed, for example, to allowthe participation of people for whom standardmethods of communication are not possible.Appropriate involvement in all projects will also berequired and supported by the School

• all projects will be required to be as inclusive aspossible of individuals and groups; for example,we will promote and support good use of theMental Capacity Act provisions for including theexperiences of people lacking capacity

• the highest ethical and research governancestandards must be achieved

• the pursuit of scientific excellence is imperative,but must be proportionate to the real-worldrelevance of the question

• research commissioned and conducted by theSchool should have real-world relevance

• peer-review processes will be employed to ensurethat funded proposals are of a high standard andare relevant

• completed reports will be similarly assessed

• the details of commissioned projects and thefindings of completed studies should be highlyvisible within the public domain, and accessible toall relevant stakeholders


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• all projects will be required to consider theirpathways to impact from the beginning of theirproject, and to implement these as far as possible

• all projects will be required to aspire to a minimumof one ‘gold’ open-access publication in a peer-

reviewed journal, and the School will stronglyencourage more publications where possible andappropriate. It is also a requirement that allpublished outputs from NIHR SSCR researchprojects should be (at least ‘green’) open-access

Additional cross-cutting principles underpinning the research and related work of the School will be:

• development and utilisation of robust outcomemeasures, which will address as applicableoutcomes of interest to commissioners, managers,staff, people who use services and their carers

• exploration of ‘process outcomes’, reflecting howindividuals access and experience care andsupport

• analysis of cost-effectiveness, ensuring thatresource impacts are addressed alongsideoutcome impacts, and that any trade-offs aretransparent

• recognition of cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic andother dimensions of diversity

• commitment to highlighting inequalities in need,access to support, outcomes, funding and otherrelevant dimensions, and – where appropriate –making research-based recommendations forways to address them

• awareness of interfaces between adult social care,health care and relevant other systems (such ashousing, pensions and benefits)

• efforts to inform social work and social carepractice, including through practice-facing outputsfrom NIHR SSCR research

• exploration of consequences of practice changesfor the paid workforce in the statutory, third andprivate sectors, and for unpaid carers

4.4 collaborative working

NIHR places considerable emphasis on collaborativeworking across its Schools. Although in some respectsmore complicated to set up and manage,collaborative studies offer a number of potentialadvantages. They allow Core Members to utilise andshare their more specialised methodological skills ortopic expertise to the mutual advantage of others.This could also contribute to the capacity-buildingobjectives of the School. Collaborative research canmake it easier to enrol a range of services or sites intoa study, and to ensure recruitment from a range ofpotentially diverse localities, particularly given thewide geographical spread of Core Memberuniversities across England. There could also beeconomies of scale arguments. Another advantagecould be to help to build a platform for leveragingadditional funding from outside the School budget,particularly for large, ambitious studies.

In Phase II of the School there were a number ofjointly conducted studies, as well as a range of othercollaborative activities, such as joining (or in at leastone case, chairing) advisory groups for each other’sprojects, offering methodological advice (includingon-site training), and jointly delivered impact events.

The School is committed to conducting collaborativeresearch projects and other collaborative activitieswithin its budget. The aim is for each Core Memberto undertake at least two projects or activities overthe course of Phase III of the School that are carriedout collaboratively with at least one other CoreMember.

Collectively, the School’s Executive Group will discussas soon as possible the feasibility of developing andconducting a large multi-university project. We willalso add ‘Collaborative working’ as a standing agendaitem for Executive Group meetings. Through otheractivities, such as workshops and capacitydevelopment events across Core Member localities,we will further encourage and facilitate collaborativeworking and impact across the NIHR SSCR.

In addition, NIHR SSCR is committed to exploring andbuilding on existing collaborative researchopportunities with the other two NIHR Schools,notwithstanding the slight complication that the otherSchools are at different points in their 5-year fundingcycles.


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4.5 leveraged funding

As noted in Section 2.3, one of the School’sobjectives is to leverage additional research fundingfrom external sources, including (but not only) fromother parts of NIHR. This will build on the School’scommitment to future collaborative working (seeSection 4.4), and also on previous successes (asindividual university groups and collaboratively) insecuring such additional funding, linked to previous orongoing NIHR SSCR activities.

The School collates information on research fundedfrom sources other than NIHR SSCR that has built onprevious or current SSCR activities. This is researchfunding awarded not only to Core Memberuniversities but also to others supported by theSchool in Phases I or II. The School will continue torecord information on leveraged funding.

The short-term priorities of the School (for the first9-12 months) are to ‘bed down’ new relationshipsand processes, commission and commence the firstPhase III Core Member projects (of which there couldbe as many as 15 starting in May 2019) and to issue

an external research call, followed by thecommissioning of external projects. In this latterrespect, NIHR SSCR is different from the other twoNIHR Schools. Towards the end of the School’s firstyear, the Executive Group will devote time to thefurther development of a clear plan for leveragingadditional funding. As with other major activitieswithin the School, this will involve consultation withkey stakeholders, including the UCPRG and theAdvisory Board. It will also involve review of externalfunding opportunities (within broader NIHR andbeyond), and will link to the School’s discussions withfunders on expanding funding opportunities for adultsocial care research in England. We will prepare aplan for leveraging funding for discussion with NIHRreflecting on these discussions before the end of theSchool’s first year. (Through the additional capacity-building funding from NIHR, we plan to host – duringthe first year of the new phase of the School – ameeting of other funders of research in and near toadult social care to examine possibilities forcollaboration and leveraging funding on capacitydevelopment.)

5. coMMISSIoNING ReSeaRcH

5.1 commissioning principles

The School aims to commission research that is of the highest quality, relevant, ethical, independently peer-reviewed, widely disseminated, and fully engages with people who use services, the practice communities andother stakeholders.

5.2 commissioning of research by core Members

Core Member leads are required to propose to theExecutive Group initial outlines of research projectsthey are considering for internal NIHR SSCR funding.These need to be relevant to the School's mission. Ifagreed at this outline stage, the project PrincipalInvestigator (PI) then completes a full application,which will be independently peer-reviewed. The RPMwill oversee the review process unless there is aconflict of interest, in which case one of the CoreMember leads will be asked to oversee the reviewthrough their own university base. An EG academicliaison will be appointed to lead on commissioning theproject and liaising with the PI if the project iscommissioned, including attending project-specificadvisory group meetings.

Three rounds of commissioning per year will takeplace with deadlines for receipt of full proposals: 30April; 31 August; 30 November (or next working day).Outlines proposals can be submitted for any EGmeeting.

Subject to satisfactory peer-review and revision ofthe proposal, projects are then commissioned andcontracted through NIHR SSCR’s arrangements withthe LSE. Projects will be required to start on the dateagreed during the commissioning process.

Encouragement will be given to research conductedacross two or more university members of theSchool, as well as to proposals that lay foundationsfor leveraging funding. However, it is not necessaryfor all projects to be tied to these two objectives.


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5.3 commissioning of research from external research teams

The Executive Group will consult with the AdvisoryBoard, UCPRG, and external stakeholders to identifythe key questions for external calls for researchapplications, and the Executive will then prioritisethese questions. Opportunities to apply for researchidentified through this process will be advertisedwidely.

Two-stage calls for proposals will detail the researchquestions, the expected duration of the study,financial rules and regulations, and an indicative cost.The School will produce guidance for applicants andendeavour to undertake other activities to helpapplicants produce good proposals. In particular, theSchool will facilitate opportunities for service users,carers and adult social care practitioners toparticipate in defining and, where possible, to lead orcollaborate in research projects. This will includeencouraging links between local authorities, providerorganisations, individuals, NIHR Research DesignServices and the NIHR Clinical Research Network (asappropriate) to encourage and support developmentof proposals.

Specifications for calls and commissioning processeswill be in line with all relevant EU regulations, and anyadditional LSE and NIHR regulations. The ExecutiveGroup will carry out screening review of Stage 1proposals focusing on eligibility and scope. Proposalsthat do meet Stage 1 requirements will be invited tosubmit full proposals at Stage 2. Full proposals will bepeer-reviewed (see Section 5.4) before beingconsidered further.

All commissioning decisions will be made by a panelcomprising the School’s Executive Group, and at leastone service user/carer/practitioner (appropriatelysupported and remunerated) and at least oneresearcher independent of NIHR SSCR.

Call for proposals will stipulate a specific start datefor successful proposals; unless there are exceptionalcircumstances, the start date for a project will benon-negotiable.

5.4 Peer review

Prior to commissioning, each NIHR SSCR study willbe peer-reviewed. The School will aim to ensure thateach piece of work is externally peer-reviewed by auser or carer, one or two researchers with particularexpertise in the area and possibly also an adult socialcare practitioner. Wherever possible, reviewers willbe chosen so as to bring relevant contextualexperience or expertise to the task. User and carerreviewers will be paid for carrying out reviews;standard NIHR operating procedures concerning thepayment of other reviewers will be followed.Ensuring that there are no conflicts of interest, twopreviously identified Executive Group members willplay a key role in the interpretation of reviewers’comments and recommendations. Decisions on whichproposals will be funded, and any conditions attachedto that funding, will be the responsibility of theExecutive Group based on discussion at theCommissioning panel. These decisions will beinformed by the following criteria:

• feasibility

• methodological excellence

• originality

• relevance to adult social care practice

• potential to have an impact on practice and onthe lives of people using services and their carers;

• value for money

• strength of the research team

• contribution to the coherence of the programmeand to the work of NIHR SSCR more broadly

• clearly defined and costed plans for user, carer,practitioner involvement, well-defined pathwaysto impact (through engagement anddissemination, for example) and being as inclusiveas possible of research participants

• clearly defined and costed plans for meetingresearch ethics and governance requirements

5.5 Research ethics and governance

All projects must have successfully undergone a formof ethics review. Where required, projects must applyfor a favourable opinion from an appropriate researchethics as specified under Health Research Authority(HRA) guidance. Where HRA approval is not required,

review by a university ethics committee will berequired. (For non-university organisationsconducting NIHR SSCR-commissioned research,equivalent arrangements will need to be made.) Allwork supported by the School will be carried out in


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accordance with the UK policy framework for healthand social care research (2017), the ImplementationPlan for Social Care (2004), the Mental Capacity Act(2005), the Mental Health Act (2007), the DataProtection Act (2018) and all other legislation andgood practice (e.g. trial registration) for researchethics and governance.

The School acknowledges that time spent on ethicsapplications is not funded by universities for career-

track research staff. However, time spent on ethicspreparation itself will not be eligible for funding fromNIHR SSCR. Funding can be released for activitiesthat do not require ethics approval while ethicalprocesses for other study elements are completed.Where ethical approval is not received, funding forthose activities requiring approval will not be releasedand (if appropriate) the project contract will beterminated.

5.6 Monitoring of research projects

Stringent targets will be set and indicators used tomonitor progress of funded projects. A keycontractual requirement will be the biannualproduction of brief reports by all funded researchteams, and an annual impact assessment. Progressmeetings are expected to take place twice a year.Failure to achieve targets agreed in projectagreements may require remedial action by theSchool, firstly to identify any problems, timepressures and other issues that NIHR SSCR may beable to resolve; and secondly (if appropriate) toinvolve other researchers, subject to contract

regulations, in the completion of the project and/or inthe production of some of these outputs.

For ongoing commissioned research, any substantivevariations to research projects will need to beapproved by the Director following discussion withthe Executive Group lead, if needed, RPM and FIM,and, as appropriate, after peer-review of the revisedproposal where the work to be undertaken issubstantially different to the original proposal.Implications for ethics and governance will also beconsidered.

5.7 Reporting

A contractual requirement for all research projectswill be preparation an End-of-Project reportconsisting of:

• a short administrative report, including a financialstatement

• one or more peer-reviewed paper(s) submitted totop quality journals (in pre-submission manuscriptform)

• a short note reflecting on the methods used andany issues/lessons that arise (things that did anddid not work)

• a brief, accessible ‘Findings’ report in line with theSchool’s requirements for this document, to beplaced on its website

The End-of-Project report will be peer-reviewed andamendments may be requested before publication ofspecific parts of the report. In addition projects willbe required to confirm feedback has been providedto all participants in studies as appropriate. Finalpayment will be contingent on the satisfactorydelivery of all of these outputs.

All journal articles and other outputs will be requiredto acknowledge support from NIHR SSCR and carrythe required NIHR disclaimer. The School will requireall outputs intended for the public domain to besubmitted to the School 30 days before publication.Key outputs (‘Findings’, papers and any final report ifa project chooses to prepare one) will be sent to theNIHR Journal’s Library for publication on the School’sproject page.

5.8 Improving complementarity

NIHR SSCR will liaise closely with other current andpotential funders of adult social care research toensure complementarity in the research that eachbody is intending to commission. To assist in this theSchool will ensure that NIHR SSCR continues to helpto promote awareness and understanding of adult

social care research across other parts of NIHR, andfor other funders, such as UKRI and charitablefunders. The School will continue to develop theprofile of NIHR SSCR as a focal point for informationabout adult social care research and a source ofsupport on this topic to other research funders.


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6. MeTHoDoloGIcal RePeRToIRe aND RIGouRA number of methods have been used in adult socialcare research, but have not always been selectedappropriately, nor are they always employedadequately. This has left some of the empiricalevidence in the field lacking in the rigour needed tooffer relevant and useful findings to inform thedevelopment of care practice. The disciplinary basefrom which adult social care research has been builtmight also benefit from broadening, and therepertoire of theoretical and conceptual frameworksand research methods thereby expanded. Animportant aim of the new phase of the School willtherefore be to continue to improve the quality ofthe research undertaken in and within adult socialcare practice by helping to broaden the range ofresearch designs and methods, and by ensuring thatthese are applied appropriately. NIHR SSCR willcontinue to promote and build on the research

methods papers delivered in previous phases of theSchool in support of this aim. We will also supportthe Incubator to further this agenda.

If necessary, Executive Group members and SeniorFellows will work closely with short-listed or fundedapplicants to ensure that the work to be undertakenis fully relevant to adult social care practice inEngland and is of the highest standard. The linksestablished between Executive Group members andindividual projects are also helpful in this regard, forexample through membership of project advisorygroups in some instances. To support ongoingdevelopment of the methodological base for adultsocial care research, as noted above, NIHR SSCRrequires a reflection on the methods employed aspart of End-of-Project reports which will give theresearchers an opportunity make recommendationsthat could help future work.

7. ReSeaRcH focuS aND STRaTeGIc leaDeRSHIPNIHR SSCR continues to provide a focus for adultsocial care research within the NIHR, aiming toencourage greater understanding and awareness ofadult social care and encourage further investment inadult social care research. We have successfullyworked with funding streams within NIHR (e.g.Research for Patient Benefit and NETSCC) and withNIHR infrastructure (e.g. Involve, the ResearchDesign Services and the Clinical Research Network)to support their engagement with adult social careresearch. Developing yet greater awareness of andengagement with adult social care and researchwithin NIHR should be an important ongoing task inPhase III.

The School continues to support, encourage and insome respects lead the development of adult socialcare research in England, and to forge productivelinks with adult social care research communities inother parts of the UK and beyond. Many of theactivities described in earlier sections of this BusinessPlan will help in this regard.

NIHR SSCR has established its profile as a keyorganisation in delivering better evidence andcontributing to improving practice. The School'snetworks are now extensive, building on linksestablished through the Core Members and theAdvisory Board, and on links at the levels of individualprojects. The School's knowledge exchange activitieshave further supported this.

Building on achievements in Phases I and II, theSchool will continue to build its profile and leadershipin the field of improving adult social care practicethrough:

• advice from its Advisory Board, many of whosemembers are drawn from key national bodiesinfluential in shaping adult social care in England

• guidance and support from the Impact WorkingGroup, many of whose members are drawn fromkey national bodies alongside user, carer andpractitioner membership and academic expertisein knowledge exchange and impact

• jointly organised events with key stakeholderorganisations

• utilising the additional resources provided toimprove research-practice links as part ofdeveloping capacity

• organising the NIHR SSCR Annual conference as afocal point for researchers and users, carers andpractitioners to discuss research findings

While NIHR SSCR’s focus is on practice, the Schoolrecognises that one pathway to improving practice isthrough policy discussion and development. NIHRSSCR has therefore sought to build strong links withnational and local policy communities, including theDepartment of Health and Social Care's policy teamfor adult social care and local authorities, and willcontinue to strengthen these links.


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8. IDeNTIfYING eVIDeNce GaPSNIHR SSCR will actively consult with a wide range ofstakeholders in adult social care about researchquestions, the methods needed to answer them, theprocesses through which these methods are to beimplemented, and the ways in which findings may betranslated into a form that can aid the developmentof practice. The purpose will be to identify topics,methods and processes on an ongoing basis duringthe 5-year period to support the School's Executiveas it prioritises research activities.

Ongoing review of the School's scoping reviews andfunded studies will provide information on currentevidence gaps identified through Phases I and IIactivities.

A range of processes will be used, includingdiscussions with the User, Carer, PractitionerReference Group, open consultation withresearchers, commissioners, providers, people who

use services, carers, frontline professionals and otherkey individuals in order to develop the School’sresearch and capacity-building activities. The variouslinks set out above are also important as sources ofconsultation on research priorities.

We will continue to support research prioritisationwork by others as opportunities arise, such ascontinuing our link with the James Lind Alliance.Additionally, we will support work to encourageresearch funders to address research prioritiesidentified in, for example, the James Lind Alliance-ledPrioritisation Partnership on Adult Social Work, andthose identified in relevant NICE guidance.

To establish a yardstick for development, the Schoolwill host a further event on the current position ofadult social care research (following events in 2005and 2010) early in the first year of Phase III.

9. BuIlDING ReSeaRcH caPacITYAdult social care research in England is stillconducted by a relatively small group of experiencedpeople, certainly in comparison to the number ofhealth services researchers. In support of its principalaims to conduct and commission world class research,NIHR SSCR will contribute to the development ofgreater capacity, in terms of both the generation ofresearch and its utilisation by decision-makersthroughout the statutory, third and private sectors.

The School will build on achievements under Phases Iand II and explore other avenues for investing ingreater capacity development in care research. Inparticular, consideration will be given to:

• examining the potential for supporting NIHRfellowships and other capacity-buildingopportunities in adult social care through liaisonwith the NIHR Academy

• identifying more ways to promote the School'sgrowing body of methods papers, especially toundergraduate and postgraduate students to helpattract more researchers into adult social careresearch as well as developing the abilities ofthose who have already entered this field

• liaising with other research funders and associatedinitiatives to encourage greater investment inadult social care practice research

• working closely with professional bodiesrepresenting social workers, occupationaltherapists and care workers to encourage greaterparticipation in research, including by supportinginvestment in research skill development

• continuing to promote and develop the Journal ofLong-term Care

• supporting the academic development of researchco-produced with or led by people who useservices, carers and practitioners

The School's Executive will review a report of asurvey of research use and capacity within localauthorities commissioned from the Social ServicesResearch Group (now part of LARIA) early in Phase II,and will consider developing an action plan inconsultation with the School's Advisory Group.

The School will receive additional funding to supportcapacity-building activities, as well as linking with theNIHR Social Care Incubator, arrangements for whichwill be set out in a separate contract between theNIHR Academy and LSE.


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10. uSeR, caReR, PRacTITIoNeR aND PuBlIc INVolVeMeNTThe School's involvement initiatives will focus on fourbroad groups: i) people who use adult social careservices (service users); ii) unpaid family carers ofservice users; iii) adult social care practitioners; andiv) the public. Practitioners are explicitly included:unlike health care, there is no model for practitioneracademics and, hence, the divide betweenresearchers and practitioners is marked. Each of thefour groups has an important contribution to make tothe definition of research priorities and the details ofindividual projects, and in planning how best toachieve impact from research.

Building on the work of the School in Phases I and II,user, carer and practitioner (UCP) groups will beinvolved in the School's strategic managementthrough the work of the UCPRG and the AdvisoryBoard, and in research programmes throughindividual projects. The School will explore ways toensure involvement is appropriate to individualprojects and to facilitate greater involvement(through user-, carer- and practitioner-led groups, or

with these groups playing a significant role in projectteams).

NIHR SSCR has an extensive network of stakeholderswith links to UCP groups. The School will utilise theselinks to support further engagement with the School'sactivities.

Phase II’s approach to user, carer and practitionerinvolvement will be reviewed and developed forPhase III (see Annex A). In particular, a review of theSchool’s UCP Involvement Strategy will be carried outby the UCPRG early in Phase III. The UCPRGundertook a review of the operationalisation of theSchool’s involvement strategy in phase II and weexpect to build on this by using their work to enhanceour involvement activity in phase III and throughfurther UCPRG-led reviews of our work.

The School’s approach to involvement will followguidance and standards from NIHR on publicinvolvement.

11. KNoWleDGe eXcHaNGe aND IMPacTKnowledge exchange is an essential element in theSchool's activities, both in respect of its researchprogramme, and in relation to its various leadershiproles. Appropriate knowledge exchange and impactprocesses and activities are essential to ensure thatthe School meets its objectives, and that its fundedactivities have the potential to improve adult socialcare practice in England.

Building on lessons from Phases I and II, a knowledgeexchange and research implementation action planforms the basis of the School's activities andprocesses in Phase III (see Annex B). This action planoperates at several levels in order to reach a range ofaudiences. Ongoing strategic responsibility rests withthe Executive Group and implementation is theresponsibility of the Finance and Impact Manager.

As part of the School’s emphasis on knowledgeexchange and impact, all research proposals will bereviewed independently on the basis of theirknowledge exchange and impact activities. Proposal

leads will be required to respond to comments ontheir impact review and reflect amendments in theirresearch design, budget and timetable as part of thepeer-review and commissioning process.

The School will continue to work closely with otherorganisations with expertise in knowledge exchange.Where possible and relevant we will also link withacademic research collaborations, and, for example,What Works Centres. Considerable efforts will bemade to ensure knowledge exchange processes areembedded into all aspects of the School's activitiesand particularly in funded research studies to ensuremessages are disseminated widely to policy, practice,carer and service user audiences; and also to ensurethat there are opportunities for these audiences tofeed back their views to the School and theresearchers it supports.

The School will implement an Impact Fund and aCelebrating Impact prize in Phase III.


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12. ReSeaRcH PRoGRaMMe

12.1 Research themes

The School is committed to commissioning researchacross the spectrum of adult social care practice,across different groups, settings and using a range ofmethodologies. Through its research, the School aimsto address, inter alia, priorities identified through theDepartment of Health and Social Care’s SharedDelivery Plan, the Chief Scientific Officer’s cross-cutting themes and priorities identified by practiceleaders.

The School's research programme will cover a widerange of topics. Annex C sets out the main researchthemes that are likely to encompass the majority ofproposed work. However, we do not intend thosethemes to be restrictive. The core criterion forfunding will be whether the project meets theSchool's aims and objectives.

12.2 Research projects

Core Members of the School are developing proposalsfor specific projects to start in Year 1 of Phase III, andwill develop outlines of work that could be undertakenlater in the 5-year programme, whether by the CoreMembers themselves or by external research teams.Studies will be prioritised in order to focus resourceson those areas expected to deliver the most benefitsin terms of a high-quality evidence base for adultsocial care practice in England.

It is expected that a number of studies will becommissioned to start in the first year of Phase III.

Full research proposals will be sent for peer-reviewas proposals are submitted to the RPM, and – subjectto satisfactory review, amendment as needed andNIHR SSCR approval – will commence as soon aspossible thereafter.

13. PeRfoRMaNce ReVIeW The School will review its performance against itsmission and objectives on an annual basis, withannual reports submitted to NIHR.

NIHR will review the School’s performance annually,through a mid-term performance review and througha final review at the end of Phase III.

The performance of individual commissioned projectswill be reviewed in line with reporting requirementsset out earlier.

14. BuDGeTNIHR SSCR will be funded to a total of £18m over 5 years.


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Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 TotalMay 19–Mar 20 apr 20–Mar 21 apr 21–Mar 22 apr 22–Mar 23 apr 23–Mar 24 apr-24

Core managementcosts

£395,589 £442,586 £457,609 £472,500 £489,073 £42,211 £2,299,568

Advisory Boardand UCPRG costs

£6,830 £6,330 £6,330 £6,330 £6,830 £3,980 £36,630

Knowledgeexchange

£41,000 £41,500 £91,500 £98,000 £41,500 £6,000 £319,500

Core memberresearch

£1,284,718 £3,278,614 £3,515,106 £2,709,306 £1,464,406 £23,295 £12,275,445

Commissioning £0 £384,233 £1,088,659 £1,088,659 £507,306 £0 £3,068,857

Total £1,728,137 £4,153,264 £5,159,204 £4,374,795 £2,509,114 £75,486 £18,000,000

15. TIMeTaBlePhase III of the School runs from 1 May 2019 until30 April 2024. Annual reports will be submitted tothe NIHR, and a mid-term performance review willtake place late in Year 3.


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aNNeX a: user, carer, Practitioner Involvement StrategyUpdated 31 October 2018

Introduction

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) re-commissioned the School for Social Care Research(NIHR SSCR) for a second 5-year period to run fromApril 2014 until May 2019. From its inception NIHRSSCR has worked to ensure that it sets and lives upto high standards with regard to the involvement ofservice users, carers and practitioners in its activities.NIHR SSCR believes that such wider engagement andinvolvement contributes to, amongst other things:

• an environment of trust and co-production insocial care research

• best knowledge exchange to inform practice andresearch

• improved relevance of social care research to thepriorities and lives of people using services, theirfamily and other unpaid carers (hereafter ‘carers’)and those responsible for social care practice

• greater knowledge mobilisation and impact fromresearch activities

During the first five years of the School great strideswere made in developing user, carer and practitionerinvolvement in all of the School’s activities. Keydevelopments and activities were:

• establishing the User, Carer, PractitionerReference Group (UCPRG) as a key component ofthe School’s governance structure and processes

• ensuring representation from the UCPRG on the

School’s Advisory Board as another significantelement of our governance

• review of research applications to NIHR SSCR bya user, carer or practitioner as a norm

• review of research reports and scoping andmethods papers by a user, carer or practitioner asa norm

• ensuring that there is representation from UCPRGon all the commissioning panels of NIHR SSCR

• ensuring the culture of the School is supportive ofthe principles of public involvement and ofindividuals who are involved in our research

• the expectation that there is appropriate user,carer and practitioner involvement in all theresearch commissioned by UCPRG

• the involvement of a representative from UCPRGin other research-related activities beyond NIHRSSCR.

• links across NIHR and Involve to share goodpractice in public involvement in research.

The NIHR SSCR has developed this strategy for user,carer and practitioner involvement up to 2019 tobuild on these successes. This plan has beendeveloped with the UCPRG, discussed with theSchool’s Advisory Board and agreed by the School’sExecutive Group.

Key terms

P(P)I – Public (& Patient) Involvement, the term moregenerally used by the NIHR to cover widerinvolvement of those with an interest in researchbeyond traditional research groups.

The groups we seek to engage with and involve fromamongst the public and adult social care practitionersfor SSCR are defined in the following definitions ofuser, carer and practitioner.

user – service user is a term generally used in socialcare for someone who is receiving some care andsupport from social care services. Services may be inthe statutory, third or private sectors of the economy.The needs of the service user and the support beingreceived can be very diverse across populations,including support for mental and/or physical healthneeds, and learning and/or physical disabilities.Services may be funded by the state or paid for by

the person (or by family/friends) themselves (knownas self-funders) or subsidised/funded by charities.

carer – someone who provides unpaid care andsupport to a service user. Often it is a relative of theservice user, though not always.

Practitioner – someone who works in deliveringsocial care. This can mean managers andcommissioners as well as frontline care workers suchas care assistants, social workers, and occupationaltherapists.

Involvement – people being supported to have anactive role in shaping research and related activities.Currently, the evidence base on which to define thebest approaches to involvement is equivocal, but weaspire to develop good practice and contribute tolearning and improving the evidence.


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Strategic aims

The key strategic aims for user, carer and practitioner involvement across NIHR SSCR are to:

1. provide leadership for best practice in UCPinvolvement in social care research

2. embed UCP involvement in the governance of theNIHR SSC

3. continue to require best practice in involvementin all research commissioned by NIHR SSCR

4. continue to explore further modes of involvementin NIHR SSCR and its research

5. share good practice on involvement with NIHRand Involve

6. seek to develop the quantity of and capacity forinvolvement across the social care research sectorgenerally

7. learn about good practice, develop the evidenceand evolve our practice and strategy for widerinvolvement in research

Key activities

To achieve these strategic aims our key activities will be:

1. Provide leadership for best practice in ucPinvolvement in social care research

Ensure that all the work of the School, itsExecutive Group (EG), Advisory Board (AB) andUCPRG consistently promote the values andimportance of UCP involvement in social careresearch and examples of good practice.

Ensure that the School’s EG, AB and UCPRG areall appropriately supported to promoteinvolvement.

Continue to review practices for involvement inNIHR SSCR.

2. embed ucP involvement in the governance ofthe NIHR SScR

Build on the existing structures, practices andcapacity for involvement in the governance ofNIHR SSCR by continuing to make resourcesavailable for these activities, supporting thosecurrently involved and seeking to recruit newmembers.

Ensure that users, carers and practitioners areengaged in the work of NIHR SSCR.

Provide group and individual support to UCPRGmembers as required.

Develop a wider network of people beyondUCPRG to involve, for example, for periods ofpeak activities such as reviewing researchapplications.

3. Require high quality practice in involvement in allresearch commissioned by NIHR SScR

Continue to make clear NIHR SSCR requirementsabout appropriate involvement in all research itcommissions.

Continue to ensure that involvement is a keyelement in all decisions about what research tocommission.

Share examples of good practice in social careresearch.

Reflect on current involvement in NIHR SSCRresearch and make appropriate changes to ensurebest practice.

Ensure that the methods note of the formalreport required for all NIHR SSCR projectsincludes a section ‘Reflections on UCPinvolvement in the project’ to generate lessonsacross projects which could contribute toeffective involvement in future social careresearch.

4. continue to explore further modes ofinvolvement in NIHR SScR and its research.

Work with UCPRG and others outside NIHR SSCRto identify opportunities for new modes ofinvolvement.

5. Share good practice on involvement with NIHRand Involve

Continue to participate in opportunities acrossNIHR and with Involve to share the good practicein NIHR SSCR and to learn from best practice inpublic involvement in research more generally.

6. Develop the quantity of and capacity forinvolvement across the social care researchsector

Ensure NIHR SSCR is seen as a leader in bestpractice in social care research and to extend theinfluence of NIHR SSCR in promoting this.

Continue to work with others involved in thecommissioning, management and governance ofsocial care research to identify and shareopportunities for increasing the amount of publicinvolvement in social care research generally andthe capacity amongst the public to be involved.


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Review of the strategy

This strategy was reviewed in 2016, led by theUCPRG, supported by the NIHR SSCR ResearchProgramme Manager, and reported to the School’sExecutive Group and Advisory Board.

A dynamic process will be developed of learningabout good practice in involvement, evolving ourapproaches and strategy.


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aNNeX B: Knowledge exchange and Research Implementation action PlanNIHR SSCR has ten years of experience incommissioning research with the potential to improveadult social care practice in England. Over this period,a number of knowledge exchange, impact andengagement (KEIE) activities have been carried out,some as pilots, to improve the School’s processes, ourcentral KEIE channels and the support offered tocommissioned studies.

As part of Phase II activities, the School is currentlyfinalising reports and papers on lessons from acrossthese ten years, strengthening guidance to the socialcare research community on research impact,drawing together impact case studies, and refiningrecommendations for the research-using community.

A methods review on the role of implementationscience is also underway. These outputs will providethe platform for the School’s action plan for Phase III.

Our approach for Phase I of the School was tocentralise a number of KEIE activities with an ad hocexperimental approach. We then moved to lesscentralised activities and enhanced support forcommissioned studies in Phase II, with a morecoordinated strategic approach building on ourlearning from Phase I. Our approach in Phase III willbe to balance between these two approaches toensure some strategic centralised activities takeplace, alongside enhanced support to commissionedstudies with flexibility to develop initiatives over time.


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5 years NIHR SSCR activity/learning 10 years NIHR SSCR activity/learning

NIHR SSCR SOCIAL CARE RESEARCH IMPACT EVIDENCE BASE

WIDER RESEARCH IMPACT EVIDENCE BASE

PHASE 1central ad hoc KEIE actvities

Projects with own dissemination activities

central support for KEIE actvity

PHASE 2

Projects with own KEIE activities

2009 2014 2019

PHASE 3

Proj

ects

’ KEIE activites coordinated with central support

increased central support for KEIE actvity

KeIe activity in Phase II

1. Build on existing relationships and developments,and continue to raise the profile of the School.

2. View the central NIHR SSCR role as facilitative,supportive and focused on linkage across thesocial care research sector, with clearopportunities and expectations of KEIE activity tobe conducted by each NIHR SSCR-fundedproject.

3. Start early and be ongoing throughout Phase III ofthe School.

4. Focus on NIHR SSCR contributing to existing andemergent social care sector networks andorganisations, not on building its own network.

5. Ensure internal processes are designed to makethe most of the information collated from projectsand wider NIHR SSCR activities.

6. Focus on developing the evidence base for impactrather than implementing evidence directly.

The resources and staff time required for this havebeen reflected in the School’s budget for Phase III.

Development of Phase III’s Knowledge exchange and Research Implementation action Plan

As our Action Plan will build on current Phase IIactivities, it will be finalised between January andJune 2019. A draft of the plan will be discussed bythe School’s Executive Group, and subsequentlydiscussed with the School’s Advisory Board and User,

Carer, Practitioner Reference Group. It will then bereviewed and signed off by the School’s ExecutiveGroup. Here we set out our priorities for this planwith some examples of activities, rather than thefinalised plan itself.

Priorities

The School’s priorities in relation to knowledge exchange and research implementation align closely with theSchool’s mission and objectives for Phase III.

1. Strengthen the School’s identity and voice in adultsocial care

The School is now widely known for commissioninghigh-quality adult social care research with an impacton practice. There remain contextual issues whichmay limit the School’s reach into practice andawareness of the School, and this is an area wewould like to focus more on in Phase III (see 5 below).

Our core activities will be integral to sustaining theSchool’s identity. Our website will continue to act asa focal point; enhancements to our current websitewill be completed by April 2019 and the website willbe reviewed annually for further enhancements. Useof social media will be further developed.

We will continue to enforce requirements to usefunding acknowledgements to ensure findings arebeing linked to the School, as well as ensuringcompliance with our identity guidance, and continueto share findings from studies through press releases,and in links with the NIHR Dissemination Centre andJournals Library.

In recent years the School’s voice has played asignificant role in supporting developments in socialcare, both internally within, and external to, NIHR.This has included support to, for example, the ClinicalResearch Network, Research Design Service, NIHRAcademy, new Academic Research Centres and morerecently the NIHR’s Social Care campaign, as well asinputs into the recent JLA priority-setting exercise for

social work and scoping research priorities forNETSCC. We will continue to support these andsimilar activities and initiatives.

2. Support the generation of impact fromcommissioned studies

Over the course of Phase II, we increased oursupport to commissioned studies, focusing on theirimpact plans. This has, for example, included regularmeetings to discuss impact activities, which hasallowed for ideas and guidance to be shared acrossprojects. Our support in this way will be increased inPhase III, building on successes in Phases I and II.

In order for studies to be able to realise theirpotential for impact they need to develop strongpathways-to-impact plans as part of the initialresearch proposal. All research proposals will bereviewed independently on the basis of their KEIEactivities. Proposal leads will be required to respondto comments on their impact review and reflectamendments in their research design, budget andtimetable as part of the commissioning process.

Within six months of a study starting, the researchteam will be required to complete a more detailedplan for their KEIE activities. They will be providedwith a template to ensure consistency acrossprojects, and support will be available to them, forexample to discuss aspects of their plan. Theinformation they provide will form the basis of six-monthly reporting processes. Our reporting


24

processes will include an annual written update ontheir KEIE plan, and an annual meeting with theSchool’s Impact Manager to discuss progress; thesewill be timed to ensure these two reporting activitiestake place six months apart.

Our requirement for summary findings to beproduced as part of final reporting will continue, andthe School’s Impact staff will work closely with thestudy team to support dissemination of these NIHRSSCR summaries.

We will implement an Impact Fund: its purpose willbe to support activities across projects or whereadditional opportunities have arisen that were notforeseen at the proposal development stage.Proposals to this Fund will need to be led by a NIHRSSCR research champion (see below) and co-produced with one or more non-academic partner.

3. add value to the School’s commissioned research

The School acts as a hub across a broad programmeof social care research, and this provides us withopportunities to draw together evidence across thisprogramme. In Phase III we will introduce positionpapers which draw together evidence in particularthemes across all Phases of the School where thismight add value to a practice or policy discussion(such as support for carers).

We will produce a 6-monthly report focusing on theSchool’s research, and developments within NIHR, inplace of an annual report. These reports will providea brief reminder of the School’s work and will bedistributed to stakeholders – such as local authorities,third sector organisations, relevant think tanks, userand carer groups, researchers – and through ourmailing lists.

We will discuss other possibilities with the Schoolcommunity.

4. enhance the sense of community developed bythe School

The School has brought together a large number ofsocial care researchers in the last ten years anddeveloped a sense of community. This has beenparticularly evident in our annual conference, whichis now the only event in the country that focuses onadult social care research. The School will continue tohost an annual conference, bringing togetherresearchers and other stakeholders to discussemerging or final research findings, and to discuss keyissues in adult social care.

We will explore further opportunities for members ofthe School community to discuss research or keypriorities in carrying out research (such as recruitment,engagement with local authorities, use of big data)

with each other. Although some workshops took placein Phase II, in discussions on impact it became evidentthat it would be useful to bring studies together moreoften to share experiences and learning. For Phase III,we are exploring introducing a webinar series whereNIHR Senior Fellows and Fellows could discussaspects of their research, be it on a thematic basis orstudy-specific basis. These would be closed webinarsfor the School’s community – Executive Group, SeniorFellows, Fellows, Advisory Board and UCPRG – toallow discussion on emerging findings without thesebeing publicised too early. However, some webinarscould potentially be open to other colleagues withinNIHR where topics may be of interest. These mightbe fixed slots in a 6-weekly format.

The School introduced a “Celebrating Impact” prizerecently, and the expectation is that this will continueon an annual basis.

5. effectively engage with key stakeholders

A number of lessons are emerging from the School’sengagement with stakeholders in Phases I and II.Individual members of the School’s community andindividual studies have been successful in engaging,for example, specific local authorities or regionalgroups representing directors or assistant directors ofadult social services; lessons from these studies arefeeding into a Phase II report on engagement.

Core Members within Phase II have also beensuccessful at a regional level in engaging with keystakeholders, and the School has enhanced linksthrough the ambassadorial role of our ExecutiveGroup and Advisory Board members. A morestrategic approach will be developed in Phase III.

Each Core Member will host an annual regionalengagement workshop. Where Core Members areclosely positioned, such as LSE, Kent and King’sCollege London, workshops may be jointly organised.The School’s Executive Group will discuss thearrangements for these workshops to ensure allEnglish regions can participate. The workshops willprovide opportunities to engage with regionalstakeholders on particular topics or through an openshowcase event.

We will continue to explore opportunities to organiseregular research showcases for policy customers atDHSC, providing evidence that may be relevant topolicy discussions.

We will work closely with relevant social careorganisations, such as the Social Care Institute forExcellence, Making Research Count and research inpractice for adults. Links will be further developedwithin NIHR to join-up engagement activities wherethis might be beneficial.


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We will develop ‘research champions’ in practice whocan support the School to promote research use andenhance links between the School and keystakeholders. These champions will have a role inreviewing the research proposals (the KEIE reviewelement) and may also discuss plans with individualproject teams as part of the reporting processesoutlined above. These champions will includemembers of the School’s Advisory Board, and a morestrategic approach will be taken to their role indeveloping the School’s Action Plan.

6. Improve research awareness

Alongside the Executive Group’s role in supportingimprovements in research awareness, initiativesintroduced in Phase II to increase awareness of andaccess to research evidence will continue to besupported in Phase III, including the Journal of Long-term Care and the Social Care Elf. The School hasalso committed to managing the ENRICH (EnablingResearch in Care Homes) website.

We will be working with the new NIHR Adult Social

Care (Policy) Research Unit to bring togetherinformation on NIHR-funded (and potential other)social care studies and outputs in one accessiblewebsite linked to both the School’s and the ResearchUnit’s websites. The aim would be to provideimproved (open) access to information on researchunderway in adult social care. This is initially expectedto be limited to NIHR-funded research, but coulddevelop more widely if there is demand to do this.

7. Improve understanding of knowledge exchange,impact and implementation science for social careresearch

We will continue to explore activities and research toimprove understanding of KEIE for social care. InPhase III we will take a more strategic approach –through our reporting processes – to collate evidenceto track successes and barriers to implementingresearch at the project level.

We will continue to prepare impact case studies toshow how pathways to impact were implementedand the resulting impact.

Roles

In Phase III, our approach will be to engage all members of NIHR SSCR’s community and provide them withthe necessary information to act as ambassadors.

Activities will be led by the School’s Finance and Impact Manager, supported by a Research Impact andCommunications Officer.


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Netwo

rksof so

cial care research users and stakeholders

Core KEIE teamplus

NIHR comms

ExecutiveG

roup

Project prin

cipal in

vestigators

NIHRand

DHSC

liaisons

AdvisoryBoa

rd

Research

Cham

pions

User, Ca

rer, Practitioner Reference GroupNIHRSSCR

SeniorFellows

NIHR SSCR Fellows (non PI)

NIHR SSCR

-funded project host institutions (KEIE elements)

assessment

An annual impact assessment will take place. The format will be finalised as part of the Action Plan building onapproaches trialled in Phase II.

aNNeX c: NIHR SScR Research ThemesAs noted earlier, we use the term ‘adult social care’ torefer to provision of personal and practical care andsupport that people may need because of their age,illness, cognition, disability or other circumstances. Italso includes support for family members or otherunpaid carers. Important aims are to help peopleremain independent, retain their dignity and achieve abetter quality of life. Another important aim is tosafeguard adults at risk from abuse and neglect. Careand support are provided in a number of settings: incare homes with or without nursing, in people’s ownhomes (domiciliary or ‘home’ care) and in othercommunity settings such as day centres. There arealso various accommodation settings, such assheltered housing, extra-care housing, supportedliving and Shared Lives schemes. Social workers andother staff carry out assessments, provideinformation and coordinate activities to back up thisservice provision.

The School's research programme will cover thefollowing key thematic areas in this context of adultsocial care (in no priority order):

1. Adult social care needs (met and unmet), andprevention.

2. Approaches to adult social care and social workpractice, particularly new approaches: coveringareas such as usefulness of international modelsand approaches; user-led, carer-led and otherinnovation, including digital and other newtechnologies.

3. The adult social care workforce: covering areassuch as development and retention of the existingworkforce, including social workers andoccupational therapists; new work roles and newways of working; challenges to the workforce(diversity, quality, Brexit).

4. Care resources: covering areas such as eligibility;innovative approaches to funding; issues for self-funders; equality and value across self- and state-funded services; financial pressures facing olderpeople and other adults needing support;supporting carers.

5. Working with communities and other assets:covering areas such as asset-based working, socialprescribing; community and individual capability;personalisation; interdependency.

6. Care systems and markets: covering areas such ashow local authorities manage volume and qualityin local services/markets; market-shaping and theimpact on providers and others; impact of majorchanges (e.g. legislation) to the system of care; theimpact of coproduced service provision.

7. Diversity, inequality and 'marginalised'communities: covering areas such as variations(including inequity) in accessing adult social care;promising practice and support for specific usergroups; coproducing solutions to challengeinequality.

8. Adult social care at the interface with othersystems (e.g. integration and coordination):covering areas such as housing, criminal justice,hospital inpatient services, primary care,community mental health, employment settings.

The School is committed to commissioning researchacross the spectrum of adult social care practice,across different groups, settings and using a range ofmethodologies.

In deciding what studies to commission, the Schoolwill ensure that its work does not duplicate researchthat might be underway in the DHSC Policy ResearchUnits, such as the Adult Social Care PRU or theHealth and Social Care Workforce PRU, or researchthat is funded by other parts of NIHR or by otherfunding bodies.


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aNNeX D: Key researchers in core Member universitiesThe five key researchers in each of the Core Member universities are:

university of Birmingham • Professor Jon Glasby• Dr Robin Miller• Professor Catherine Needham (lead)• Dr Karen Newbigging• Professor Jerry Tew

university of Bristol• Professor David Abbott (lead)• Ailsa Cameron • Professor Liz Lloyd • Professor Geraldine Macdonald • Dr Paul Willis

university of Kent • Professor Julie Beadle-Brown• Professor Julien Forder• Dr Nick Gore• Dr Karen Jones (lead)• Dr Michelle McCarthy

King’s college london• Dr Michelle Cornes• Professor Jill Manthorpe (lead)• Jo Moriarty• Dr Kritika Samsi • Dr John Woolham

london School of economics and Political Science• Dr Jose-Luis Fernandez • Professor Martin Knapp (lead)• David McDaid • Dr Juliette Malley• Raphael Wittenberg

university of Manchester • Dr Paul Clarkson• Professor John Keady• Professor Catherine Robinson (lead)• Sue Tucker• Professor Alys Young

university of York • Dr Kate Baxter• Professor Bryony Beresford• Professor Yvonne Birks (lead)• Professor Nicholas Pleace • Professor Martin Webber


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coNTacT

NIHR School for Social care Researchlondon School of economics and Political ScienceHoughton Streetlondon Wc2a 2aeTel: 020-7955-6238email: [email protected]

The School for Social care Research (Phase III, 2019–2024)is a partnership between the london School of economicsand Political Science, King's college london and theuniversities of Birmingham, Bristol, Kent, Manchester andYork, and is funded by the National Institute for HealthResearch (www.nihr.ac.uk)

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.nihr.ac.uk

Documents

BUSINESS PLAN 2019 –2024 - sscr.nihr.ac.uk · This Business Plan sets out the School’s mission, activities, governance structure, research programmes, budget and timetable for