The Centre forHealth & Social Care StudiesAndService Development.

Designed & Printed by The University Print Service, The University of Sheffield 05/07

ResearchEndeavoursAndDissemination.

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Mrs Anne Peat, Dean of School of Nursing and Midwifery, andProfessor Bob Boucher, Vice Chancellor, University of Sheffield, atthe launch of the new Centre for Health & Social Care Studies andService Development, 25th April 2007.

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The University is committed to making the School of Nursing andMidwifery a major player in the expanding research field of Nursing andMidwifery. In the previous Research Assessment Exercise the School ofNursing and Midwifery was one of only 4 UK universities to receive a 5rating, and as such, the University of Sheffield recognises theimportance of research in the School and the focus on research andgraduate education. Research is carried out under the themes of Olderpeople; Children, young people and families; Workforce and practicedevelopment. This work is sustained by grants from, for example,Leverhulme and the Department of Health. There is a very welldeveloped postgraduate research programme with over 30 studentsincluding an increasing number of international students (Spain, SaudiArabia, Jordan). The School is currently hosting its first student fromTaiwan who is undertaking 6 months of research training funded by theTaiwanese Government. The plan to locate the School in the SamuelFox House at the Northern General Hospital demonstrates the School’scommitment to work with the NHS and to develop research which isrelevant to patient care and the UK healthcare agenda.

Geof TomlinsonPro Vice-Chancellor for Research17 May, 2007

The School of Nursing &Midwifery at the University ofSheffield has undergone somesignificant changes in the pastyear and these have involved astrategic decision to discontinuethe provision of pre-registrationnursing and midwifery educationby contract with the NationalHealth Service at the University ofSheffield and to focus on graduateeducation and research. Towardsthis end, within the School, theCentre for Health and Social CareStudies and Service Developmenthas been launched, as the pictureon the front page of this editionshows.

The Centre will be located atSamuel Fox House at the

Northern General Hospitalin Sheffield which is one ofthe largest hospital sitesin Europe. This moveemphasises our closerelationship with theNational Health Service in

the UK locally andnationally but our attention

is also on internationalrelationships.

On a recent visit to Taiwan I was toldby a nurse academic about READ and how much sheenjoyed receiving it. Other nurses in Hong Kong andTaiwan have told me that they like receiving READ. Thisemphasises to me the importance of READ as a vehiclewhich helps to disseminate our research and whichpeople across the world value. As this edition of READshows, research activity continues in the School and inthis issue we report on Mike Nolan’s Partnership inCarer Assessment Project and Helen Stapleton’sLeverhulme funded study: Changing Habits? Food,family and transitions to motherhood.Since the reorganisation of the School we have re-focused our research into three themes: Older people;

Children, young people and families; and Workforceand practice development. All of the previous researchactivity continues in one way or another but within theabove themes, providing greater synergies betweenareas of research and between members of staff.

Wherever I travel I find that there is great interest inthe UK Research Assessment Exercise and the nextexercise is due to report at the end of 2008. We knowhow important the outcome of this exercise is foroverseas nurses who wish to come and study with usor collaborate in research. It is a mark of the researchactivity at Sheffield that we have one previous ResearchAssessment Exercise panel member on our staff,Professor Mike Nolan, and that I am currently servingon the present panel. The University of Sheffield wasgiven a top score in nursing and midwifery in the 2001exercise along with only three other universities and weare currently preparing our submission for theforthcoming exercise. The scoring system for theforthcoming Research Assessment Exercise iscompletely different from all the previous exercisesand it will not be possible to rank subjects in quite thesame way. Nevertheless, we hope to demonstrate boththe international nature of our research and also itsapplicability to nursing and midwifery practice. As Iwrite this, the School is preparing to send a largedelegation of staff and students to the InternationalCouncil of Nurses Conference in Yokohama, Japan.This emphasises our commitment to international links.Recently, we were well represented at the RoyalCollege of Nursing International Research Conferencein Dundee, Scotland, where several members of theSchool presented their work and demonstrated itsapplication to practice and policy through varioussymposia.

We like to hear from you so you are free to contact uswith any views or requests for more information on ourresearch. We are especially keen to collaborate andalso to hear from you of anyone else who might benefitfrom receiving a regular copy of READ.

Roger WatsonDirector of ResearchCentre for Health & Social CareStudies and ServiceDevelopment School of Nursing andMidwifery

by Professor Geof Tomlinson, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research,the University of Sheffield

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Contents

Foreword 2

Editorial 3

Research update:

• Children, young peopleand families 4

• Older people 5

• Workforce and practicedevelopment 6

New externally fundedprojects 6

Events 7

Postgraduate Forum 7

Conferences 8

Accolades, awards andannouncements 9-10

PI: Dr Helen Stapleton, withDr Amanda Wade (Sociological

Studies) and Ms Julia Keenan(Research Associate)

This study focuses on two significantstages in the life cycle: that ofpregnancy and the transition toparenthood amongst first-timemothers, and the transition frominfancy to early childhood. Early familyformation, and the subsequent additionof a new member(s) to the socialgroup, are times of upheaval whenfamily processes, attitudes, andexpectations, for example concerningfood choices and eating practices, maybe examined and revised.The study seeks to identify whether, and to whatdegree, maternal understandings about food andrelated issues are transmitted to children; and theextent to which these are influenced by agents such aspartners, children, other family members and outsideinfluences such as health and allied professionals. Theperceptions of women are central to the study aimsbecause foetal well-being, and indeed health outcomesthroughout the life-course, are increasingly linked withpregnancy-related behaviours and because women-as-mothers are usually the primary carers within thefamily domain.

The study sample comprises 60 women, 30 of whomare pregnant and anticipating motherhood for the firsttime when recruited into the study [cohort 1], and 30with at least one child aged between nine months andtwo years [cohort 2]. The pregnant women will beinterviewed three times during the course of the study[three months before giving birth, and again when theirbabies are three and nine months of age], whereasthose in cohort two are interviewed on one occasiononly.

Each group will include:

• Ten women with diabetes • Ten women who are very overweight• Ten women of ‘normal’ weight, with ‘normal’ eating

practices

Progress to date: A variety of family forms, and families of different socio-economic status, have been recruited to the study andall first, and most second, interviews with cohort 1participants are complete. The majority of Cohort 2participants have been recruited and interviewed.Analysis of selected transcripts has enabled preliminarythemes to be been identified and a substantial numberof transcripts have now been coded.

Conference paperspresented: ‘I like … he likes … shelikes’: Motherscatering for familyfood preferences.Draft paper.December 2006.Amanda Wade,Julia Keenan, HelenStapleton. London,British SociologicalAssociation Food StudyGroup.

‘What’s transmitted? Food geographies and transitionsto motherhood’. Julia Keenan, Helen Stapleton, AmandaWade. April 2007. San Francisco, American Associationof Geographers.

“‘I like … he likes … she likes”: Mothers catering forfamily food preferences’. Amanda Wade, Julia Keenan,Helen Stapleton. April 2007. London, British SociologicalAssociation Annual Conference

Conference papers forthcoming: ‘Weighing it all up: risk, advice and consumptionamong women anticipating motherhood for the firsttime’. Julia Keenan, Helen Stapleton & Amanda Wade.May 2007. CFCF Mid-term Conference, University ofSheffield

‘Feeding the family and regulating a healthy balance:women anticipating first time motherhood’. May 2007.Julia Keenan, Helen Stapleton & Amanda Wade. UK,University of Kent

‘Bodies in the making: childbearing women and familyfeeding practices’. Helen Stapleton, Julia Keenan &Amanda Wade. June 2007. UK, University of CentralLancashire.

For more information please contact Helen Stapleton:h.stapleton@sheffield.ac.uk

Children, Young People and FamiliesChanging Habits? Food, family and transitions to motherhood

Conferencepapers

In his editorial Rogerdescribed the changes

that have occurred in theSchool over the last 12 months.

As a result of these changes the ‘Working witholder people and their families’ team has beenreconfigured. Dr Sue Davies is now living inMinnesota but retains close links with the School,where she holds an Honorary Readership.Similarly Dr Jayne Brown has moved to Scotlandand now works at Glasgow Caledonian Universityas a Senior Research Fellow. She too, however,maintains strong links to the School, especially viathe Culture Change project described below.Links have also been maintained with colleagueswho have moved to Sheffield Hallam University.

Mike Nolan and Helen Mason have movedto the Sheffield Institute for Studies onAgeing (SISA), but continue with theirwork as usual.The Partnerships in Carer Assessment Project(PICAP)This three and a half year project, funded by the ServiceDelivery and Organisation programme at the Department ofHealth, exploring how carers of people with mental healthproblems experience assessment is now reaching its finalstages. The multiphase, multi-method study comprised of anational consultation exercise, a survey of LocalImplementation Plans for Standard 6 of the National ServiceFramework for Mental Health, an extensive literature review,and detailed case studies in several areas of England involvingover 100 carers and 10 assessment teams.

The study will conclude with a national workshop to be heldin London in July, when carers, practitioners and researcherswill come together to discuss the key findings and generateideas for best practice guidelines to improve the experienceof assessment for both carers and assessors. It is hoped thatthese guidelines will be published in the form of a GRiP(Getting Research into Practice) report that will be launchedat a conference in Sheffield later this year.

Mike Nolan, on behalf of the project team, presented asummary of the results at the recent SDO Conference inLondon. Mike, Gordon Grant and Julie Repper are eachmaking presentations on various aspects of the PICAP workat the major FICCDAT event (Festival of InternationalConferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology)in Toronto in June this year.

Changing Culture in Acute HospitalsThe nature of health care is constantly evolving and in orderto provide high quality care providers have to develop a

culture that promotes and enables change. How to createsuch a culture in an acute hospital setting provides a majorchallenge. Mike Nolan and Jayne Brown, working closely withcolleagues from the Department of Work Psychology atSheffield, are currently undertaking a 3 year study of culturechange in acute hospitals using the care received by olderpeople as a way of understanding how systems adapt to newdemands.

The study is funded by the SDO programme at theDepartment of Health and uses a multiple method, multiplestage case study approach. Detailed work is beingundertaken in four differing acute Trusts in various areas ofEngland and explores the perceptions of staff, patients andfamilies about their experience of giving and receiving carewithin an acute setting. The goal is to identify factors thateither facilitate or inhibit culture change in order to developmaterials that might help organisations to promote a positiveand enabling work and careenvironment.

New bookUserParticipation inHealth andSocial CareResearch

voices, valuesand evaluation

Edited by Mike Nolan, Elizabeth Hanson,Gordon Grant John Keady

User participation in research is still in its relative infancywith many practical, ethical, moral, methodological andphilosophical questions unanswered. This text gatherstogether an international set of authors to explore theseissues and begin to forge some practical solutions to each ofthese concerns. The book includes contributions on the useand application of narrative approaches, intervention andevaluation research, methodological development and qualitythresholds. It provides a practical framework for all groupswishing to undertake research based on the principles andvalues of user participation.

Mike Nolan is Professor of Gerontological Nursing, SheffieldInstitute for Studies on Ageing, University of Sheffield, UK.

Elizabeth Hanson is Senior Lecturer at the ÄldreVäst SjuhäradResearch Centre, University College of Borås and at theUniversity of Kalmar, Department of Humanities, Sweden.

Gordon Grant is Research Professor in the Centre for Healthand Social Care Research, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

John Keady is Professor of Older People’s Mental Health Nursingat The University of Manchester/Bolton, Salford and TraffordMental Health NHS Trust, UK.

Working with older people andtheir families

4 5

Older peopleand theirfamilies

Ahlam-“Dreams”

Al-Zahrani tellsREADers about her

experiences so far….After completing my masters degree at King’s CollegeLondon it seemed a natural progression to continue myPhD study at the same or a more prestigious university.I chose to study at Sheffield University because it hasan excellent academic reputation, is located in a nicesmall city which is reasonable for living particularly for afamily and most importantly because it provides a widerange of subjects and courses. In fact I was worriedabout my decision to move from one city to anotherespecially with my family responsibilities. However,when I made enquires to the School of Nursing andMidwifery I found the staff to be friendly and helpfulthroughout the enrolment process.

My research supervisors are always approachable,friendly and understanding to my circumstances andneeds. I have not been disappointed as less than oneyear into my studies my command of English hasundeniably improved, as indeed has my knowledge onmy research topic: sexual health. In addition, myconfidence has been given an excellent boost by beingasked to act as PGR student representative on theSchool of Nursing and Midwifery Research Committee.

The flexibility of choosing the Research TrainingProgramme has allowed me to tailor it around mypersonal and professional needs, which in turn willbenefit my future career. It has also allowed me to meetlots of people from different backgrounds which hasopened my eyes to new things that I would never haveknown about previously.

Welcome to our new postgraduate students:Ahlam Al-Zahrani, Ana Carvajel Valcarcel, Silvia Corchon, MariaTeresa Diaz Navarlaz, Cristina Oroviogoicoechea and VisitingStudent Shu-Fen Lo.

Congratulations to following people who have successfullycompleted their higher research degrees:Nora Ahmad – DMedSciSue Battersby – PhDJayne Brown – PhDTracy Flanagan – MPhilHeather Wilkins – PhD

Congratulations to following people undertaking the DMedSciwho have successfully upgraded to the research element ofthe programme:Clare Allen, Lee Cutler, Karen Etheridge, Claire Hope, TraceyMoore, Caryl Skene, Rosemary Rodgers, Paul Swainsbury andCatherine Waskett.

Congratulations to following people who have successfullyupgraded from MPhil to PhD:Samira Al Senany, Silvia Corchon, Maria Teresa Diaz Navarlazand Zainab Zahran.

14 June 2007 (WUNNursing seminar Series)Webcast 5pm BSTCarl Thompson

(University of York)Can we ever make nursing

decisions evidence based?

The Centre for the Study ofChildhood and Youth is hosting a Summer School forPostgraduate Research Students on Tuesday 17 andWednesday 18 July 2007.

Open to all postgraduates undertaking research withchildren and young people. Cost £60 for fundedstudents and £40 for those self-funding.

Contact Dawn Lessels d.j.lessels@sheffield.ac.uk.

Research Seminar series1st October 2007, 12.30 – 2pm HRI, Gell Street.Dr Martyn Jones, Dundee UniversityWork environment and patient safety; what arethe mechanisms?(Workforce and Practice Development theme)

February 2008 (date to be confirmed), 12.30 – 2pmProfessor Linda S Franck(Children and Families theme)

The National Programme Director for WideningParticipation in Learning has recently producedhis first report; “Learning for a Change inHealthcare” , in which it is noted that almost onethird of all NHS staff report having noopportunities for taught learning in the previousyear, and that the least qualified often have theleast access to education and training. The reporttakes stock of the current situation for staffworking in grades one to four and identifies waysin which their learning opportunities might beimproved. The recommendations are closelyaligned with current policy initiatives, in particularsystem reform and service transformation. One ofthe recommendations is that:

“A new National Centre of Excellence should bedeveloped for researching, reviewing, recordingand disseminating good practice in wideningparticipation in learning”

In March 2007 the Centre for Health and SocialCare Studies and Service Development wascommissioned by the Department of Health“Widening Participation in Learning Strategy Unit”to undertake a scoping exercise in response tothis recommendation.

The report of this exercise “Exploring the Case fora National Centre of Excellence in WideningParticipation in Learning in the Public Services”has recently been submitted.

Michael MacintoshNursing LecturerCentre for Health & Social Care Studies and ServiceDevelopment

1Learning for a Change in Healthcare 2007Professor R H Fryer DoH.

Workforce and practice development

EVENTS

Postgraduate Forum

Choosing Sheffield – a postgraduateresearch student’s pespective

EVENTSWorkforce

andPractice Exploring the Case for a National Centre

of Excellence in Widening Participation inLearning in the Public Services –Department of Health commission

6 7

Evaluation of acommunity-basedobesity

interventionprogramme for

young people (SHINE)(Sheffield Health and Social ResearchConsortium)

Dr Penny Curtis and Mrs Kath Sharman (SHINE)

Father involvement in early childhood amongUK South Asians (Sheffield Hallam University)

Professor Roger WatsonThe Principle Investigator, Sarah Salway, hastransferred out of the University of Sheffield.The School of Nursing and Midwifery has beensub-contracted to complete the work.

New Externally Funded Projects

Funded

projects

The photograph above entitled `Noboundaries: a special moment in

Ukraine' won the Nursing Standard Nursing in the 21stCentury photography competition, and was publishedin the December 3rd edtion. Submitted by Jill Jesper,lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, thephotograph was taken at the Djerela Association - a daycentre providing education and support for youngpeople with learning disabilities and their parents.

Jill has been involved in a project in Kiev for nearlythree years with the aim of:• Producing good practice manuals for nurses and

carers of people with learning disabilities

• Establishing a professional association

• Helping to set up a new resource centre.

The project has provided the first programme oftraining for professionals working in a field of practicewhich is neglected due to stigma and discrimination.The photograph embraces some of the qualities thatcan be realised through collaborative working, showingthat compassion and a desire to improve the lives ofthose who need it most, can really break throughlanguage, cultural and political barriers. Thecompetition prize, a digital camera, will be donated toDjerela.

Following the success of her prize-winning photograph,Jill was awarded the Nursing Standard Robert TiffanyInternational Award at an award ceremony at the RoyalLancaster Hotel in London on February 27th.

Earlier this year, School ofNursing and Midwifery

lecturers Mark Hayter Marie-Therese Massey, together with

Christina Harrison (lead nurse fromthe Doncaster sexual health service) presented a paperat the International Society for Research onAdolescence in San Francisco. This largemultidisciplinary conference attracts researchers fromall over the word who have an interest in studying theunique issues around the health and behaviour ofyoung people aged 13-19.

Relationships, sexual health and the health problemsassociated with this aspect of adolescent life were allprominent themes at the conference. In most cultures,young people aged between 13 and 19 often bear theheaviest burden of sexual ill-health, with issues ofunplanned pregnancy and sexually transmittedinfection (STI) being particularly problematic. TheSheffield research team explored the different waysyoung people think about sexual relationships – theywere particularly interested in the manner in whichgender influences attitudes. The study entitled ‘Sexualrisk-taking, self esteem and identity: attitudes andbeliefs of adolescents in a socially deprived area ofNorthern England’ was presented within a conferencetrack that explored risky lifestyles and how youngpeople managed these aspects of their lives.

Mark Hayter, Marie-Theresa and Christine with othersymposium presenters and research teams from theuniversities of Hertfordshire and Washington State

The ‘Changing Families Changing Food’ Leverhulme-funded, inter-disciplinary research programme, is nowat mid-point. To mark this occasion a two-dayconference (May 21/22) has been held for programmeresearchers and invited guests. This event provided aplatform for discussing interim results from theseventeen individual projects participating in theprogramme which is organised into three researchstrands on: pregnancy and motherhood; childhood andfamily life; and family and community. Focusing mainlyon contemporary Britain, the Programme also includessome international comparisons and a `time-line' toestablish the quantitative and qualitative nature ofsocial changes affecting families and food over the lastcentury. The research takes food as the lens throughwhich to observe recent changes in family life andexamines how changes in family form have affectedpatterns of food consumption. The Programme'sfindings are expected to contribute to current debatesabout obesity and nutrition, media and consumption,food choice and deprivation. See:http://www.shef.ac.uk/familiesandfood/

RCN International NursingResearch Conference,Dundee, May 2007The School was well represented at this years RCNInternational Research Conference. Mike Nolan,together with Sue Davies, Jayne Brown, Tony Ryan andJanet Nolan presented a symposium on the ‘SensesFramework’. This comprised 4 presentations thattraced the emergence of the ‘Senses Framework’ andits subsequent development and application in carehomes, with student nurses and in the care of peoplewith dementia. The symposium was well received andgenerated considerable interest in the furtherapplication of the ‘Senses Framework’ to practice.

Sexual risk-taking, self esteemand identity

Jill Jesper wins Nursing Standard RobertTiffany International Award

Accolades, awards andannouncements

8 9

Shu-Fen Lo is a visiting studentfrom Taiwan where she lectures in

nursing and is studying wound care for her PhD. Shu-Fen has been working on a number of projects duringher 6 month placement at the University of Sheffield.She has a particular interest in fungating wounds andalso in palliative care. One of her objectives during hertime at the University is to develop her academicspeaking and presenting skills. The European WoundManagement Association’s First Time Presenter Awardthat she received earlier this year clearly demonstrateshow much progress she has made. As well as receivingresearch training while here in Sheffield, Shu-Fen isundertaking modules at the School of Nursing andMidwifery to develop her knowledge of pain controland statistics.

Visiting research student, Shu-Fen Lo, wins European WoundManagement Association’s FirstTime Presenter Award

Sexual

Risk-taking

Researchers from theUniversity of Sheffield,studying the supportneeds of parents ofchildren and youngpeople with obesity, haverecently gained nationalrecognition for theirresearch. Dr Penny Curtis,Dr Helen Stapleton, andFiona Wilson, from the

School of Nursing and Midwifery have been awardedthe 2007 David Kennedy Memorial Prize, by TheObesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (TOAST ).The study, funded by the Sheffield and Social ResearchConsortium, builds upon previous research with youngpeople with obesity who participated in SHINE , acommunity-based, intervention programme inSheffield. Dr Penny Curtis joined SHINE director, KathSharman, at a Parliamentary Reception in The Palace ofWestminster, to accept the prize on 13th March, as partof Obesity Awareness Week 2007.

The study aims to improve understandingsunderpinning family-based obesity managementinitiatives. Although parents are often blamed forfailing to recognise, and be sufficiently concernedabout, excess weight in their children , parents’ ownperspectives remain under-researched and little istherefore known about what parents would find usefulas they seek to negotiate lifestyle changes within thefamily environment. The Consortium funded study forwhich the award was made therefore focuses uponparents’ understandings about overweight in theirchild/ren, and their experiences of seeking help toaddress the problem.

Twenty six parents of children with obesityparticipated in the study. The majority wereinterviewed at the beginning and end of their child’s 12week obesity intervention programme (49 interviews)in order to capture any changes in parentalperceptions and support needs that may developduring this time.

The final report will be available in July 2007.Preliminary findings indicate that both parents andchildren recognise that key indicators trigger concern.These are: bullying, or fear of bullying; emotionaldistress including withdrawal, aggression and negativeself-esteem and; difficulties getting suitable clothing.

2 See: http://www.toast-uk.org/2 See: http://www.shine4u.org 4 Jeffery, AN. Voss, LD. Metcalf, BS. Alba, S. Wilkin, TJ. (2005) Parents’ awareness ofoverweight in themselves and their children: cross sectional study within a cohort(EarlyBird 2) British Medical Journal 330 1st Jan. Downloaded from bmj.com 31/3/06

5 January 2006 to July 2007

Parents in the study had all tried to influence theirchild’s weight and eating practices within the family(there was limited concern about activity levels).However, the majority were unclear about what theyshould do; uncertain about how to put healthy eatingmessages into practice and about how to introducechange within the family. Health professionals weregenerally found to be unhelpful. Schools respondedwell to support children who were being bullied butoffered no support for weight management. GPsvalidated parents’ concerns by confirming obesity andcould refer on for further tests but, though oftensympathetic, their ability to provide on-going supportwas limited and the advice about lifestyle change thatthey offered was felt to be too vague to be helpful andwas sometimes perceived as judgemental. Dieticians,similarly, could not provide on-going support and themajority of parents felt let down, judged anddisappointed when dieticians did little more than giveout diet sheets.

These findings suggest that there are key indicators,for parents, which raise the possibility that a child’sweight is problematic and these need to be recognisedand integrated into public health and detectionstrategies. In particular, the parents of children in thelatter years of primary school are particularlysusceptible to such messages as they look to, andcommonly anticipate, problems with secondary school(principally bullying). The provision of parenting skillsto enable parents and children to work together forlifestyle change should be considered. Schools andGPs are both important points of contact; their roles inproviding access to appropriate support should bestrengthened though this need not mean that theyprovide that support themselves. Parents require on-going support that makes sense to them, in light of theway they live and work together as afamily.

For further information,please contact Dr PennyCurtis (p.a.curtis@sheffield.ac.uk)

Award for research intochildhood obesity

10 11

Acknowledgements and contact details

The editorial team would like to thank all those whocontributed to this issue of READ.

If you would like more information about any of the articlesor news features, please contact Jane Flint, ResearchAdministrator, Centre for Health & Social Care Studies andService Development, School of Nursing and Midwifery, theUniversity of Sheffield, S10 2TN.

Email: j.flint@sheffield.ac.uk