Department Name:
Division of Psychiatry, University College London
Supervisors names and email addresses:
1) Prof Gill Livingston: g.livingston@ucl.ac.uk
2) Dr Naaheed Mukadam: n.mukadam@ucl.ac.uk
3) Dr Andrew Sommerlad: a.sommerlad@ucl.ac.uk
4) Prof Jill Manthorpe: jill.manthorpe@kcl.ac.uk
Application Deadline:
Deadline: 27/03/19
Interviews: w/c 08/04/19
Project Title:
Equity in service provision for people newly diagnosed with dementia and their family
Project Description:
Around 850,000 people in the UK live with dementia, most of whom (over 60%) live in their own homes. The number of people with dementia is rising nationally and internationally as the population ages, even while the age-specific prevalence is decreasing. This is accompanied in the UK by a relative rise in older people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups, who comprise 15% of the English population and 39% of the London population.
We know a great deal about individual BME group’s access to diagnosis and that they tend to be diagnosed later and in times of crises. In response to these findings, our research group has developed and trialled culturally tailored interventions. We do not know about the services BME groups receive after diagnosis and if these are different, why this may be.
The specific focus of this PhD will be to explore equity in service provision, namely whether people with dementia are offered services, which are tailored to minority needs, such as ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and whether this is affected by social background. We wish to know about what groups want and to find out what enables people to receive tailored services when this happens to inform future services about good practice. The student will highlight when and how this is being done successfully using an asset-based approach, as recommended under the Care Act 2014. The student will ask people affected by dementia about unmet needs and develop ideas on how to spread good practice and lay the foundations for change. This study will be set in the context of the Equality Act and other relevant studies at UCL and King’s College London (KCL), as well as wider communities of practice, such as that at Dementia UK.
This PhD studentship will explore these issues, examining the current evidence base and underlying theoretical frameworks, and collecting data from existing services.
All candidates should hold a Master’s qualification (or complete their Master’s by September 2019) in an appropriate discipline and have a minimum of a 2:1 or equivalent in their first degree. Applicants should preferably have knowledge of the UK health and care system. All applicants are required to have excellent written and verbal communication skills. They should also be willing to work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary and multi-professional teams.
Project-specific skills and experience required:
Essential
Experience of clinical or research work with older people and people affected by dementia
Experience of working with diverse groups of people
Knowledge of confidentiality and safeguarding.
CLAHRC Research area: Mental Health
Funding Notes:
Start date: 01/10/19
Duration: 3 years, full time
Stipend: £17,803
Institution: UCL
Enquiries email name and address:
For general enquiries, please email: clahrc.academy@ucl.ac.uk
For project specific queries, please contact: Prof Gill Livingston g.livingston@ucl.ac.uk
