Evaluation Services

High blood pressure is a leading factor in a range of serious and life-threatening conditions including heart attacks, strokes and vascular dementia.

When a local health board needed to evaluate initiatives to lower blood pressure in its population, Essex researchers provided the support they needed. 

The NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (MSE ICB) had already collected data from its BP@Home project, which encouraged local people to monitor their blood pressure at home. 

Led by Professor Mariachiara Di Cesare, a team of researchers from the Institute of Public Health and Wellbeing stepped in to interpret the data, evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme and make recommendations for the future. 

Using a variety of research methods, they assessed online surveys and one-to-one interviews, funding that home blood pressure kits had empowered patients and led them to play a more active role in decision-making around their healthcare. 

They showed that in some cases, monitoring led to new diagnoses, and had the potential to improve doctor-patient relations.

The researchers' report revealed that there was a clear appetite for using health technology in the home but recommended that more work was needed to help people use the equipment and interpret their results. 

The results have been invaluable to the MSE ICB team who have commissioned a series of video case studies to showcase the success of the project and used the findings to bid for further funding.

The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for every sector. 

When one Essex-based charity needed to understand how it was impacting their staff and service users, an oral history project provided the evaluation solution it needed.

With a team of researchers, Dr Alix Green, from the Department of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies, and Dr Rebecca Warren, from Essex Business School, collected over 20 testimonies from people working to support communities in Colchester and north east Essex. 

Commissioned by umbrella organisation Community360, their interviews revealed a complex picture of how the pandemic had impacted staff morale and the wellbeing of service users, funding and fundraising and the development of partnerships. 

The final report showed how new groups formed in response to community needs and how others, adapting in response, wold change the way they work forever. 

Community360 supports over 500 voluntary and community groups to access the resources they need and Dr Green and Dr Warren have become their go-to partner for evaluation of their projects. 

They have helped its team develop a framework to independently evaluate their time banking activities and demonstate their social impact in a holistic way. They have also consulted on a community asset mapping project to support resource management and distribution of funding at grassroots level. 

Working with us has given Community360 the evidence it needs to demonstrate its impact.

The 'internet of things' which connects and exchanges data from multiple devices, has the potential to help local authority partnerships deliver better public services for the communities they serve. But how do they know those services are delivering the right outcomes?

When the South London Partnership (SLP) deployed technologies to monitor a range of things like fly tipping prevention, flood monitoring and the safeguarding of residents living in supported housing, they turned to Professor Gina Yannitell Reinhardt, from the Department of Government, to evaluate the project. 

The ambitious InnOvaTe Project connect various 'internet of things' enabled sensors across council boundaries, harnessing the power of big data to improve service delivery and contribute to economic growth. 

Professor Reinhardt built in evaluation from the very start, so that the programme could adapt as data was collected and assessed. 

Evaluation updates were provided monthly, with full quarterly reports, allowing the SLP team to change the way services were delivered in response, not only improving the wellbeing of residents.

Such findings are vital to local authority professional, practitioners and the public. They can inform decision-making at all levels and reveal what resources are needed to make the most out of the 'internet of things; and to inform smarter and more targeted spending. 

We are helping develop and assess services supporting vulnerable mothers facing recurring care proceedings.

The English family justice system faces a crisis of ‘revolving doors’ and reoccurring care proceedings: up to one in four birth mothers who have a baby taken into care in England are likely to re-appear in another set of care proceedings within seven years.

New services have been established to provide support to affected mothers and we've conducted one of the first academic evaluations of their impact. We’ve also developed a new app we hope can be used by social workers gathering information about the impact of these innovative approaches.

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Exploration of the influences on developing and maintaining a successful mentorship process: An investigation of mentorship from multiple perspectives.

This report looks at the motivation, attitudes, perceptions and experiences of mentors in preparing for the role of mentor and providing learners with a positive mentorship experience. It also includes a review of why some health care staff are less than satisfied with the mentorship experience. The report was commissioned by a Local Education and Training Board (LETB) and focuses on the views of mentors, trainee mentors and health care education managers in a specific geographical region in England.

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Investing in Specialised Services: Analysis of Responses to an NHS England National Consultation.

In January 2015 NHS England published a national consultation called Investing in Specialised Services. This national consultation document described the proposed principles and processes by which NHS England will make future decisions on investment in specialised services. The consultation sought views on the proposed principles, process and their likely impact on reducing inequalities; it was open for 90 days and closed on 27 April 2015. Health and Care Research Service (HCRS) analysed these responses as part of a national consultation and presented the findings in a report for NHS England.

We’re helping Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council use cutting-edge technology to predict risk and target services for vulnerable people.

 When it comes to providing services for the most vulnerable people in society, the goal is better prevention and early intervention, rather than later reaction. We’re helping Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council use cutting-edge technology to predict risk and target their efforts with a project called Catalyst which has received £2.2 million funding from HEFCE.

Our expertise in data analytics, big data and evaluation will be applied to assess risks and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of initiatives undertaken by the two councils, which serve a combined population of 2.5 million people. We’re also establishing a community volunteering hub to strengthen our links with the local community and increase our volunteering activity.

The three-year project will deliver four initiatives:

• Identifying ‘at risk’ children and adults
• Evaluating the impact of public services
• Mapping the assets within a community
• Community volunteering hub

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What are the key factors in the successful implementation of assistant practitioner roles in a health care setting?

The aim of the project was to assess the key factors necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the assistant practitioner role into a health care setting. The study objectives were:

• To carry out a review of the literature regarding the introduction of the assistant practitioner grade, and the challenges and barriers to successful implementation.
• To conduct a stakeholder consultation to explore the perceptions of the impact of assistant practitioners in practice, the scope for further implementation, and where assistant practitioners are not routinely employed to determine the perceived barriers to their use in the workforce.
• To develop an action plan with clear objectives and outcomes that will form the basis of future workforce planning in the region.

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The Norfolk Parent Infant Mental Health Attachment Project (PIMHAP) was a joint venture between Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) and Norfolk County Council (NCC) and began operationally in March 2015.

The project involved specialist mental health and children’s services and consistent collaboration with the Children’s Case Advisory Service (CCAS) which commissions packages of care for high need families. PIMHAP was initially funded by the Transformational Challenge fund through the Department of Communities and Local Government. The project was commissioned to intervene with edge of care cases where there were significant safeguarding concerns alongside attachment problems in the parent/infant relationship and an identified parental mental health problem.

Health and Care Research Service (HCRS) co-produced an evaluation of this service, advising on design and measures, analysing data gathered and providing a report based upon the findings. This work is also presented in a forthcoming paper in an academic journal: McPherson, Andrews, Taggart, Cox, Pratt, Smith & Thandi (in press),  evaluating integrative services in edge-of-care work. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law.

Our academic team in partnership with Essex County Council conducted a systematic review and stakeholder engagement study of system-wide interventions for enabling employment among mentally ill and learning disabled groups.

The review resulted in the design of a system-wide occupational and employment support system in Essex for people with mental illness and learning disabilities

This project was supported by the University of Essex Impact Acceleration Award (Economic and Social Research Council) and the University of Essex Catalyst fund within the Challenge Lab scheme. The work was co-designed by academic staff at the University of Essex and Essex County Council leads in mental health and learning disabilities.

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Director of the ESRC-funded South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) spanning 10 universities and 13 disciplines.

Professor Pamela Cox's research is interdisciplinary and draws on social policy, socio-legal studies, social history and criminology. She has worked as a policy consultant with local authority and voluntary sector organisations in the UK and abroad. Her recent evaluation work includes a team-led mixed method assessment of the impacts of new services working to reduce recurrent care proceedings among vulnerable birth mothers. This work is discussed in a recent Ministry of Justice bulletin, within resources created by Research in Practice, and in our co-authored articles in the Journal of Law and Society and the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. Professor Cox's other evaluation projects have focused on young people, life chances, youth offending, child rights, antisocial behaviour and victim satisfaction.

Dr Jo Barton and Dr Mike Rogerson lead on evaluative research on behalf of the Green Exercise Research Team.

They have extensive experience in evaluating health and wellbeing, and behavioural interventions for vulnerable groups including youth at risk, and adults experiencing dementia, homelessness, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

Since 2003, the Green Exercise Research Team has worked with a range of charities, non-profit and private organisations, both as a sole evaluator and in collaborative partnerships. Their evaluations have included both quantitative and qualitative methods and are primarily although not exclusively of programmes that incorporate key usage of nature environments or natural elements (such as farms) to facilitate activity and improve health and wellbeing.

Research Director at the School of Health and Social Care and Co-director of Health and Care Research Service

Ewen Speed is a medical sociologist with expertise in qualitative analysis. His research is concerned with the changing policy landscape in the English NHS. He has previously been commissioned by Essex County Council, NHS England, West Essex CCG and others to conduct evaluation research. He was also seconded by Healthwatch Essex to advise on a number of projects. He is also currently an awards assessor on the National Institute for Health Research East of England Research for Research for Patient Benefit programme.

Senior Lecturer at the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences

Dr Valerie Gladwell has expertise in health and wellbeing, particularly in relation to physical activity and workplace health. She has worked with a range of stakeholders including BAE systems, Copdock Mill and has recently been seconded to Essex County Council. She has developed, organised and managed a number of evaluation workshops.

She is currently working with ActiveEssex to construct a framework for designing physical activity interventions and helping ensure evaluation is a priority for their providers. Dr Gladwell also has expertise in behaviour change and has developed workshops to enable a range of stakeholders to understand the process of behaviour change.

Director of Research Impact, School of Health and Social Care Co-Director of Health and Care Research Service

Susan McPherson is a medical sociologist with expertise in health and social care evaluation. Her research is concerned with mental health interventions and policy, therapy outcomes and effectiveness, social care, fostering and adoption, chronic depression, psychiatric labelling and social history and history of health and care.

She has previously been commissioned by Essex County council, NHS England, North Essex CCG, Healthwatch Essex and other health and care organisations to undertake evaluative design and analysis and consultancy. She has been part of the evaluation team evaluating social care services for reducing recurrent care proceedings and contributed to designing the evaluation toolkit for these services.

Director of the Programme Impact Evaluation Team in the OfS-funded Catalyst Project at the University of Essex (OfS is formerly known as HEFCE).

Dr. Gina Yannitell Reinhardt's research is interdisciplinary and draws on public policy, political economy, and environmental studies. She has worked as a policy and evaluation consultant with local authority and voluntary sector organisations in the UK and abroad. Her recent evaluation work includes a team-led assessment of the impacts of new services working to reduce vulnerabilities and build resilience. Included in this work is evaluations of social prescribing and Local Area Coordination programmes, as well as data sharing programmes and programmes designed to reduce domestic violence. Their work can be seen in forthcoming editions of Local Government Studies and Social Science Quarterly.

Dr. Gina Yannitell Reinhardt's other evaluation projects have focused on building resilience through voluntary programmes, sexual health and education, and enhancing school readiness through data sharing. She founded the Global South Academic Network and the Disaster and Emergency Research Network to facilitate linkages among communities dedicated to building research capacity in the Global South and with respect to disasters and crises. Her team is currently developing a toolkit to help local authorities design and evaluate their own programmes and projects.

Paul’s expertise lies in evaluating cognitive and social factors (e.g., values, attitudes, social support) underpinning exercise behaviour and performance outcomes. He possesses excellent methodological and statistical skills, and has conducted laboratory-based experiments, survey designs, single-subject multiple baseline designs, qualitative research (focus groups, interviews and observations), and systematic literature reviews.

Paul has received research funding from a range of organisations, including the International Olympic Committee, Active Essex, and the Economic and Social Research Council. He is currently evaluating the content and impact physical activity interventions as part of the project team for the Essex Local Delivery Pilot funded by Sport England. He has also designed and delivered a range of workshops on topics such as Behaviour Change Models and Psychological Skills Training.