The Social Care and Health Studies programme has continued to develop and publish research on key issues of topical interest. A reputation for rigorous policy related research and evaluation has been established and the unit has monitored major policy developments in health and social services. Current projects are as follows.
The ADSS/PSI Group, which has brought together Directors of Social Services with PSI staff for many years, continues to debate topical themes in social policy at its regular meetings and seminars. Papers are published annually: most recently, Best Value, Regulation and Risk.
A report and summary was published of the research commissioned by the General Medical Council (GMC) The Handling of Complaints against Doctors. This was an independent study of the processes and procedures involved in the GMC’s handling of complaints against doctors, with a view to identifying changes which might reduce the risk of bias in the handling of complaints. It arose from the work of the Racial Equality Group set up by the GMC to examine suggestions that racial discrimination might be present in the application of internal GMC procedures, in particular in the handling of complaints. The study received full endorsement by the GMC and a follow-up study is now underway.
An evaluation of three midwifery group practices set up under an initiative by South Thames Regional Health Authority to implement the recommendations of Changing Childbirth was completed. This examined in detail the organisation and working practices of the midwives and provided a comprehensive profile of the women to whom they gave care. It included the views and experiences of the midwives themselves, other professionals concerned with maternity care and women receiving care from the midwifery group practices. The extent to which such schemes provide a replicable model of care was an important aspect of the evaluation. The report was published as A Leading Role for Midwives?.
A study of Teenage Mothers:Housing and Household Change has been undertaken as part of the ESRC’s Population and Household Change Programme, looking at the ways in which young mothers make decisions about their housing circumstances and social support during their pregnancies and after the birth of their babies. The fieldwork has been conducted in three areas of England, interviewing teenage mothers, their partners and their parents. A report was published at the end of 1998, and a press release is also available.
Other projects have included a volume of papers on the Future of Family Care for Older People, a consultation exercise on the Health of Older People, an Evaluation of Mental Health Review Tribunals and research on Core Values for the Medical Profession: the Views of Young Doctors. Research is currently being conducted on Stress among Hospital Consultants and a Study of Pre-Registration House Officers.