scholarly journals When benefit eligibility and patient-led care intersect. Living in the UK with chronic illness: Experiences of the work capability assessment

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532095347
Author(s):  
William Day ◽  
Rachel Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Illness Experiences ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Welfare Reforms ◽  
Work Capability

Individuals living with chronic physical health conditions are more likely to be out-of-work than other groups. Often framed as a ‘response’ to these statistics, many countries have introduced policy instruments for promoting the employment of individuals with chronic conditions. This qualitative study sought to explore the impact of welfare reforms on UK individuals. Employing a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants living with chronic conditions. Three themes were generated using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: ‘intersubjective sense making of the condition’; ‘battles for control’ and ‘the fluidity and strengthening of identity’. Implications for further, holistic, policy reform are explored.

Taught resilience programmes: a case study from the perspective of employees of a large pharmaceutical company based in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-129
Author(s):  
Frances Costello
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Resilience ◽  
Personal Resilience ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact

PurposeResearch was undertaken to understand whether taught resilience programmes which highlight the protective factors of resilience would impact individual resilience outcomes. The research focussed on specific resilience dimensions, change agility, physical, emotional and mental resilience, purpose in life and recovery; in an attempt to bridge the gap in understanding whether it is possible through taught programmes to improve resilience through the creation of new habits.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted using interpretative phenomenological analysis methods and used semi-structured interviews with 12 participants to understand participants lived experience of a one-day personal resilience programme, conducted within a private global manufacturing organisation.FindingsThe research found that all 12 participants interviewed 12–18 months post-programme made sustainable habits changes increasing personal resilience levels. Participants built new habits into their everyday lives, in the physical dimension exercising more regularly, taking breaks, changes in nutrition and creating better sleep patterns. Through increased understanding of emotional intelligence participants were able to react more favourably to adverse situations and through mental increased resilience focus achieve work and home priorities. In understanding the change journey participants found that they were able to move more quickly through the change cycle. Almost all participants found understanding their life purpose difficult and were not able to give a conclusive answer to what this might be, they found that attending the programme helped reflection in this dimension.Originality/valueThe paper includes an overview of previous resilience research but differs in its examination of the impact of a specific taught resilience programme in a large private sector organisation using IPA methodology.

scholarly journals A phenomenological exploration of the lived experiences of orthopaedic surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 248-253
Author(s):  
SJ Calder ◽  
L Lawson ◽  
PR Calder
Keyword(s):  
Peer Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Trauma Centre ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Orthopaedic Surgeons ◽  
The North ◽  
Difficult Time ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

INTRODUCTION Following the UK government ordering a hard stop of all elective operating within the NHS in March of 2020, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital was converted into a trauma centre serving the North Central London region and neighbouring trusts. The aim of this study was to explore the impact on the surgeons’ well-being and performance during this stressful time. METHODOLOGY A descriptive phenomenological approach was used for this study. Eight participants were purposefully selected and informed consent was given by each participant. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken using open questions and probes to stimulate discussion. Colaizzi’s 7 step framework for thematic analysis was used to identify codes and common themes. RESULTS Five main themes were identified. These included: the impact of fear, fear of using personal protective equipment, stress relating to leadership and professionalism of the surgeon, the need for peer support and response to change. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms common areas of concern and anxiety raised by all the surgeons interviewed. The participants developed several coping strategies, including peer support, which has previously been identified as the most important approach in dealing with difficult circumstances. Stress relating to the need for surgical leadership, demonstrated by the rapid organisation of the hospital from a purely elective site to a trauma centre is highlighted. What was apparent from the narratives of the participants was that despite the stress and anxiety felt by them, they remained humble and proud to remain as orthopaedic surgeons treating patients during this difficult time.

Parents’ Experiences of the Impact of Changing School During COVID-19 on their Autistic Child’s Friendships: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Fox ◽  
Kathryn Asbury ◽  
Umar Toseeb ◽  
Aimee Code
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
New School ◽  
Successful Transition ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Friendships play a key role in supporting a successful transition to a new school for autistic children and young people. However, little is known about how these relationships have been impacted by the social restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore how parents experienced the impact of school transition on their autistic child’s friendships across differing educational settings during the pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 14 parents of autistic children in the UK. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Parents discussed a wide variety of experiences which differed between and within school settings. Several factors influenced children’s friendships during the transition including support from their new school and others’ understanding of needs. Existing friendships were found to support successful transition for some children, however, parents expressed that many had differing expectations of what friendship was, which affected their relationships. For some, COVID-19 negatively impacted on friendships by reducing their ability to be in contact with existing and new school friends. Others experienced positive or neutral experiences. This study highlights the diversity of needs for autistic children and calls for a personalised approach to transition support beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Evaluating interventions with victims of intimate partner violence: a community psychology approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Albanesi ◽  
Carlo Tomasetto ◽  
Veronica Guardabassi
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Purpose Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with profound implication for women's physical and psychological health. In this text we adopted the Empowerment Process Model (EPM) by Cattaneo and Goodman (Psychol Violence 5(1):84–94) to analyse interventions provided to victims of IPV by a Support Centre for Women (SCW) in Italy, and understand its contribution to women’s empowerment. Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten women who had been enrolled in a program for IPV survivors at a SCW in the past three years. The interviews focused on the programs’ aims, actions undertaken to reach them, and the impact on the women’s lives, and were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results Results showed that the interventions provided by the SWC were adapted according to women's needs. In the early phases, women’s primary aim was ending violence, and the intervention by the SCW was deemed as helpful to the extent it provided psychological support, protection and safe housing. Women’s aims subsequently moved to self-actualisation and economic and personal independence which required professional training, internships, and social support. Although satisfying the majority of the women’s expectations, other important needs (e.g., economic support or legal services) were poorly addressed, and cooperation with other services (e.g., police or social services) was sometimes deemed as critical. Conclusions By evaluating a program offered by a SCW to IPV survivors through the lens of the EPM model, we found that women deemed the program as effective when both individual resources and empowerment processes were promoted. Strengths, limitations and implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Identity in transition: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of international humanitarian workers’ experiences of returning home

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Marie Wersig ◽  
Kevin Wilson-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Aid Workers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
Returning Home ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Humanitarian Work

AbstractThis interpretative phenomenological analysis explores aid workers’ understanding of identity and belonging through the transition from working in humanitarian aid to returning home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who had returned to the UK after working in recently founded non-governmental organisations in Northern France between 2016 and 2019. Analysis of interview data identified four superordinate themes: (1) shared humanitarian identity, (2) limits and borders, (3) holding on to humanitarian identity and (4) redefining belonging and identity. Aid workers’ belonging in humanitarian work settings is rooted in shared moral values and being able to fulfil a clearly defined role. Upon returning, aid workers struggled to reintegrate, manifesting as denial of having left humanitarian work, re-creation of the social setting and moral demarcation. Participants formed a new sense of belonging through redefining their social in-group. The study sheds light on a previously unexplored area of research, specifically characterised through the closeness of the international humanitarian setting and participants’ homes. Findings suggest organisations can assist aid workers’ re-entry by supporting professional distance in the field, and through opportunities that allow to sustain moral values post-mission. Future research should focus on the role of peer support in the re-entry process and the re-entry experiences of aid workers returning from comparable settings further afield (e.g. Greece).

scholarly journals The contribution of changes to tax and social security to stalled life expectancy trends in Scotland: a modelling study

2020 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-214770
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Richardson ◽  
Martin Taulbut ◽  
Mark Robinson ◽  
Andrew Pulford ◽  
Gerry McCartney
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Tax Credits ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Group Sex ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Social Security Benefits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Welfare Reforms ◽  
Detrimental Impact

BackgroundLife expectancy (LE) improvements have stalled, and UK tax and welfare ‘reforms’ have been proposed as a cause. We estimated the effects of tax and welfare reforms from 2010/2011 to 2021/2022 on LE and inequalities in LE in Scotland.MethodsWe applied a published estimate of the cumulative income impact of the reforms to the households within Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintiles. We estimated the impact on LE by applying a rate ratio for the impact of income on mortality rates (by age group, sex and SIMD quintile) and calculating the difference between inflation-only changes in benefits and the reforms.ResultsWe estimated that changes to household income resulting from the reforms would result in an additional 1041 (+3.7%) female deaths and 1013 (+3.8%) male deaths. These deaths represent an estimated reduction of female LE from 81.6 years to 81.2 years (−20 weeks), and male LE from 77.6 years to 77.2 years (−23 weeks). Cuts to benefits and tax credits were modelled to have the most detrimental impact on LE, and these were estimated to be most severe in the most deprived areas. The modelled impact on inequalities in LE was widening of the gap between the most and least deprived 20% of areas by a further 21 weeks for females and 23 weeks for males.InterpretationThis study provides further evidence that austerity, in the form of cuts to social security benefits, is likely to be an important cause of stalled LE across the UK.

scholarly journals How are patients with rare diseases and their carers in the UK impacted by the way care is coordinated? An exploratory qualitative interview study

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Simpson ◽  
Lara Bloom ◽  
Naomi J. Fulop ◽  
Emma Hudson ◽  
Kerry Leeson-Beevers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Care Coordination ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Work ◽  
Travel Costs ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Care coordination is considered important for patients with rare conditions, yet research addressing the impact of care coordination is limited. This study aimed to explore how care coordination (or lack of) impacts on patients and carers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 patients and carers/parents in the UK, representing a range of rare conditions (including undiagnosed conditions). Transcripts were analysed thematically in an iterative process. Results Participants described a range of experiences and views in relation to care coordination. Reports of uncoordinated care emerged: appointments were uncoordinated, communication between key stakeholders was ineffective, patients and carers were required to coordinate their own care, and care was not coordinated to meet the changing needs of patients in different scenarios. As a result, participants experienced an additional burden and barriers/delays to accessing care. The impacts described by patients and carers, either attributed to or exacerbated by uncoordinated care, included: impact on physical health (including fatigue), financial impact (including loss of earnings and travel costs), and psychosocial impact (including disruption to school, work and emotional burden). Overall data highlight the importance of flexible care, which meets individual needs throughout patients’/carers’ journeys. Specifically, study participants suggested that the impacts may be addressed by: having support from a professional to coordinate care, changing the approach of clinics and appointments (where they take place, which professionals/services are available and how they are scheduled), and improving communication through the use of technology, care plans, accessible points of contact and multi-disciplinary team working. Conclusion This study provides further evidence of impacts of uncoordinated care; these may be complex and influenced by a number of factors. Approaches to coordination which improve access to care and lessen the time and burden placed on patients and carers may be particularly beneficial. Findings should influence future service developments (and the evaluation of such developments). This will be achieved, in the first instance, by informing the CONCORD Study in the UK.

scholarly journals Plan for the worst, hope for the best? Exploring major events related terrorism and future challenges for UK event professionals

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Baxter ◽  
Jenny Flinn ◽  
Lucrezia Flurina Picco
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Strategy ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
Destination Marketing ◽  
Major Event ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate major event related terrorism and the resulting challenges that event professionals may face when hosting major events in cities as part of a destination marketing strategy. Design/methodology/approach The research was based in the UK due to the significant rise in terrorist activities that have taken place in its urban cities in recent years. The exploratory nature of this study utilised semi-structured interviews with UK event professionals, enabling a preliminary, in-depth investigation of the challenges that events professionals face as a result of major event related terrorism. Findings The research findings identify three challenges faced by event professionals when organising major events: knowledge and understanding in relation to major event related terrorism; the impact of major event related terrorism in terms of responsibility and accountability; and managing for major event related terrorism in budgetary terms. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to the UK, other destinations will pose their own unique challenges when hosting and managing events. It is suggested that this research be evaluated against similar studies in other destinations. This is a preliminary study and each of the topics identified within the findings warrant further exploration in their own right. Originality/value The paper offers an insight into the challenges faced by event professionals in the UK when delivering major events as part of a destination marketing strategy. With the increase in major event related terrorism in cities the findings of this research are of relevance not only to event professionals but anyone with a role in destination and tourism development.

scholarly journals Drinking Carling Out of Stella Glasses: People and Place in the Missing Middle

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn McEwan
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Social Mobility ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Housing Estate ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Private Housing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Missing Middle

As trends of social and economic change allow precarity to inch into the lives of those who may have been more accustomed to security (Standing, 2011, 2014), this paper addresses the response of some young people who are caught “betwixt and between” in potentially liminal states (Turner, 1967). Those whose families have undertaken intra- or intergenerational social mobility and who have made a home in a place, Ingleby Barwick in Teesside, that seems to be of them and for them—an in-between place that is seen as “not quite” middle or working class. This paper draws data from a research project that adopted a qualitative phenomenological approach to uncover the meaning of experiences for participants. Methods included focus groups and semi-structured interviews through which 70 local people contributed their thoughts, hopes, concerns, and stories about their lives now and what they aspire to for the future. Places, such as the large private housing estate in the Northeast of England on which this research was carried out, make up significant sections of the UK population, yet tend to be understudied populations, often missed by a sociological gaze attracted to extremes. It was anticipated that in Ingleby Barwick, where social mobility allows access to this relatively exclusive estate, notions of individualism and deservingness that underlie meritocratic ideology (Mendick et al., 2015; Littler, 2018) would be significant, a supposition borne out in the findings. “Making it” to Ingleby was, and continues to be, indicative to many of meritocratic success, making it “a moral place for moral people” (McEwan, 2019). Consequently, the threat then posed by economic precarity, of restricting access to the transitions and lifestyles that create the “distinction” (Bourdieu, 1984) required to denote fit to this place, is noted to be very real in a place ironically marked by many outside it as fundamentally unreal.

How did Autistic Children, and their Parents, Experience School Transition during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee Code ◽  
Umar Toseeb ◽  
Kathryn Asbury ◽  
Laura Fox
Keyword(s):  
School Transition ◽  
School Closure ◽  
School Transitions ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
New School ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant school closures, social distancing measures, and restrictions placed on routine activities, the start of the academic year in September 2020 was a unique time for those transitioning to a new school. This study aimed to explore the experiences of parents who supported autistic children making a school transition in 2020, and to examine what impact parents perceived the COVID-19 pandemic had on their child’s school transition. Emphasis was placed on identifying facilitating factors that had benefitted school transitions, and barriers, which had negatively impacted these experiences. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 13 parents of autistic children in the UK. Reflexive thematic analysis was carried out to identify themes in interview data. Parents reported a variety of experiences, and factors that were perceived as facilitatory to some were observed to be barriers by others. For some parents, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted aspects of school transitions. For example, school closure in March 2020, being unable to visit their child’s new school, and social distancing measures were discussed as being barriers to an easy transition. However, other parents identified these factors as being facilitatory for their child or reported that these circumstances created opportunities to approach the school transition in a unique, improved manner. This paper sheds light on the heterogeneity of experiences and perceptions of parents of autistic children, and highlights the need to examine the impact of COVID-19 on school transitions, including practices which may be advantageous to retain.

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