Professor Claire Goodman, an ARC East of England researcher and Cross-ARC Care Home Network Lead, has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in King Charles III's latest New Year Honours list for her exceptional services to older people.
Claire’s research focuses on improving the experiences of older people with complex needs, including dementia, in both care homes and those who are living at home by integrating working across health, social care and community settings.
Claire has led a number of studies, including the NIHR-funded £2.4 million ‘Developing research resources and minimum data set for Care Homes’ Adoption’ (DACHA) study, which established a number of resources and developing a prototype minimum data set to enhance care home residents’ quality of life through sharing data between different care-based health and social care organisations. The findings from this study have informed the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS England work on standardised data capture. She is the lead of the Cross-ARC Care Home Network, which brings together over 100 researchers, health and care professionals and members of the public to maximise the impact of care home research work.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Claire realigned her research focus to provide support to care home residents and staff. This included reviewing relevant research to develop top tips for care homes with colleagues from across the ARCs. This resource responded to the questions and concerns raised by front-line care staff, such as how to comfort someone you can’t hug or touch, how to communicate with worried and grieving families at a distance, and many more. Since April 2020, Top Tips for Tricky Times has been downloaded over 550 times and it is being used both nationally and internationally, including being translated into Spanish.
"I am delighted to be awarded this MBE, as it recognises the importance of research in long term care and community settings, especially for people living with and affected by dementia."
Professor Claire Goodman MBE. ARC East of England Researcher
Claire is a professor of Health Care Research at the University of Hertfordshire and a district nurse by background. The experiences of all individuals involved in an older person's life, including their family, carers and the older person themselves, have been a major focus of Claire’s career in applied research.