Project PEDHSC01

Social Care Research Readiness Project

Mapping the social care landscape across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. 

Funded by the NIHR Clinical Research Network

Background

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) Eastern commissioned this project to scope the social care landscape within the CRN Eastern geography.

Objectives were:

  1. To map how social care is delivered across the NIHR CRN Eastern region. ​
  2. To establish links with social care organisations and social care researchers within the NIHR CRN Eastern region. ​
  3. To increase awareness of the support available from the NIHR for social care research.

Project aim:

The University of Hertfordshire was commissioned to scope the west of the NIHR CRN Eastern region. As such, this report detailed the social care landscape across Bedfordshire (which incorporates Central Bedfordshire and Bedford), Cambridgeshire (including Peterborough) and Hertfordshire.

Social care in England can be defined as the provision of social work, personal care, protection or social support services to children or adults in need or at risk, or adults with needs arising from illness, disability, old age or poverty.

Project activity

Several methods were utilised to gather information and identify key contacts involved in the delivery of social care and/or research:

  1. Scoping information online.
  2. Online surveys
  3. Telephone meetings
  4. Verification

Project impact

The overall aim of this exercise was to develop capacity, partnerships and readiness to undertake research relevant to adult and children’s social care.

A project report was produced in March 2020

PEDHSC01