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Heather Wilkinson

Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange - School of Health/Co-director Centre for Research on Families and Relationships/Acting Head of ISSH

Interdisciplinary Soc. Sci. in Health

h.wilkinson@ed.ac.uk

+44 (0) 131 651 1832

23 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9NB

Outline Biography

Qualifications:

Current posts:

The University of Edinburgh: previous posts

Previous posts with other institutions

Research Interests

 I have several key areas of research interest within an overall focus on the experience of people with dementia and improving the care experience. My interests have developed from a focus on issues of inclusion and quality of life for people with dementia and for people with learning disabilities and dementia. Theoretically I am interested in models of inclusion and social justice for significantly marginalised groups and have been involved in Scottish Adults with Incapacity Legislation and reforms. I am actively involved in developing methods for including people with dementia in research and policy and I was a member of the working group that recently prepared the Scottish Dementia Strategy. My work also relates strongly to the increased focus on knowledge exchange and impact, in particular, the work of my Connect in Care and night time care projects have achieved a number of outcomes in this area. I am also PI on one of the ESRC projects within the ESRC/SFC/LARCHI programme on knowledge exchange and Local Authorities. The successes in these areas of work have allowed me to develop case studies around impact grounded in theories of knowledge exchange and more practically in relation to the forthcoming REF. I have involvement in a range of research grants and with different policy and practice groups. I am active in the fields of dementia, disability, gerontology and social policy at national and international levels.

Improving the care of older people

The Connect in Care project, funded by NHS Education for Scotland and NHS Quality Improvements Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Care Commission, was a learning and practice development network working with all staff working with older people across all care settings in Scotland. This provided a significant knowledge exchange, practice development and networking opportunity. Further funding has developed from the work of the network including a knowledge exchange post in partnership with NHS Lothian.  

Night time care

The night time work arose from a wider interest in improving the care of older people. A research project funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has provided a wealth of material that is now being disseminated and worked with over two year period. I now also have an evaluation of night care in a Scottish Local Authority as they try and implement improvements in their night care support.

Some of the dissemination has focused on producing materials, including a set of posters and a postcard, as well as a short piece of drama (‘Just checking’ with Forum Interactive) that has been used at dissemination events. A working group has been established comprised of the research team and a representative from each of the UK care regulatory bodies.

A book has now been published by Jessica Kingsley Press and further funding bids are in development.

Empowering people with dementia

Central to all my research over the last ten years has been the exploration of how to better engage and include people with dementia in research, policy and practice. Since 2000 I have undertaken a number of funded projects, and in supervising post graduate students, where the work is centred on including people with dementia. I was the founder member of the Scottish Dementia Working Group which has now gone onto be an independent organisation representing people with dementia in Scotland.

Aging with a learning disability

Building on my practice and research background in the field of learning disability, I have a body of work that has developed over the last ten years that focuses on aging with a learning disability. Much of this work has a particular health focus and an example of this is the current work funded by the CSO on access to acute care.

I have extensive and longstanding international networks in the field of aging and learning disability including my role as co chair in IASSID and my visiting fellowship at the Institute for Basic Research on Developmental Disabilities, in New York.

Research activity

Current grants (selected):

Lanarkshire Local Authority. Evaluating community nighttime care support. March 1st – Dec 31st 2011. £30,000

Dept of Health. Healthbridge: national evaluation of the English Dementia Strategy Implementation Sites (PI is Prof Charlotte Clarke, Northumbria University). April 2010 – Sept 2012                                                                       

Mental Health Foundation. Consultancy (on project developing materials and media campaign around long term planning for people with LD). February 2011 – December 2012                                                                         £15,500

NHS Health Scotland. Dementia Dialogues – a DVD for people with dementia. April 2010 – March 2011              £4,000

University of Edinburgh KE fund + NHS Lothian, Queen Margaret Uni and Napier Uni. Funding to support a Bootcamp for research capacity development. April 2010 – March 2011 Refunded 2011 - 2012                      £11,500

ESRC Local Authority Programme. ESRC Local Authority Programme - Engaging with Involuntary Service Users in Social Work.   Oct 2009 – April 2011. £99724

Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Supporting staff working with people with a learning disability and dementia: practice development pack. Aug 2009 – August 2011. £95899

 

Publications

Publications list for Heather Wilkinson

Supervision

Projects supervised by Heather Wilkinson

This article was published on Sep 28, 2010


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