Co-producing local research priorities for drug and alcohol services
In 2019 Dame Carol Black was appointed by UK government to lead a major review examining: the ways that drugs fuel serious violence; treatment, recovery and prevention. The report emphasised that research in the field is lacking, underdeveloped and under-resourced...
More…
Outgunned Before Breakfast: Big Brand Advertising
Why Public Health Keeps Losing to Big Brand Advertising It’s 7:00 AM on a drizzly London morning. A seven-year-old sits at the breakfast table, eyes on the TV as he eats cereal. In minutes, he’s bombarded by cartoon mascots pushing...
More…
Developing skills pathways through community enrichment for disadvantaged children
Why we need a radical overhaul of our approach to the UK skills gap What is the UK skills gap? The recent announcement of the Government’s Youth Guarantee, ensuring all 18 to 21 year olds in England have access to...
More…
England now has a plan to end homelessness…
…here’s how to test whether it will work The UK has proved before that it can end homelessness. The Everyone In scheme during COVID lockdowns accommodated tens of thousands of people in emergency and supported housing, who would otherwise have continued...
More…
Shame, Stigma, and Self-Harm: Complicating Narratives
Over the last decade it’s been exciting to see a real groundswell in Sociology around the need to think carefully and critically about stigma. A brilliant example of this is the collection Recalibrating Stigma: Sociologies of Health and Illness edited...
More…
Artificial intelligence in research: are we widening health inequalities?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming rapidly ingrained in many aspects of research (such as generating large health datasets from patient records, qualitative analysis, generating lay summaries and research translations). This is creating both excitement and nerves. Although it is often...
More…
Why is “oat milk” banned but “coconut milk” is fine?
A recent ruling might see references to “vegan burgers” and “vegan sausages” disappear from packaging. But will it make a difference? And who really benefits? “Oat milk” and other plant-based milks have significantly increased in popularity in recent years. A...
More…
More Than a Client: Ruby Smith and the Heart of Social Care
In the course of my research into health inequalities and social care, I have had the privilege of working closely with voluntary sector organisations that support older adults. These spaces—often underfunded and overlooked—are where care happens in its most humane...
More…
Old wine in new bottles: the NHS 10 year plan for England
The Labour Governments’ NHS 10 Year Plan for England was published on 4th July 2025, exactly a year to the day from their election victory on 4th July 2024. Whilst not without ambition (merging NHS England with Department of Health...
More…
Just saying no? Why declining research participation matters
Public willingness to take part in research is in free fall. Whether invited to tick boxes in a survey, volunteer for a medical trial or talk to an interviewer, we are increasingly likely to just say ‘no’. Research participation declines...
More…
Why Workplaces Still Fail Disabled People (and What Needs to Change)
The UK’s Employment Rights Bill 2024-25 was published in October 2024 and aims to introduce 28 significant labour law reforms. Key measures include making unfair dismissal a day-one right, providing guaranteed hours for zero-hours workers, introducing miscarriage bereavement leave, banning...
More…
Why women have to queue for the toilet