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Employee relations in Britain have undergone fundamental change in the last three decades. Research by Lewis, Upchurch, Croucher and other colleagues has tracked these changes identifying the decline of collective bargaining and the rise of alternative forms of employee voice. The impact of this programme of research has been evident in influencing the evolution of wider public debate on issues of employee voice and shaping the development of policy frameworks and specific policy initiatives in the UK and abroad, particularly concerning whistleblowing. Impact has been apparent through influencing the development of employment culture and the respective practices of employers, unions, and human resources/industrial relations practitioners.
Eating disorders affect 5-10% of young people and in many cases persist into adulthood. At their most severe they can evoke intense emotional responses from those closest to the person. King's College London (KCL) research established that the response from others, combined with personal factors and beliefs, were key maintaining factors in the disorder. As a result, KCL researchers developed self-help materials that reduced distress and improved carers' ability to manage the person they were helping. This intervention programme has been adapted into a workshop, a self- help book, a DVD and a clinical handbook. The programme has been adopted by two of the largest UK eating disorder charities (BEAT and SUCCEED) and is recommended by the USA-based international charity FEAST and forms the basis of local NHS and international services including in the USA and Australia.
Clare Stanford's group has opened up a new line of research for drug treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Based on this work, UCL Business has been awarded an EU patent for the NK1R `knockout' mouse as an investigative tool and pharmaceutical screen. Cerebricon, a subsidiary of Charles River, has taken an exclusive licence to market this mouse and advertise it on their website. Our studies have also enabled us to identify a new genetic locus in which abnormalities are linked to ADHD in humans, and to identify a new drug candidate for treating ADHD.
This case study describes two types of impact. First, awareness of a health benefit has been raised in the treatment of people with diabetes, second, people with diabetes' attitudes to the treatment of diabetes has changed. These impacts were achieved in collaboration with health professionals working for two NHS trusts (Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust and Sussex Community NHS Trust) through the development of new educational materials to increase people with diabetes' awareness of diabetes and diabetes self-care behaviour.
Durrant's research on the therapeutic potential of literature as a way of working through trauma led to the creation of a unique model of bibliotherapy. The application of this model within three Leeds and Bradford organisations had significant impact on the mental well-being of asylum seekers and refugees and increased the capacity for organisations to provide effective and sustainable therapeutic services. The success of these initiatives led to further public and third-sector collaborations and the model being adopted by a range of health, education, public and charitable organisations both nationally and internationally.
Responding to the crisis in confidence amongst clinicians involved in child protection, Cardiff University developed the world's first research programme to provide the scientific basis for more reliable clinical assessments of child abuse and neglect. The programme, which involves 21 systematic reviews (updated annually) and related primary studies, has directly informed five national clinical guidelines, the National Child Protection training program and the first NICE guidance on child maltreatment. Through the Core-Info website, the evidence base created by the Cardiff team is accessed each year by 100,000 users. Key messages from their research have been published in a series of Core-Info leaflets which have reached more than 250,000 allied professionals nationally. The Cardiff research informs standardised national clinical practice, training and legal decisions, ultimately improving the recognition and protection of children from abuse or neglect.
Prosopagnosia, or the inability to recognise faces, affects one person in 50, but public and professional awareness of the condition is low. Bournemouth University (BU) established The Centre for Face Processing Disorders (CFPD) to provide cognitive screening and training programmes to improve recognition skills for affected adults and children. The centre has grown significantly and, having tested over 100 people for prosopagnosia, now treats 30 adults and 10 children through cognitive training and clinical treatment. While patient numbers are moderate to date, the service is unique in the UK and has provided proof of concept for a scalable prosopagnosia diagnosis and a treatment approach. This includes protocols for different conditions including Autism and Moebius syndrome. In addition, the CFPD has orchestrated policy changes within significant health organisations and charities.
Language impairment is common in children and, without effective early intervention, presents a risk for educational, social and emotional disturbance. The team used their considerable experience in child language research to produce a novel assessment of child language development — The Reynell Developmental Language Scales 3 (RDLS3) — the first test of child language development to be standardised in the U.K. to assess both understanding and production of language in young children. Use of the test has improved language assessment and diagnosis for children with language impairments and, as such, has enabled health and education professionals to target therapy and monitor the effectiveness of interventions to improve child language development. The test has been widely used in the U.K. and is now also being used widely internationally. Recent research by the team has informed a revised version of the test — The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales (NRDLS). Sales figures of the RDLS3 and the commissioning of the NRDLS are testament to its outstanding reputation and enduring legacy worldwide.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition, but has almost never been examined in adults over the age of forty years. Following an earlier bid for funding to examine this issue, Prof. Stuart-Hamilton was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Govt (WAG) via the charity Autism Cymru to conduct a quantitative survey of problems faced by older adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A companion qualitative survey, involving interviews with a small sample, was conducted by colleagues at Bangor University. A formal report (consisting of Prof Stuart-Hamilton's and Bangor's findings) and a refereed paper (solely of Stuart-Hamilton's findings) have been published, predating other studies in this field that have since begun to appear in the UK and internationally. The report was formally adopted by WAG, leading to a national awareness-raising publication campaign and presentation of the report as part of WAG's ongoing strategy. Integration of the report's recommendations into government policy is anticipated when the ASD policy is revised in early 2014.
John Martin's painting `Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum' was damaged and considered lost until advances in conservation made a restoration feasible. The question remained of how to fill the lost section without generating attentional distraction. Together with TATE Britain, Tim J. Smith used eyetracking to identify restoration procedures that directed gaze towards the remaining content and allowed full comprehension of the painting's subject matter. The restored painting is now on permanent display at TATE. This study is the first to apply eyetracking and vision science to art conservation, and has been received with great interest by the international conservation community.