This PhD opportunity is being offered as part of the LSTM and Lancaster University Doctoral Training Partnership. Find out more about the studentships and how to apply.
| Abstract | The studentship focuses on integrating and evaluating practical approaches to tackling economic inactivity in Liverpool’s poorest areas, a key determinant of health. The study will be nested in a larger funded platform of work piloting the adaptation of community innovation teams and community quality improvement methods to tackling worklessness. Community Innovation Teams (CITs) are multidisciplinary hubs linking residents, researchers, youth champions, and local community organisations and other health, housing and social enterprise stakeholders. Teams access local data to identify problems and are trained in community quality improvement approaches. Our tested three phase training includes teams gathering local behavioural insights, data analysis and use and support to co-produce evidence-driven, locally relevant solutions. We have 15 active CITs across Liverpool City Region with 10 actively funded by our current grant in ReCITE. ReCITE demonstrates our experience in delivering large-scale, community-led innovation programmes, providing a tested framework that can be shared across the partnership to scale impact. We are already approached regularly for support by teams wishing to adapt and adopt the model. Several CITs have received local, national or WHO awards for the impact of their work on health equity (with a particular focus on the equity of uptake of prevention and screening services). We have helped teams to leverage their current CIT and apply for additional funding to expand their work. We are now adapting the health-only focus of the CITs to tackling the broader determinants of health. It will develop and train community co-researchers and evaluate underlying barriers and enablers at a hyper local level, defining the links between structural drivers and ill health in the Liverpool City Region. This studentship will work within the CIT framework on issues of worklessness and its links to ill health. We will target addressing structural inequalities, ill-health, and caring responsibilities that undermine ability to work and affect community wellbeing. |
| Where does this project lie in the translational pathway? | T4 - Practice to Policy/Population |
| Methodological Aspects | Qualitative and systems thinking analysis. Opportunity to work with business school at UoL to analyse place-based data on worklessness, interpreting and making this available to community teams. |
| Expected outputs | 3 publications (PhD will be in the format of results chapters by publication); Small grant funding for additional innovations/intervention; Dashboard tracking indicators of impact on worklessness |
| External industry links or placements | Placement in community organisations, housing associations and with primary care networks. Exchange programmes with industry representatives based on short-term supported placements (shadowing) in community and housing associations in Liverpool’s poorest areas. |
| Training opportunities | Qualitative research skills; Community entry; Community co-development and working with community co-researchers; PPIEP and research inclusion; Community quality improvement methods and facilitation |
| Skills Required | Research masters; Experience in participatory qualitative methods - data collection and analysis; Good understanding of misinformation, health equity and structural drivers of ill health; Aptitude for community work in Liverpool; Experience in the global south desirable not essential |
| Subject Areas | Institute for Resilient Health Systems |
| Key Publications associated with this project | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38898512/Publication |