The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South London began on 1 October 2019. It aims to conduct high-quality research to help the NHS and care services offer excellent care based on sound evidence across south London and beyond.
Staff at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce in the Policy Institute at King’s College London are leading on the NIHR ARC South London Social Care Theme.
About the Social Care theme
The first phase of the Social Care theme will concentrate on day services. Day services are valuable places for people with multiple and complex social care and support needs, who want to remain in the community. Such services offer care, advice and support to different people, including older people, people with experience of homelessness and people misusing substances. Yet day services are under-researched.
This research is needed to better understand current provision and capacity of day services in South London as an essential part of social care. It addresses questions around the value of day services for people with multiple long-term and complex conditions and what day services need to operate effectively and efficiently, with a high Social Return on Investment.
What is the aim of our research?
Our overall aim is to strengthen social care services in South London, to highlight their strengths in communities and to support them in capturing and communicating their outcomes. This aim will be achieved through conducting two studies.
Study 1: MACE (Mapping And Community Engagement)
In the first study we are producing a detailed map of day services in four boroughs of South London to ascertain strengths and gaps in provision and demand. We are engaging with the community of day services, social care practitioners, local authorities etc. to build a strong network for the next study. MACE study page.
Study 2: SARP (Setting And Responding to Priorities)
SARP builds on MACE. In this study, we will co-produce research and development priorities for South London social care communities, including day services, together with stakeholders and to respond to these priorities by developing practicable tools, such as self-auditing instruments. SARP study page.
Day Centre Research Forum
Alongside these studies, we are running a Day Centre Research Forum to facilitate local and national collaboration between researchers and stakeholders working in the day services field.
Adopted studies
In addition to the projects detailed on these pages NIHR ARC South London has adopted a number of social care research projects.
Staying in touch
If you’d like us to keep you posted about our work, please email Katharine.Orellana@kcl.ac.uk with ‘keep me posted about ARC’ in the subject heading, highlighting whether you’re interested in a specific area or user group. See our Privacy Notice. You may unsubscribe from this list at any time by emailing Katharine Orellana.
Our Partners
Group lead
Senior Research Fellow