- Study at the OU
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- Research areas
- Health, Social Work and Social Care
Health, Social Work and Social Care
- On this page
The mission of the Faculty of Health & Social Care is to transform lives through health and social care education and research. Our applied research addresses contemporary, real-world issues and we have worked with some of the key players in the health and social care sector. The faculty has a lively postgraduate student community undertaking wide-ranging research both in the UK and internationally in our major thematic areas (ageing and later life; children, young people, families and parenting; death, dying and bereavement; living with disability and/or long-term conditions; sexual and reproductive health). Our research draws on multidisciplinary and methodologically innovative approaches, particularly qualitative research methods – including biographical, visual and participative methods.
Key facts
- In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise 60 per cent of our submission (under Social Work and Social Policy and Administration) was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, placing us in the top third of UK and Irish universities.
- The Faculty has had considerable success in attracting external funding for research, including support from the ESRC, the Department of Health, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
- We have a thriving postgraduate research student community, currently involving 12 full-time and 18 part-time students.
Further information
If you have an enquiry specific to this research area please contact:
- Name:
- Dr Lindsay O’Dell, Director of Postgraduate Studies
- Email:
- hsc-research-enquiries@open.ac.uk
- Phone:
For general enquiries please contact the Research Degrees Team via the link under ‘Your questions’ on the right of the page.
Publications
Research publications by Open University staff are available through Open Research Online (ORO), the university's repository of research publications and other research outputs. ORO can be searched or browsed by staff name or subject.
The following list, generated from ORO, provides a flavour of the most recently published work in Health, Social Work and Social Care:
- Watts, Jacqueline H. (2014). Gender, health and healthcare: men's and women's experience of health and working in healthcare roles. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing (forthcoming).
- Watts, Jacqueline H. and Psaila, Claudia (2013). Methodological innovation in the use of focus groups in qualitative health related research. In: BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, 11-13 September 2013, University of York.
- Watts, Jacqueline H. (2013). Considering the role of social work in palliative care: reflections from the literature. European Journal of Palliative Care, 20(4) (In press).
- Tetley, Josie; Watts, Jacqueline H. and Reynolds, Jill eds. (2013). Coproduction? Working with existing older people's groups. The Representation of Older People in Ageing Research, 11. London: Centre for Policy on Ageing.
- Watts, Jacqueline H. (2013). Working with a local older people's forum on a European research project. In: Tetley, Josie; Watts, Jacqueline H. and Reynolds, Jill eds. Coproduction? Working with Existing Older People's Groups. The Representation of Older People in Ageing Research, 11. London: Centre for Policy on Ageing, pp. 57–71.
- More publications relating to Health, Social Work and Social Care
Research degrees
Your questions
For advice about applying for a research degree, or sponsoring a research student, send us an email or call +44 (0)1908 654882.