Publications

There are ongoing policy concerns surrounding the difficulty in obtaining timely appointments to primary healthcare services and the potential impact on, for example, attendance at accident and emergency services and potential health outcomes. Using the case study of potential access to primary healthcare services in Wales, Geographic Information System (GIS)‐based tools that permit a consideration…

Objectives: The quality of the relationship between people with dementia and their informal caregiver maybe an important determinant of life satisfaction and well-being for both members of the dyad. Taking a dyadic perspective, the aim of this study was to examine whether self- and partner-rated relationship quality influences life satisfaction and well-being for both people…

This briefing is the first in a series providing a quick guide to early childhood education and care (ECEC). It introduces the concept of ECEC, sets out evidence for different approaches to ECEC and relates this to current policy in Wales. It has been produced for the Assembly’s Research Service as part of the Academic…

The relationship between sexual identity and wellbeing is analysed in an unconditional panel quantile setting. There is heterogeneity across sexual identity and gender for homosexuals and, for all but lesbians, sexual minorities are less satisfied than heterosexuals below the median of the wellbeing distribution. Meanwhile, bisexuals of any gender are the least satisfied of any…

Objective: Informal caregivers of people with dementia develop their own beliefs about the condition, referred to as Dementia Representations (DRs), as they try to make sense of the changes they are observing. The first aim of this study was to provide a profile of the types of DRs held by caregivers. The second aim was…

Introduction: Understanding key influences on outcomes for caregivers of people with dementia is hampered by inconsistent conceptualization and measurement of outcomes and limited evidence about the relative impact of different variables. We aimed to address these issues.   Methods: We analyzed data from 1283 caregivers of community-dwelling individuals with mild-to-moderate dementia in the Improving the…

The Research Service has established a Brexit Academic Framework agreement. Under the Framework, experts provide research and advice services to the National Assembly for Wales Commission in relation to Brexit, to supplement the work of the Research Service. Professor Mike Woods and Dr Rachel Rahman at the Centre for Excellence in Rural Health Research, Aberystwyth…

Background Rising numbers of patients with multiple-conditions and complex care needs mean that it is increasingly important for doctors from different specialty areas to work together, alongside other members of the multi-disciplinary team, to provide patient centred care. However, intra-professional boundaries and silos within the medical profession may challenge holistic approaches to patient care.  …

In an attempt to improve organ donation rates, some countries are considering moving from “opt-in” systems where citizens must express their willingness to be an organ donor, to “opt-out” systems where consent is presumed unless individuals have expressed their wishes otherwise, by, for example, joining an “opt-out” register. In Wales-a part of the United Kingdom-the…

This paper contributes to the growing recognition in Science and Technology Studies and medical sociology of the significant role of affect in scientific and clinical work. We show how feelings of fear and anxiety associated with dementia not only shape people’s experiences and responses to a diagnosis, but also shape the practices and processes through…