The NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit (HSCWRU) is part of the Policy Institute and undertakes research on health and social care workforce policy in England; provides evidence to government; and engages with policymakers, service providers, patient, service user and carer groups, and directly to the workforce itself. Other research funders, including government and charities, support our further work on health, homelessness and children’s social care studies.
The Unit’s main focus is on the description and investigation of contextual, interpersonal, policy and service-related factors which affect the capacity of the health and social care workforces to promote best practice in employment and training, and to achieve the highest quality care and best outcomes for people using health and care services (adults’ and children’s) and their carers.
Our mission is to undertake research for government and for other funders to build up the evidence base for improving people’s lives and to build capacity in health, education, housing, and social care workforce research.
About the NIHR Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit
Current and past projects that HSCWRU have led or contributed to are summarised here, grouped by funder into the following categories:
Other NIHR Funding Streams
Charitable Trust Funding
King’s College London funding.
The Policy Institute at King’s works to solve society’s challenges with evidence and expertise. We combine the rigour of academia with the agility of a consultancy and the connectedness of a think tank. Our research draws on many disciplines and methods, making use of the skills, expertise and resources of not only the Institute, but the university and its wider network too.
About the Policy Institute
The Policy Institute is embedded in major King’s programmes and centres, providing expert research, analysis, communications and policy impact support across a wide range of policy areas.
The approach is built on three core characteristics:
It is inherently co-productive, using our convening power to bring together stakeholders and citizens from different backgrounds to understand problems from different perspectives.
It is based on interdisciplinary research, analysis and evaluation, drawing together a host of different fields and skills.
It prioritises media profile, public engagement and effective communication, to draw attention to policy problems and their solutions.
We live in a period of global, social, technological and economic transformations. In the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy (SSPP) we seek to understand these changes and to shape transformations through our research and education. We make our distinctive contributions through our connected and engaged research, backed by clear strategies to have impacts in the world and giving our staff and students the skills, judgement and confidence to embrace and shape change.
About the Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy
SSPP is home to one of the largest, most diverse and international communities for social research and education in Europe. We have world-leading expertise across social science disciplines, with recognised strengths in health and care, security studies, political economy, global health, social risk and resilience, and education and social justice. Our global perspective draws on specialist expertise about important and dynamic regions of the world, including the European Union, China, India, Brazil, Russia and the Middle East.
We believe our education and research can influence change by focusing on real-world problems, by combining perspectives, insights and methods from different bodies of knowledge, and by working with our partners in society.
We have deep relationships with government, business, civil society and international organisations, using our position in central London to convene and influence understanding, innovation and practice in the UK and internationally. We share a commitment to engaged curiosity and action in an open, collaborative and inclusive culture.
Our Faculty is organised as follows:
School of Education, Communication & Society
School of Global Affairs
The International School for Government
School of Politics & Economics
School of Security Studies
King’s College London offers an intellectually stimulating environment, where staff are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and learning in the service of society. We are a multi-faculty institution, providing high-quality research, education and innovation across the social sciences, humanities, medicine, law, dentistry, and sciences. As a member of the Russell Group, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards in research and education.
Bush House entrance, King’s College London
King’s College London is amongst the top 35 universities in the world and top 10 in Europe (THE World University Rankings 2023) and is one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities. Based in the heart of London, King’s has over 45,000 students (including more than 19,000 postgraduates) from some 150 countries, and over 10,000 employees.
King’s vision is to make the world a better place through world-leading education, research and service to society. King’s provides world-class education which enables students to become rounded critical thinkers, set up for success and with the character and wisdom to strive for social change. Through enquiry-driven research, King's delivers transformative insights and solutions that have the power to advance and accelerate global progress. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 exercise, King’s maintained its 6th position for ‘research power’ in the UK, 6th by Quality Index, and was ranked 3rd amongst multi-Faculty universities for impact.
