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In their letter to the Editor in this issue, Kolstoe and Carpenter challenge a core aspect of our recently published case study of research approvals [BMC Medical Ethics 20:7] by arguing that we conflate research ethics with governance and funding processes. Amongst the key concerns of the authors are: 1) that our paper exemplifies a typical conflation of concepts such as governance, integrity and ethics, with significant consequences for claims around the responsibility and accountability of the organisations involved; 2) that, as a consequence of this conflation, we misrepresent the ethics review process, including in fundamental aspects such as the ethics approval-opinion distinction; 3) that it is difficult to see scope for greater integration of processes such as applying for funding, research approvals, Patient and Public Involvement, etc., as suggested by us. Here we present an alternative point of view towards the concerns raised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When governments acquire third-party social welfare services (SWS), they create institutions of acquisition. The rules and practices that governments adopt define who is able to participate, on what basis, and how prices are determined. This paper conceptualizes the institutions of SWS acquisition, their variations, and implications, in order to contribute to a deeper understanding of the link between contracting and nonprofit commercialisation. Institutions of SWS acquisition include rules of entry, participation, and assessment. Resulting acquisition regimes can be marketised to a greater or lesser extent, and this is influential through its effect on nonprofit competition. Drawing on interviews with public servants and nonprofit staff, the paper compares acquisition regimes for homelessness services in England, a regime that closely resembles a market, and Canada, a regime which is not marketised. In contrast to their non-marketised counterparts, this paper finds that marketised SWS acquisition regimes create incentives for participants to reduce prices by loss-leading or ratcheting down service quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based volunteering supports outbreak management by extending reach into at-risk communities. This paper examines the application of a 'community champions' model in England, UK, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence pre-pandemic shows that community champion interventions tap into social networks to strengthen connections with disadvantaged communities. During the pandemic, the UK government set up a COVID community champions funding award scheme for local authorities to develop local programmes that addressed emerging inequalities. The study aim was to identify transferable learning on community engagement in the pandemic by undertaking a secondary qualitative synthesis of practice-based case studies of local COVID community champion programmes. Methods: A systematic staged approach for synthesis of practice-based case studies was used. In total, 16 COVID community champion case studies, which were written by practitioners involved in local programme implementation and published by the Local Government Association, were included. Case studies covered aims, programme development and delivery, examples of activities and a discussion of learning. Framework qualitative analysis methods were used to code and organise data prior to cross case analysis. The final stage produced an overarching thematic framework that best represented descriptive and interpretive themes. Results: The results provide an overview of common features of COVID community champion programmes and emergent learning. All local programmes aimed to reduce health inequalities by involving at-risk communities in local prevention efforts, adapting the approach to local priorities. Two levels of community engagement were volunteer mobilisation and subsequent community-based outreach activities. Elements of capacity building, such as training and creation of networks, were common. The synthesis of practice-based learning found that stronger relationships with communities were regarded as a key mechanism to support more equitable prevention strategies. Other learning themes related to champion roles, community engagement strategies and programme implementation. Conclusions: By focusing on how community champion approaches were applied by local authorities in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study contributes to knowledge on volunteer mobilisation as a mechanism to improve public health communication and outreach. Notwithstanding the limitations of experiential evidence, the synthesis of practice-based learning highlights potentially transferable community engagement strategies for health protection and health improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England the macro context of adoption practice is characterised by radical change across administrative, political and organisational systems. The adoption regionalisation programme is underpinned by a policy commitment to speed up 'matching' processes. The Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 states that adoptions should 'proceed swiftly' and some agencies are pioneering online and virtual introductions between children and prospective adopters. This paper offers a timely contribution to practice debates and scholarship in this area. Drawing on a collaborative doctoral study, 'everyday' practices are considered through an emergent theoretical framework, the 'liminal hotspot'. The analysis hones in on the transformative practices generated in the early matching stages and the role of the social worker in their mediation and management. This paper supports findings from other studies that suggest that when matches are rushed necessary processing of complex dynamics is by-passed, creating unnecessary vulnerabilities in the fabric of new families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unnecessarily prolonged stays in hospitals can have negative impacts on patients and present avoidable costs to health and social care systems. This paper presents the qualitative findings of a multi‐methods study of the social care causes of delayed transfers of care (DTOC) for older people in England. The quantitative strand of this study found that DTOC are significantly affected by homecare supply. In this paper, we explore in depth how and why social care capacity factors lead to delays, from the perspectives of those working within the system. We examined the local transfer arrangements in six English local authority (LA) sites that were purposively sampled to include a range of DTOC performance and LA characteristics. Between March and December 2018, 52 professionals involved in arranging or facilitating discharge from hospitals in these sites provided qualitative data, primarily through semi‐structured interviews. Topics included discharge teams and processes, strategic issues and perceived causes of delays. The thematic analysis uncovered the nuances behind the causes of DTOC previously categorised broadly as 'provider capacity' and 'patient choice'. In particular, our analysis highlights the lack of fit between available provision and the needs of people leaving hospital (theme 1); workforce inconsistencies (theme 2) and a myth of patient choice (theme 3). We are now at a turning point in the development of policy to reduce DTOC in the English system, with the full implications of a new national discharge to assess programme yet to be seen. Our research shows the significance of the alignment of service capacity, including the type and location of provision, with the needs and preferences of those leaving hospital. As the new system becomes established, attendance to such nuances behind blockages in the system will be more important than ever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers in Lady Agatha's Boarding School (Lady Agatha's) find teaching Sex and Relationships Education (RSE) uncomfortable. This paper investigates one aspect of the discomfort that they feel, namely the impact RSE has on their professional status as teachers. I use focus group data to reflect on the professional and personal location of teachers at Lady Agatha's and to explore their understanding of RSE through the recurring themes of professionalism and professional reputation as symbolic capital; deprofessionalisation and risk as symbolic violence; and the connects and disconnects between the doxa and illusio of the school. Findings suggest that by interrogating the sites of symbolic violence which generate RSE discomfort, we can start to unpick the fabric which creates discomfort about RSE, allowing both for a deeper understanding of RSE discomfort in teachers and an opportunity to address this discomfort as a barrier to RSE delivery at Lady Agatha's. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent papers have argued that spatial justice should be pursued through a place‐based approach, which enables local people to assert their own capacity to act and to pursue their own positive visions: an approach fundamental to LEADER. This paper considers the extent to which LEADER constitutes local action addressing spatial justice through a case study in England. Analysis of this case leads to questions about the extent to which apparent localism is constrained by 'government at a distance' and how this can affect the ability of LAGs to pursue spatial justice. It is suggested that LEADER displays a tension between network and hierarchy modes of governance, increasingly under control of hierarchy in this instance despite its origins as networked CLLD. The paper concludes that LEADER has potential to contribute to spatial justice – both distributive and procedural – but that this may be frustrated by the imposition of different priorities and controls at local or from higher levels. Further case studies will be required to investigate how widely this potential is realised or frustrated across Europe's varying national and local political contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Valuable learning derived from public health practice can be captured through practice-based case studies, also known as practice examples. Practice examples of participatory interventions supplement the evidence base by providing information on the complexities of implementation in communities. This paper reports on a Public Health England project to build a bank of community-centered practice examples based on robust processes of collection and curation. Methods The multidisciplinary project had three phases: (i) development and piloting a process to collect practice examples, (ii) refining review processes and gathering further examples via national and regional teams (iii) maintenance of an accessible collection on the library platform. Results The project resulted in a searchable collection of 55 practice examples illustrating participatory approaches in public health practice. The collection shows diversity in terms of settings, population, focus and type of approach used to work with communities. A secondary outcome was the development of generic guidance and templates for further collections on public health topics. Conclusions This project illustrates how information on the implementation of community-centered approaches in real-life contexts can be gathered and disseminated through a transferable process. Having collections of practice examples supports knowledge exchange in public health as learning is shared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Documented inequalities in access to eye care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are caused by poor uptake of primary eye care services, poor identification of eye problems, lack of signposting and reasonable adjustments of existing services, concerns about costs of care and the low priority historically given to these issues in eye care policy at a regional and national level. In 2019, the charity SeeAbility employed four eye care champions (ECCs) with lived experience of learning disability and/or autism to work in local communities in London and the Northwest of England. They provided peer‐to‐peer support on understanding the need for good eye health and engaged with policy makers, and learning disability, autism and eye care professionals at the local, regional and national levels to influence both the clinical practice of individual practitioners (within existing service/pathway models) and more widely to influence the commissioning of the Easy Eye Care pathway. This study explores the experiences of these ECCs. Methods: The study was conducted in April and May 2023. A case study approach was used to describe the experiences of the ECCs from March 2019 to March 2023. Data from structured interviews with the four ECCs and workload analysis were triangulated to provide a multifaceted understanding of this novel health promotion project. Findings: The ECCs found the role useful and reported that confidence in their practice and impact grew with time but they required ongoing support in the role. A good understanding of the promotional messages was reported. Developing a good network of contacts at an early stage, both people with learning disabilities and healthcare professionals, was key. Relationships with professionals were supportive and positive and a positive emotive response to their lived experience was reported in these interactions. Conclusions: From the perspective of the ECCs, the role is useful and beneficial. The work suggests some key recommendations for future development which include planning to build networks, support in presentation and communications skills and defining key messages and knowledge. Confidence of the ECCs builds with time in the role but also needs support the emotive impact of their lived experiences on audiences is highlighted. There is a need to evaluate how the programme is perceived by those who interact with it and how it changes behaviours which leads to better health outcomes. Accessible Summaries: People with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely than other people to have a problem with their eyes but less likely to get the eye care they need.This paper explains how people with a learning disability and/or autism are employed to tell other people with learning disabilities and/or autism, their supporters, health and care professionals and people who plan services about how important it is to get regular eye care. This job is an 'Eye Care Champion'.We share what the eye care champions did in their role, what worked well and what did not.We discuss how what we have learnt can help other people with learning disabilities and/or autism work as eye care champions and perhaps as champions for other areas of healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses whether the "Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine" should publish more case reports. Numerous reasons have been put forward in favor of the guaranteed offer of publication for all cases presented at Section meetings. One is that the attendance of certain Sections at meetings is poor, represents a small proportion of the total membership of the Section, and increasingly makes up London, England-based Fellows of many years standing.

In the last ten years the use of the internet as a health resource has transformed, and while patients increasingly consult online resources for health decision-making, less is known about how healthcare professionals (HCPs) currently discuss decision-making with internet informed patients (IIPs). In this paper we examine how HCPs perceive IIPs and specifically how bringing online information into appointments can prompt different communicative strategies around decision-making. Ten HCPs with experience working across different healthcare roles, took part in semi-structured interviews and discussed their interactions with IIPs around decision-making. Vignettes based on descriptions of real patients bringing online health information to their HCPs were used to prompt further discussion. The analysis identified two themes in relation to communication: (i) being honest about information sources and (ii) from compliance to coconstruction: improving communication around decision-making. HCPs were overwhelmingly positive toward IIPs and encouraged patients to be transparent about their online searching to understand their motivations, priorities, and concerns. Although compliance remains part of the narrative, HCPs recognized practical ways in which discussing online health information could improve HCP-patient communication around shared decision-making. We discuss the findings in relation to early work on communicative strategies between HCP’s and patients bringing resources to their consultations. We argue that for HCPs the concept of the internet as a provider of health information is no longer seen as inherently damaging or risky. There is growing acceptance of pre-consultation internet searching with the caveat that any information sourced online should inform rather than dictate decision-making with HCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The novel coronavirus and associated mitigation efforts have produced barriers to accessing services for adults with intellectual disabilities. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 on access to psychological services. The paper evaluates monthly referral rates and psychological distress scores for service users awaiting therapy. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative service evaluation was completed in a psychology service based in the North of England which specialises in supporting adults with intellectual disabilities. A single case experimental design was used to examine the impact of events in March 2020 on referral rates. Descriptive statistics and effect size calculations were used to examine the impact of prolonged waiting times on psychological distress scores. Findings: Referral rates were examined comparing a 5-year rolling average monthly referral rate for the 12 months prior to March 2020 with the 12 months following. Findings demonstrate that events starting in March 2020 have had a considerable impact on referral rates and rates have not recovered. Eight service users were contacted to determine the impact of prolonged waiting times with results demonstrating increases in psychological distress of large effect size. Originality/value: This is the only paper the authors are aware of examining the impact of the coronavirus on access to services and psychological distress for adults with intellectual disabilities. It is hoped that these findings will be able to inform both policy and practice as services continue to navigate the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antibiotics savelives and have been effectively and reliably used for decades to treat infections and improve health outcomes. This trust in antibiotics has contributed to over prescribing and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Significant amounts of antibiotics are still widely prescribed and taken, especially in young children. However, there is a paucity of existing literature relating to how mothers, who are the main carers of young children, may be influenced by their trust in antibiotics. Aims: To explore what factors influence mothers' decisions to seek antibiotics for their young children. Design: Qualitative case study using postcode boundaries. Methods: Thematic analysis of qualitative data from mothers of children under 5, recruited via community playgroups within the case. Data were collected between October 2018 and May 2019, from six focus groups (n = 19) and one‐to‐one interviews (n = 14). Thematic analysis of the data consisted of six phases: data familiarization; generating initial codes; searching for themes; reviewing themes; defining and naming themes; and producing the report. Results: Mothers were influenced by their belief and trust in antibiotics. Antibiotics were identified as symbolic of recovery, healing and of providing protection and safety. Conclusion: By understanding the symbolic power of antibiotics on maternal decision making, all antibiotic prescribers may be able to offer and provide reassuring alternative and acceptable treatment options to mothers, rather than using antibiotics. Impact This paper introduces the concept of antibiotics as powerful symbols which influence antibiotic seeking behaviour. This in turn may result in inappropriate use of antibiotics which contributes to the risk of antimicrobial resistance developing. Although the majority of antibiotics are still prescribed by doctors, the number of nurse prescribers has been increasing. Therefore, an increased awareness of antibiotic symbolism, in all prescribing clinicians, is important to enable future local and national strategies to be developed, to support maternal decision making and reduce antibiotic seeking behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated care systems (ICS) in England are partnerships between different health and social care organisations, to co‐ordinate care and therefore provide more effective health and social care provision. The objective of this article is to explore the role of the 'Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise' (VCSE) sector in integrated care systems. In particular, the paper aims to examine recent experiences of the voluntary sector in responding to the Covid‐19 pandemic, and the lessons that can be learnt for integrated care provision. The article focuses on the case of Oxfordshire (UK), using a mixed methods approach that included a series of semi‐structured interviews with key informants in health and the VCSE sector as well as online surveys of GPs and organisations in the VCSE sector. These were complemented by two contrasting geographical case studies of community responses to Covid‐19 (one urban, one rural). Data were collected between April and June 2021. Interviewees were recruited through professional and community networks and snowball sampling, with a total of 30 semi‐structured interviews being completed. Survey participants were recruited through sector‐specific networks and the research arm of doctors.net.uk, with a total of 57 survey respondents in all. The research demonstrated the critical role of social prescribing link workers and locality officers in forging connections between the health and VCSE sectors at the hyper‐local level, particularly in the urban case study. In the rural case study, the potential role of the Parish Council in bringing the two sectors together was highlighted, to support community health and well‐being through stronger integrated working between the two sectors. The article concludes that enhanced connections between health and the VCSE sector will strengthen the outcomes of ICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing evidence base that recovery is contagious and its primary mechanism of spread is through peer champions and groups. This paper examines a model of peer-based recovery support services from Cumbria, England, that uses a hub and spoke method to create visible recovery while actively engaging with and supporting community growth. Three case studies are used to illustrate how peer engagement, using the principles of community connection and assertive linkage, can offer core resources to a local community. The key conclusion is that sustainability of recovery communities rests on effective community engagement and meeting the needs of those communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Comment on the contribution that housing can make to delivering better health and wellbeing outcomes. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is threefold: summarise recent evidence that makes the case for housing in helping to address health and social care issues; comment on the challenges and opportunities of partnership working; and describe examples of interesting and innovative local joint provision.Design/methodology/approach Draws on the author's briefing papers on housing, health and social care for housing quality network, which is a national housing consultancy organisation as well as the author's role as Chairperson of East Midlands Housing Care and Support, which is a regional housing association.Findings Collaboration between housing, health and social care is making slow progress at the national level in England. This is despite an ever-increasing evidence base highlighting that good housing can help to address issues, such as delayed discharges. Nevertheless, there are an increasing number of interesting examples of successful local initiatives on housing, health and adult social care. The way forward is to facilitate joint working at a local level.Originality/value Focusses on the success of examples of local joint working between housing, health and social care to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Service users very often interpret and respond to their experiences of death, dying and bereavement through a religious or spiritual lens. However, recent trends in religion and belief have influenced how professionals respond to indicators such as faith. Since the post-war years in Britain and due to the transfer of services from church to state, as well as the change in the religious landscape, language has largely secularized. When people start addressing religion and belief again, they lack the appropriate literacy to do so, this is termed religious literacy by Dinham (2015). The purpose of this paper is to explore how professionals in end of life (EOL) care respond to service user's religious and spiritual indicators, through the lens of religious literacy. Design/methodology/approach - The paper draws from an ethnographic study undertaken across hospices in England, UK. In this study, healthcare professionals (HCPs) were observed for one calendar year. Findings - Results show that lack of religious literacy on the part of HCPs may lead to subtle and unintentional microaggression. Three types of indications of microinvalidation have been noted: verbal, non-verbal and environmental. Originality/value - This paper innovates in offering a first-hand phenomenological interpretation of observations in the field. The research data capture visually the impact of lack of religious literacy, an achievement which adds to the dialogue about service user rights in EOL care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the nature of disengagement in young people serving custodial sentences. This was in order to gain new theoretical insights into strategies for their reengagement with education. This is because 90% of young offenders who drop out of school prior to incarceration are reportedly disengaged (dropout being an indicator of disengagement). This paper reports on a qualitative ethnographic case study in one secure children's home in England. Semi-structured interviews with 16 incarcerated young people were conducted from which five participated in in-depth case studies along with teachers and care staff. Data were collected as participants engaged with a learning opportunity over a period of time. Extending emerging theory of disengagement, findings showed that disengagement oscillated between both active and passive forms within the same individual and pointed to the need for a range of strategies needed for reengagement. This paper suggests that disengagement is complex where the physical and social context shapes how disengagement manifests. This has pedagogical implications for education in custodial settings and other at-risk children in alternative or mainstream education provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores public health policy implementation through partnership working at the local level by examining how local actors from public health, and the wider workforce make sense of and work on social inequalities in health. An ethnographic case study was used to examine policy implementation in one local strategic partnership in north-west England during a period of significant resource constraint. Semi-structured interviews were the primary method of data generation. Sensitising concepts from figurational sociology were used to develop a theoretical account of how local policy implementation directed at narrowing social inequalities in health tended to give rise to relatively fragmented and short-term services, projects and practices, which focused on lifestyle factors and behaviour change. Theorising partnership work as figurations goes some way to explaining the apparent paradox among participants who expressed a relatively detached appreciation of wider social influences, alongside emotional involvement in their work. This process of individualisation explains how local professionals tended to conceptualise health inequality and the social determinants of health as personal troubles. Individualisation meant that the social reality of working in partnerships on difficult issues was simplified. Thus, any scope for working on the social determinants of health tended to be overlooked. The extent to which this was intentional or a matter of struggling to see opportunities, or a mixture of the two, was difficult to discern. Although the policy landscape has changed, the findings give some insight into understanding how local collaborative processes reproduce local public health work underpinned by lifestyle choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many people with aphasia have word‐finding difficulties, with some showing particular difficulties with verbs. Picture‐naming therapy is often used to improve naming, but gains are usually limited to therapy items and do not transfer to conversation. Therapy where words are produced in sentences and in real‐life activities may be more effective. Aims: The current pilot study investigated whether an activity‐oriented therapy approach would be accepted and viable if implemented in a community setting, and whether communicating whilst cooking was more beneficial than using paper‐based activities. If successful, it would be expected that verb production would improve in structured and unstructured tasks in both naming and narrative tasks. Methods & Procedures: The study employed a case‐series repeated‐measures design, with testing of treated and control items. Seven adults with anomia participated, although only five completed the full programme. Participants were divided into two groups and each group completed both treatments, but in different orders. Each treatment was employed for six 2‐h sessions over a 3‐week period. Outcomes & Results: Naming of both treated and untreated verbs showed a statistically significant improvement following both treatments and this continued into the maintenance phase. There was a numerical but not statistically significant gain in the variety of verbs used in spoken narratives. Participants predominantly chose positive terms to describe their experience of the programme, but did not prefer one therapy over the other. Conclusions & Implications: Preliminary findings suggest that an activity‐oriented therapy approach, whether it involves carrying out tasks or paper‐based activities, can result in clinically meaningful improvements for people with chronic aphasia. Further research using a randomized control trial is required to determine whether cooking therapy alone is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers an original examination of the interrelationship between organisational arrangements, supervisory practices and outcomes from supervision in a study funded by the Social Care Institute for Excellence. The study aimed to capture examples of good supervision. Researchers used systems theory to develop a supervision model, which informed the research design and evaluation. Good supervision was identified by 136 online survey participants, and all emerging themes were examined in nineteen interviews, within four case study settings. Social workers within an 'integrated' case-study setting and health workers in a 'partnership' setting said that 'good' supervision was supported by organisational policies, supervisor training and devolved management and professional practice. In the care-home and social-enterprise settings, supervision was similarly supported, but its delivery was a management performance target. In all four case-study settings, good supervision could be negatively transformed by a supervisor's action (e.g. rigid responses to performance issues) or supervisor's inaction (e.g. cancelled supervision sessions). Service-user feedback on supervision is an underdeveloped area that needs further research. This paper concludes by considering the implications of the research findings for the study of supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Managerial quality improvement (QI) in terms of accountability management has become central to healthcare institutions. Yet, managerial QI is largely considered irrelevant by healthcare professionals. In consequence, the implementation of managerial QI implementation is hampered. Knowledge brokering is discussed as a means to foster the implementation of (QI) knowledge in healthcare. Yet, the benefit of knowledge brokering for managerial QI has so far been neglected. Therefore, this research asks how knowledge brokering can support the implementation of managerial QI.Design/methodology/approach This article builds on a single case study approach as a unit of analysis. Qualitative data collection comprises 21 semi-structured interviews at the managerial and clinical levels, 220 h of participant observation and document analysis.Findings This paper identifies three strategies of how brokers implement managerial QI into a hospital by means of knowledge brokering: prioritizing, obscuring and redefining. The strategies help to transform multiple external QI demands into one managerial QI strategy. Yet the strategies also reduce non-managerial perspectives on QI, which generates frustration among healthcare professionals.Practical implications The paper works out the benefits and costs of managerial knowledge brokering. This allows to spell out practical implications for managers, nurses and clinicians who have to deal with managerial QI in healthcare organizations.Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need to study managerial knowledge brokering practices as a means to implement managerial QI into healthcare organizations. By doing that, the article adds to the body of research on knowledge translation in healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of recent local government reformfor political leadership in local authorities. In particular, it investigates the role played by local government officers in shaping and directing the work of politicians serving on overview and scrutiny committees. Design/methodology/approach -- Drawing on data from five case studies of local councils in England and Wales, the paper suggests that recent reform has done little to clarify decision making and leadership in local government. Findings -- The paper suggests that local councillors need to define their roles under the new system in order to reflect the changing requirements of their work. Originality/value -- The paper investigates the impact of the introduction of overview and scrutiny on the relations between councillors and local government officers. Research on leadership in local government is well established, but this literature needs updating in the light of recent reforms. The paper suggests a complex pattern of leadership in local democratic processes, and suggests that more work needs to be done to ensure that local councillors adapt to their new roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Homelessness often results from the loss of social networks and individuals are tested in being able to sustain or develop new positive social networks necessary to rebuild lives. The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an exploratory study which investigated how different agencies and professionals support people experiencing multiple exclusion homelessness (MEH) to develop and maintain their social networks amid other competing priorities, such as reducing substance misuse and re-offending. Design/methodology/approach – The study was undertaken in England 2010-2011 in three case study sites. Data were collected in 76 interviews with practitioners and managers, from disciplines including housing support, social work, criminal justice, mental health and substance misuse services. Totally, 56 interviews and five focus groups were also undertaken with people with experiences of MEH. Data were analysed thematically. Data from one site in particular permitted a focus on personal relationships and social networks which were seen as beneficial but also potentially problematic. These data are drawn upon to reflect on the implications for housing providers and practitioners. Findings – While multiple factors had often led to the loss of social networks among homeless people, findings revealed that practitioners working with homeless people may be able to promote existing social networks, such as partnerships, help develop new ones, and support people withdrawing from less positive relationships. The authors conclude that practitioners should be alert to structural changes that threaten social networks and may need to enhance skills in creating opportunities to foster existing positive relationships in direct work with their clients and in collaboration with other professionals. The need to be careful of blurring professional boundaries is also observed. Practical implications – This paper suggests approaches that may encourage practitioner reflection and commissioning practice in achieving good outcomes for people with experiences of MEH by highlighting the importance of social networks and the potential for practitioners to foster supportive relationships. Originality/value – This paper considers the often under-researched area of day-to-day engagement with social networks and the implications of working to support these as part of the role of homelessness services. While drawing primarily on recent research in England the themes raised will have wider relevance to housing and care services generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of mental capacity legislation when applied to parents with learning difficulties who lack capacity within childcare and family law proceedings in England and Wales.Design/methodology/approach The paper relies on a range of material including reports published by independent mental health foundations, official inquiries and other public bodies. It also refers to academic and practitioner material in journals and government guidance.Findings The paper critically reviews the application of the guidance when assessing mental capacity legislation as applied in England and Wales and offers by way of illustration several case examples where psychological assessments, and the enhancement of capacity, have assisted parents who were involved in childcare and family law proceedings.Research limitations/implications There has been little published research or governmental reports on the number of cases when parents involved in childcare and family law proceedings have been found to lack capacity. No published prevalence data are available on the times when enhancing capacity has resulted in a change of outcome in childcare and family law proceedings.Practical implications The duty is on the mental health practitioners assessing mental capacity that they do so in a structured and supportive role adhering to good practice guidance and follow the guiding principles of mental capacity legislation assuming that the individual has capacity unless it is established that they lack capacity. Guidance and training is needed to ensure that the interpretation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and its application is applied consistently.Social implications For those who are considered to lack mental capacity to make specific decisions, particularly within childcare and family law proceedings, safeguards are in place to better support such individuals and enhance their capacity in order that they can participate more fully in proceedings.Originality/value While the MCA legislation has now been enacted for over ten years, there is very little analysis of the implications of capacity assessments on parents involved in childcare and family law proceedings. This paper presents an overview and, in places, a critical analysis of the new safeguarding duties of mental health practitioners when assessing for, and enhancing capacity in parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social risk literature examines the extent to which states have provided social protection against the ‘old’ social risks of the post-war era and the ‘new’ social risks affecting post-industrial capitalist states. In this paper the contingency of the provision of informal care to people aged 65 and over is discussed. The paper deconstructs the concept of social risk to determine the characteristics and processes which contribute to states recognising specific contingencies as social risks which require social protection. This conceptualisation is applied to make the case that care-related risks associated with the informal care of older people should be recognised and treated as social risks by states. Data from a qualitative study of the English care policy system provide empirical evidence that informal care-related risks are recognised, but not treated, as social risks in England. The findings reveal informal carers, and the older people they care for, receive inadequate and inconsistent statutory protection against the poverty and welfare risks they face. Furthermore the design and operationalisation of the English care policy system generates risks for care relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we explore Lawrence Stenhouse's provocation that too much research has been conducted for the world and not enough for the village. This provocation has taken on additional significance in contemporary global policy contexts where neoliberal systems of governance incorporate discourses of educational effectiveness, measurement, standards, quality and sustainable development. Reform movements draw attention to what forms of professional development are effective in the complex global-national policy agendas, with diverse cultural-historical and socio-political contexts. Furthermore, teachers' work is changing and intensifying under neoliberal systems of governance, specifically what they have to do to interpret and not just to implement policies. Drawing on two contrasting case studies of teacher research in England and Kazakhstan, we examine 'outside in' and 'inside out' approaches to teacher development. We problematize the concepts of teacher autonomy, the interpretational work of teachers in the context of policy intensification, and strategic compliance as a pragmatic and necessary response to policy frameworks and their intended and unintended consequences. We conclude by suggesting a hybrid, dialectical approach to professional development which sustains teacher autonomy and professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the use of a psychosocial approach to researching drugs, race and ethnicity. It produces an analysis of interviews with Bobby, a mixed-race man in recovery from addiction. Sociological and psychoanalytic perspectives are brought to bear on the data in order to consider the character of Bobby's opportunities, identifications, crises and resolutions. Despite the affective components of the wider discourse on drugs and race, the majority of previous research on the subject has focused on the production of rational explanations produced within objectivist epistemological frames. In contrast, the methods used in this project seek an explicit engagement with the irrational and unconscious aspects of researching these subjects. The paper concludes by reflecting on the value of psychosocially oriented narrative methods in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on data from a qualitative case study of child protection social work in one local authority. Ethnographic methods were used and constructionist grounded theory employed to collect and analyse 329 pages of historical documents about the local authority child protection service, 246.5 hours of observations of social work practice and 19 interviews of social workers and their team managers. By interpreting the experiences of the social workers through the conceptual debates about the changes in the field of social administration, the social workers could be seen to want to perform a traditional form of social work but were required to perform a contemporary form of social administration. The aims and purposes of this form of practice could be considered to be distinct from those of social work as understood by the social workers, and as such, the social workers experienced the practice environment as constraining and often felt disillusioned. This paper conceptualizes these forms of practice, contributing to the debates about what practice is and how we are to analyse and categorize it for the purposes of influencing the institutions that create and maintain contemporary practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the use of part-time fostering as a means to support families with social care support needs. It is based on a qualitative case study of the support care service. Support care is a supportive intervention for families at risk of breakdown and long-term separation. The service attempts to forge positive relationships with parents and provides short breaks for children and young people. The service aims to be flexible and responsive to individual needs, but is time-limited, with typical intervention periods lasting between six and twelve months. Three support care schemes participated in the research and ten placements were followed for their duration. Eighty-two individual interviews were conducted and data were collected from twenty-two participant observation sessions. The aim of the research was to examine the 'doing' of support care. This included exploring stakeholder experiences, the aims and outcomes associated with the service, together with attempts to facilitate family change. The paper considers the advantages and contradictions inherent in this form of family support. Key aspects are related to broader considerations of family support services including the effectiveness of time-limited interventions and competing social work demands to support families as well as safeguard children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The paper draws on the experience of the health and social care system in Herefordshire to answer what, when and how improvements in cost and quality can be realised through service integration. Design/methodology/approach - The three stages in the evolution of integrated health and social care services within the county and the establishment of Wye Valley NHS Trust are described. An overview of the new model of integrated care is provided. Findings The baseline performance of the health and social care system in 2010/2011 is compared with the projected future performance in 2014/2015 and the current performance in 2012/2013. Reasons for underperformance of the new model of care are listed. It is concluded that integration will improve the effectiveness of care and the patient experience but is unlikely to deliver material savings. Service integration requires pump priming monies and short-term double running costs, the close involvement of GPs and a robust change management approach. Practical implications - The implication of these conclusions is that the current emphasis on the cost benefits of service integration have been overstated and the difficulties of maximising cost and quality benefits underestimated. Originality/value - The paper provides a "real world" contribution to what remains a live debate amongst NHS clinicians and managers, and those with an interest in policy development and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper reports research undertaken into the practices, processes and outcomes of joint commissioning at five English localities. This paper reflects on the implications of this study for the practice of joint commissioning. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach to the research was adopted where the assumptions about what joint commissioning should deliver in five "best practice" sites. These hypothesised relationships about organisational processes, services and outcomes were then tested through the collection of primary and secondary data. Methods of data collection included an online tool based on Q methodology, documentary analysis, interviews and focus groups. Findings - Very little of what we found seemed to relate directly to issues of joint commissioning. Respondents often spoke of joint commissioning conflating it with issues of commissioning or joint working more generally. We found a variety of different definitions and meanings of joint commissioning in practice suggesting that this is not a coherent model but varies across localities. Little evidence of improved outcomes was found, due to practical and technical difficulties. Research limitations/implications -Joint commissioning is not a coherent model and is applied in different ways across different contexts. As such we may need to ask very different questions of joint commissioning to those typically asked. Practical implications - It is important that local sites are clear about what they are trying to deliver through joint commissioning or else risk that it becomes an end in itself. Some of the current reforms taking place in health and social care risk pulling apart existing relationships that have taken significant time and resource to develop. Originality/value - This is one of the first large-scale studies of joint commissioning conducted in England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning in England1 represents an important arena for the development and contestation of environmental discourses. Over the last century the changing assumptions about human-nature relationship have led to numerous meanings of “the environment” in planning. These have in turn influenced the choices made between: preserving, enhancing, protecting, compromising, trading, exploiting or guarding against, the environment. While recognizing the nuances of the environmental discourses, this paper identifies eight distinct meanings of the environment in contemporary plans including the environment: as local amenity, as heritage landscape, as nature reserve, as storehouse of resources, as tradable commodity, as problem, as sustainability and as risk. The latter has emerged as a result of growing climate change awareness. The paper argues that, while the emphasis on climate change mitigation has reinforced some aspects of the sustainability discourse, the adaptation agenda has introduced a new meaning of the environment as risk. This portrays the environment not so much in terms of assets to be sustained for human benefit, but in terms of threats against which human well-being should be safeguarded. Framed in the language of risk and security, this new discourse is bringing to the fore some of the outmoded approaches to planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to examine the health seeking strategies of Latin American migrants in London. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on a small case study analysis conducted with Latin American migrants in London and relevant stakeholders. Findings – The paper highlights that even where Latin American migrants do have entitlements to use the NHS, a series of informal barriers limits their access. As a consequence many employ a range of transnational health-seeking strategies in order to seek resolution to their health problems. These findings repeat those identified in other studies and point to the need to gain a better understanding of migrant's exclusion and marginalisation in relation to formal health care providers. At the same time, the findings point to the lack of long-term resolution many migrants experience in relation to their health care needs, raising important questions about health inequalities. Research limitations/implications – Latin Americans represent a hugely diverse and heterogeneous group of migrants who have differing values and belief systems in relation to health care. A more detailed study is necessary in order to fully understand their health seeking behaviour in a UK context. Originality/value – Latin Americans represent a "new migrant" population in the UK and are considerably under-researched compared to more established migrant communities. At the same time they are an unrecognised group and are therefore excluded from many policy debates. This paper seeks to address this lack of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to report key findings of a study, whose purpose was to: understand what helps or hinders the commissioning and provision of integrated services for people with long-term neurological conditions (LTNCs); identify models of best practice from the perspectives of people with LTNCs and the professionals who work with them; and develop a benchmarking system to assess the extent to which these models are available in England.Design/methodology/approach - The research had three main components: a rapid systematic literature review of evidence; in-depth case studies of six neurology "service systems"; and a survey of all English PCTs to audit progress towards implementation of the National Service Framework (NSF) for LTNCs.Findings - A number of elements that contribute to the experience of continuity and three service models that incorporate these elements were identified: community interdisciplinary neurological rehabilitation teams; nurse specialists and proactive, holistic day opportunities services. The survey results reinforced many of the case study findings, particularly around the varying levels of service available depending on diagnosis and location, and problems of access even where high-quality services existed. The paper concludes that the systematic approach to delivering treatment and care for people with LTNCs envisaged in the NSF has not yet been achieved.Originality/value - This study uses a mix of methods to assess progress towards national service improvement, based on evidence from people with LTNCs and those who work with them. As such, it provides a comprehensive benchmark at a critical point in the implementation of the NSF for LTNCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to increase our understanding about how student nurses' experiences of supernumerary status are embedded in the hidden curriculum in clinical practice and contribute to the theory-practice gap in nursing. Current literature suggests that the hidden curriculum exists in many professional curricula and that it functions to socialise students into professional behaviours and practice. However, in nursing, there is a gap in our understanding of how these socialisation processes have been influenced by supernumerary status and what forms the hidden curriculum might take currently in clinical practice. An ethnographic case study design. Data were collected in four sites using fieldwork in clinical practice as well as interviews with students, mentors and key stakeholders, an online survey of student bodies and curriculum analysis in four universities. The findings in this paper are drawn from the qualitative fieldwork and interviews and were analysed thematically. The findings suggest that supernumerary status is an important aspect of the hidden curriculum in clinical learning for nursing students; that students are expected by trained staff to work while they learn and that on registration, they are expected to be competent to work immediately as registered nurses. These expectations are at odds with those of academic nurses and contribute to a theory-practice gap for student nurses. These expectations form part of the hidden curriculum that shapes the clinical context, and students have to learn to negotiate their status as supernumerary students in practice to meet these expectations. Consequently, students have to learn in a disintegrated learning context where opposing values of learning exist. To reintegrate student nurses' learning, educators in universities and clinical practice have to understand how the hidden curriculum and expectations around supernumerary status among trained staff affect learning for students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An innovative accessibility mapping study for the town of Bromsgrove in Worcestershire is presented. This study was commissioned to assess the impacts of a transport intervention strategy, including the enhancement of local bus services and the development of a new multimodal interchange in the town. What makes the research within this paper innovative is the use of a hybrid accessibility network model; based upon a gravity-based model which in itself is based upon values of generalised time. At the centre of this study is the application of geographical information systems both as means of analysing large volumes of data and in the display of the results. The paper aims to show how accessibility studies can be used to effectively map and analyse impacts of passenger transport interventions (in terms of journey time changes). The mapping techniques that have been employed are proposed as best practice examples, to evaluate the social equity implications of transport policy and design. This paper presents the adopted methodology, together with the results that were generated. The outcome of this study ultimately proved that a proposed transport intervention strategy for Bromsgrove had the potential to deliver improvements to transport accessibility. This study provides a detailed picture of the existing levels of transport accessibility in Bromsgrove. The outcomes of this study have been used extensively by Worcestershire County Council as part of a comprehensive evidence base to support robust funding bids. In particular, this study will be used to quantify the benefits of transport infrastructure enhancements, being a critical element of the Bromsgrove Regeneration Programme, which is aimed at facilitating social and economic transition from a traditional manufacturing centre to a key hub on the regionally identified Central Technology Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the use of Pupil Views Templates (PVTs), a tool designed to elicit, record and analyse the development of students' awareness of their own learning processes, supports teachers' professional learning. This paper reports on a three-year collaborative practitioner enquiry project involving more than 30 primary and secondary schools in England. The data set includes practitioners' case studies, interviews, questionnaires and cross-project analysis completed by the university team. Analysis focuses on the role of feedback, stimulated through the use of PVTs, in teachers' learning through three dimensions: the influence of student feedback on teachers as part of the pedagogical encounter; the influence of student feedback on schools within the context of the practitioner enquiry projects; the influence of feedback on the lead teacher researchers. Links between the tools used, the source of the feedback, and teachers' learning are mapped from a 'second order perspective' derived from the diverse data sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: It was hypothesised that there were variations in health and social care services available for older people with dementia and their carers, and that measurement of this between localities was possible. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for examining this. Design/methodology/approach: Using a case study approach, data from national surveys of local authorities providing social care and National Health Services Trusts providing old age mental health services conducted in 2014/2015 in England were used. From these, indicators of variation in services for people with dementia and their carers in different geographical areas were created. Measurement of the presence/absence of each service permitted the creation of a service mix score for each area. Findings: The framework comprised 16 attributes each with indicators describing the characteristics of the organisations providing the services; the skill mix of community mental health teams for older people; and the health care and social care services available in localities. Variation was evident, confirmed by quartile analysis and exemplars, suggesting that older people with dementia and their carers in different localities are likely to experience differences in the range of provision available, particularly social care services. Originality/value: The case study approach used achieved its objectives, and the resultant framework has potential for generalisability and utility, given acceptable ecological validity and discriminant validity in identifying variations in service mix. It could be used in both research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The historiography of soccer's early years includes numerous references to the game's development within the industrial heartlands of nineteenth-century Britain. But there are few studies of how soccer came to be established as a popular sport in rural and non-industrial parts of southern England. Using Winchester as a case study, this paper examines the factors which, during a twenty-year period from 1884, transformed soccer from an obscure diversion into a sport that vied with cricket as the area's most popular recreation. The sources reveal that soccer initially gained acceptance at local schools during the 1880s before being taken up by middle-class cricketers eager to find a game to play during the winter. However, soccer failed to take hold of the public's imagination until the late 1890s. Reasons for this failure are identified, as are some of the factors which led, from 1895, to a boom in the game's popularity among the local working class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how trainee hospital doctors led work-based projects undertaken on an accredited development programme in England. Design/methodology/approach: This is a case study of a leadership programme for hospital-based specialty trainees. The programme included participants leading work-based projects which were submitted for academic accreditation. Accounts of 35 work-based projects were thematically analysed to explore how participants led their projects. Findings: Leadership was often informal and based on a series of individual face-to-face conversations. The establishment of project teams and the use of existing communication processes were often avoided. The reasons for this approach included lack of opportunities to arrange meetings, fear of conflict in meetings and the personal preferences of the participants. The authors discuss these findings with reference to theory and evidence about conversations and informal leadership, highlighting the relevance of complexity theory. Research limitations/implications: The data are limited and drawn from the best accounts written for a specific educational context. There is therefore limited transferability to the leadership work of hospital-based specialty trainees in general. Future research into medical leadership might explore the micro practices of leadership and change, particularly in informal settings. Practical implications: Leadership development programmes for trainee hospital doctors might concentrate on developing skills of conversation, particularly where there are or may be perceived power imbalances. Exploring conversations within the theory of complex responsive processes should be considered for inclusion in programmes. Originality/value: This paper adds some detail to the general understanding of learning leadership in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PAPER INTRODUCES and discusses a group of broadly 14th-century single-looped buckles. These oval buckles are characterised by an outer edge which widens gradually towards its centre, thus providing a sizeable field either side of the pin rest. Two-thirds of the corpus of over 100 examples are decorated with engraved and punched motifs. These motifs comprise abstract forms, schematic or realistic vegetal or animal motifs, representations of humans and architectural features, and religious inscriptions. Such buckles are typical of the South of France, but are documented here for the first time from the eastern and southern coasts of England. Their presence in England can be framed in a commercial context; once diffused, they might have been copied, and other decorative motifs introduced in order to meet local needs. Compositional analyses revealed the existence of alloy groups with high proportions of lead or tin, potentially testifying to production in separate workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work in regional development has stressed the role of key economic actors in less favoured regions, particularly in high-technology sectors, in making those regions more attractive to outside investors. Of course, in less favoured regions (LFRs), there are rarely strong high-technology sectors able to reconfigure their local environment and provide the necessary local "buzz" to attract the attention of outside investors. In this paper, this issue is addressed by looking at how universities can play this role and have a broader systemic effect on the regional economic environment, by plugging gaps in the local regional innovation system. In this paper, a case study from Newcastle in the north-east of England is taken to consider recent developments which have begun to rebuild the regional innovation system. Focusing on the commercialization community around the university, it is looked at how this community of geographically proximate but initially organizationally and cognately remote actors built a common understanding to solve the problems involved in exploiting intellectual property in the impoverished regional innovation system (RIS) of the north-east of England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many obstacles to the implementation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in England and Wales as a viable alternative to conventional pipe systems. However, in Scotland these obstacles have been largely overcome and many SuDS schemes have been successfully implemented over the past decade. This paper will review SuDS in Scotland and compare the structure of the water companies north and south of the border, which is a major factor in implementing SuDS. Also, case study evidence will be used to show how a successful SuDS scheme was implemented in Aztec West, Bristol, over 20 years ago. This paper was awarded the 2004 James Forrest Medal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The recent ‘Liberty and Livelihood’ March in London highlights how the issue of hunting with dogs, which directly involves only a small minority of people in the British countryside and, opinion polls indicate, is opposed by the majority of the British population, can still dominate national political and media agendas. A key tactic of the March organisers, the Countryside Alliance, was to present hunting as an embedded part of rural life, emphasising important connections between natural discourses of rurality, hunting and broader rural social issues.It is these claimed embedded natures of hunting in rural areas that form the focus of this paper. Drawing on recent research in four case-study hunting areas in the English and Welsh countryside, the paper positions hunting within a broader rural socio-cultural context. It explores community understandings of and interactions with hunting, and considers the broader sociocultural role of hunting in these rural spaces. The case-studies indicate that while hunting may be described as a socially and culturally embedded practice in these areas, its place within the rural community is bound up with a great deal of social and spatial complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care is a national framework for local action in England co-produced by over 30 partners; little research has been conducted on how the Framework is received and used. This study sought to examine and support how people understand, interpret, and implement the Framework. Methods: A multi-stage qualitative methodology involving four stages of data collection: (1) case study interviews, (2) focus groups, (3) interactive workshops, and (4) Evidence Cafés. From initial interviews, ongoing thematic data analysis informed the design and focus of subsequent stages as part of a process of knowledge transfer. Results: A practical resource to support service provision and development was produced; a grab-and-go guide called "Small Steps, Big Visions". It focuses on the eight foundations in the Ambitions Framework, with additional guidance on collaboration and partnership working, and sharing learning. Each foundation is presented with a 'what' (definition), 'ask' (prompt questions), and 'examples in action' (drawn from case studies). Conclusions: Research can contribute to policy implementation to advance palliative and end of life care. The engagement and input of those responsible for implementation is key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Audio recording interviews, focus groups, and naturally occurring interactions have been utilised by social researchers for decades. Yet, the use of audio recordings as a tool to elicit participant responses has received less attention in social science research. This is despite heightened interest in non-traditional techniques such as the use of visual methodologies, and arts-based methods. In this article, I describe how I advanced a known method, vignettes, into an audio narrative to explore perceptions of sex work. This article reports on the methodological rationale for the novel use of audio vignettes, and the capacity they have for memory retrieval, eliciting reflections on lived experiences, and for providing richer attitudinal data. By drawing on 'accessibility theory', this article argues that audio vignettes are a powerful elicitor of attitudes. Furthermore, I claim that audio methods as I define them, can enhance the social scientists' toolkit and that, what I term 'audio sociology' needs further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The paper presents a verification of HDM-4 fuel consumption estimates by comparing these to real world measurements from a large dataset from a truck telematic database. • Results of the study show that the latest calibration of HDM-4 performed in UK is not able to estimate the fuel consumption of the considered fleet of trucks reliably. • The authors suggest that, in order to use HDM-4 at a strategic level in road asset management, a full recalibration of the model should be performed in UK. • Results show also that analysis of the 'big data' available in the telematic database of fleet managers can help in updating HDM-4 without performing new experiments and can represent a valid alternative to the traditional approach. Abstract This paper presents an assessment of the accuracy of the HDM-4 fuel consumption model calibrated for the United Kingdom and evaluates the need for further calibration of the model. The study focuses on HGVs and compares estimates made by HDM-4 to measurements from a large fleet of vehicles driving on motorways in England. The data was obtained from the telematic database of truck fleet managers (SAE J1939) and includes three types of HGVs: light, medium and heavy trucks. Some 19,991 records from 1645 trucks are available in total. These represent records of trucks driving at constant speed along part of the M1 and the M18, two motorways in England. These conditions have been simulated in HDM-4 by computing fuel consumption for each truck type driving at a constant speed of 85 km/h on a flat and straight road segment in good condition. Estimates are compared to real measurements under two separate sets of assumptions. First, the HDM-4 model calibrated for the UK has been used. Then, the model was updated to take into account vehicle weight and frontal area specific to the considered vehicles. The paper shows that the current calibration of HDM-4 for the United Kingdom already requires recalibration. The quality of the model estimates can be improved significantly by updating vehicle weight and frontal area in HDM-4. The use of HGV fleet and network condition data as described in this paper provides an opportunity to verify HDM-4 continuously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]