Clare Thetford - Academic Staff

Clare is a researcher within the School of Nursing and Midwifery. Clare leads and collaborates on multi-disciplinary research projects across a range of health and social care issues, including stroke, vision impairment, peer support, leisure and rehabilitation. She has a particular interest in the use of qualitative research methods to explore service user and provider perspectives to inform service improvement and design.

Clare is currently based within the stroke research team and is working on a number research projects, including end of life care, disability and sport/leisure, and development of condition-specific health-related measures of quality of life with colleagues internal and external to The University of Central Lancashire, nationally and internationally. Clare also provides supervision for postgraduate research students.

Clare completed her PhD in Demography at the Australian National University, Canberra in which she examined childbearing decision-making among women with hepatitis C using qualitative methods. Clare has since held research posts at the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool and the University of Central Lancashire where she has collaborated on and led multi-disciplinary and multi-method research projects on various aspects of health and social care, involving engagement with a wide range of patient, service user and service provider groups.

Clare also worked for a time as Research Manager at the Equality and Human Rights Commission here she was responsible for the commissioning and management of a range of research projects. Clare has over ten years’ experience of predominantly qualitative research with people with vision impairment, in addition to having completed projects on health conditions and services including end of life care, stroke, leisure, diabetes, disability and rehabilitation, injecting drug use and periodontal care. She has conducted a great deal of work with populations who can be ‘difficult-to-reach’, taking an empowering approach to enabling them to share their views and influence the design of service provision. Through this work, she has also been involved in the creation, management of and working closely with patient and public involvement groups, to ensure that research projects address the priorities of service users and the research is conducted in a way that is both acceptable and meaningful to participants.

Positions held:

Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Lancashire, 2016- Present
Research Fellow, University of Liverpool, 2011-2016
Research Manager, Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), 2009-2011
Research Associate, Health and Community Care
Research Unit (HaCCRU), The University of Liverpool, 2005-2009
Research Associate, Geography Department, University of Liverpool, May-August 2005
Research Associate, Human Communication and Deafness, The University of Manchester, 2004-2005
Research Officer, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2002-2004 Corporate Data Administrator, TMP Worldwide, Sydney, Australia, 2001-2002

Qualifications

Areas of Interest / Expertise

External Affiliations / Memberships

Use the links below to view their profiles:

Research Projects

The relationship between impairment, functional ability and performance in Para-Equestrian dressage riders: evidence-based recommendations for revising current Para-Equestrian Classification systems. Federation Equestre Internationale (Lausanne). 2018 to 2021. (co-applicant).
Development and psychometric testing of EQ-5D-5L bolt-on descriptors for vision and cognition: A study in the UK and Australia. EuroQol (Rotterdam). 2018 to 2020. (Co-applicant)
A qualitative evaluation of a pilot service for heart failure patients in the last 12 months of life. St Catherine's Hospice (Preston). 2018 to 2019. (Principal investigator)
Identifying best practice in the delivery of peer support groups: learning from the lived experience of Macular Society support groups. Macular Society (Andover). 2017 to 2019. (Principal investigator).
Habilitation services for children and young people with visual impairment in the UK: an exploratory study. Guide Dogs UK (Reading). 2013 to 2014. (Principal investigator).
Meeting the emotional support needs of people with sight loss. Flexibility and Sustainability funding (Liverpool PCT) (Liverpool). 2012 to 2013. (Principal investigator).
Evaluation of the RNIB Find Your Feet Weekends. Royal National Institute of Blind People (London). 2009 to 2010. (Principal investigator).
Evaluation of the RNIB Emotional Support Service. Royal National Institute of Blind People (London). 2007 to 2010. (Principal investigator).
An evaluation of a range of interventions within the Liverpool-based, ‘Action-for Health’ initiative. Action for Health (Liverpool). 2007 to 2009. (Co-applicant)
The changing needs of people with sight loss. The Pocklington Trust (London). 2007 to 2008. (Principal investigator).
A preliminary exploration of the social and health impacts of group-based reading groups: ‘Get into Reading’. University of Liverpool. (Co-applicant)
Other research projects
STROLLERS (Stroke, life and leisure research study). A large survey of stroke and TIA survivors to examine changes in leisure activity following a stroke. University of Central Lancashire (2018-2020). (Co-applicant).
SHAPED: Study of Hallucinations in Parkinson's disease, Eye disease, and Dementia. With University of Liverpool and Kings College, London. (NIHR programme Grant). (Responsible for qualitative component of eye disease workstream).
ISDR: Individualised Screening for Diabetic retinopathy. University of Liverpool/St Pauls Eye Clinic, Liverpool. (NIHR Programme Grant). (Responsible for qualitative component of the programme of research which sought the views and experiences of patients and staff).
Patient experiences of treatment with Ranibizumab (Lucentis) for wet AMD (Macular Society). (Responsible for day-to-day delivery of the project).

Grants

The relationship between impairment, functional ability and performance in Para-Equestrian dressage riders: evidence-based recommendations for revising current Para-Equestrian Classification systems. Federation Equestre Internationale (Lausanne). 2018 to 2021. (co-applicant).
Development and psychometric testing of EQ-5D-5L bolt-on descriptors for vision and cognition: A study in the UK and Australia. EuroQol (Rotterdam). 2018 to 2020. (Co-applicant)
A qualitative evaluation of a pilot service for heart failure patients in the last 12 months of life. St Catherine's Hospice (Preston). 2018 to 2019. (Principal investigator)
Identifying best practice in the delivery of peer support groups: learning from the lived experience of Macular Society support groups. Macular Society (Andover). 2017 to 2019. (Principal investigator).
Habilitation services for children and young people with visual impairment in the UK: an exploratory study. Guide Dogs UK (Reading). 2013 to 2014. (Principal investigator).
Meeting the emotional support needs of people with sight loss. Flexibility and Sustainability funding (Liverpool PCT) (Liverpool). 2012 to 2013. (Principal investigator).
Evaluation of the RNIB Find Your Feet Weekends. Royal National Institute of Blind People (London). 2009 to 2010. (Principal investigator).
Evaluation of the RNIB Emotional Support Service. Royal National Institute of Blind People (London). 2007 to 2010. (Principal investigator).
An evaluation of a range of interventions within the Liverpool-based, ‘Action-for Health’ initiative. Action for Health (Liverpool). 2007 to 2009. (Co-applicant)
The changing needs of people with sight loss. The Pocklington Trust (London). 2007 to 2008. (Principal investigator).
A preliminary exploration of the social and health impacts of group-based reading groups: ‘Get into Reading’. University of Liverpool. (Co-applicant)

Conferences & Events

Invited presentations
Thetford, C. Invited speaker Why we need stroke specific care. Towards the end of life: a positive approach to care’ Parallel Session. UK Stroke Forum Conference, 6th December 2018, TIC, Telford.
Thetford, C. Convenor and invited speaker presentation in the Allied Health Care (AHC) session: Palliative care and ethical considerations in stroke – title: Stroke specific palliative care. 4th European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC 2018), Gothenburg, Sweden, 16-18 May 2018.
Thetford, C. Invited speaker.Seeing what’s out there: Community based peer support. Macular Society Professional Conference, Excellence in patient support, London, 28th November 2017.
Thetford, C. Invited speaker, Taylor, S., Hodge, S., Harding and Knox, P.C. Patient experiences of treatment for AMD with Ranibizumab. North West Medical Retina Meeting, The Midland Hotel, Manchester, 10th October 2013.
Thetford, C. Invited speaker. The changing needs of people with sight loss. National Ophthalmic Study Day, University of Manchester, 8th March 2008.
Thetford, C. Invited seminar. The importance of motherhood to women with hepatitis C., Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, 19th April 2006, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Thetford, C. and Robinson, J. Invited speaker. Service provider perspectives on older people's long term care decisions in Flintshire. ESRC Seminar Series on Transitions in Care Homes: Meeting the Demands of the 21st Century. University of Northumbria, 27th January 2006.
Refereed conference proceedings
Shah, H and Thetford, C. Peer support after stroke. UK Stroke Forum, Liverpool 28th – 30th November, 2017.
Thetford, C. Byrne, P., Gabbay, M., Harding, S. Broadbent, D and Roberts, J. (2016). Comparing health professionals’ and patient perspectives of individualised screening intervals for diabetic retinopathy screening. In European Journal of Ophthalmology, Vol 26 (pp. E102-E103).
Byrne, P., Thetford, C. Gabbay, M., and Harding, S. (2015). Patient perspectives of acceptability of risk-based individualised diabetic retinopathy. European Journal of Ophthalmology 25(3):E7-E7.
Knox, P.C., Thetford, C, Hodge, S., Harding, S., and Taylor, S. (2012). Living with AMD treatment. A qualitative study. ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science March 2012, Vol.53, 5465.
Other conferences
Thetford, C., Stockley R, Jones S, Chohan A, Richards J, Watkins C., Sleep positioning in severe stroke. UK Stroke Forum Conference on 6th December 2018 at TIC, Telford. (Poster presentation)
Thetford, C. Palliative care and stroke. North West Stroke Conference 2018, University of Central Lancashire, Preston.
Thetford, C. Byrne, P., Harding, S., Broadbent, D., Wang, A. and Gabbay, M.Translation of scientific knowledge: a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) experience. British Sociology Association, Medical Sociology Group 47th Annual Conference, University of York, 9-11 September, 2015.
Byrne, P., Thetford, C., Gabbay, M., Wang, A., Broadbent, D., Harding, S.. Patient perspectives of acceptability of risk-based individualised diabetic retinopathy.European Association for the Study of Diabetes, Turin, 26th – 28th June 2015.
Thetford, C., Byrne, P., Gabbay, M., Harding, S., Roberts, J. Patient perspectives of diabetic retinopathy screening and models of diabetes care. Society for Academic Primary Care North, Castle Green Hotel, 27th and 28th November 2014.
Thetford, C., Brewer, E., Robinson, J., Hodge, S., Knox, P.C.. Meeting the emotional support needs of people with sight loss. VINCE (Vision Impairment Network for Counselling and Emotional Support), Vision 2020, conference. University of Birmingham, November 8th 2012.
Gambles, M., Perkins, E., Thetford, C., Nolan, K., Haycox, A., Ellershaw, J. The challenge of using non-participant observation to research care at the end of life: a pilot study to involve professionals and lay people in key aspects of research design.

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Dr Clare Thetford