Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Improving social care and community services for people living with dementia
Social care involves providing social work, personal care, protection or social support to people to help them to maintain independence and live with a good quality of life. It is predominantly delivered in community settings through services such as homecare, assisted living and care homes. It may also be provided by voluntary and community organisations. These services provide a vital source of support for many people with dementia and their families.
Our research on social care focusses on ways in which social care providers can be supported to deliver good quality person-centred care for people living with dementia. This might be through staff development or the use of specific interventions and care approaches, including creative and arts-based practice. Our research is shaping understanding of how to deliver good social care and how to prepare and support the workforce to do this.
Receiving a dementia diagnosis can be life-changing for the person and their family and friends. In addition to that provided by social care services, wider support for people with dementia and their families and supporters in the community can include individuals and community groups that help people to maintain social connections and provide opportunities to take part in enjoyable and meaningful activities. Our research focuses in particular on creative support and engagement provided by the wider community, including the voluntary sector and arts organisations, who play a vital role in helping people to cope with dementia, to feel supported and to lead active and fulfilling lives post-diagnosis.
This video, developed with our expert by experience advisory group from the DCM EPIC trial in care homes, explains why conducting research in care homes and other social care settings is important.
Current and recent funded research and evaluation:
The Adult Social Care Workforce Research Partnership aims to explore and address the critical challenges facing the adult social care workforce. This five-year initiative (2025-2030) brings together a team of leading researchers, social care organisations, and local authorities to improve workforce sustainability and wellbeing.
Chief Investigator: Professor Ann-Marie Towers (King’s College London) and Professor Karen Spilsbury (University of Leeds)
LBU Investigators: Professor Claire Surr, Dr Nicky Taylor
Funder: NIHR Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (HSDR)
Funding amount: £4,998,199
The NIHR School for Social Care Research (SSCR) is a partnership between the Universities of Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), York and a collaboration between the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University. It is led by the University of York. The SSCR aims to strengthen the evidence-base for adult social care practice, build social care research capacity and drive the development of a research system that can support, mobilise and deliver impact on practice.
Chief Investigator: SSCR Director: Professor Yvonne Birks, University of York; SSCR@Leeds Executive Lead: Professor Karen Spilsbury, University of Leeds
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr, Deputy Executive Lead, Dr Rachael Kelley, Dr Nicky Taylor, Dr Chloe Bradshaw, Dr Marie Janes, Dr Emma Hooper
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
Funded amount: £31,000,000
This study is exploring how risk prediction models could be used to support prevention and planning in adult social care. By using information routinely collected in health and care records, the model can accurately predict an older adult’s risk of needing homecare or to move into a care home within the proceeding 12 months. This study seeks to examine the potential uses and benefits of risk prediction, where and by whom the models might best be used, and the practical, ethical and equity-related concerns that would need to be addressed prior to implementation. To do this we are seeking the views of older adults, those who informally care for them, and health and social care professionals, commissioners and other relevant staff roles. The findings will be used to develop recommendations for the sensitive, equitable and practical use of risk prediction models in social care and to inform a future study testing their potential use for prevention and early support.
Chief Investigator: Professor Claire Surr
Leeds Beckett investigators: Dr Marie Janes, Dr Nicky Taylor
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research, School for Social Care Research (NIHR SSCR).
Funding amount: £183,669
Read more about exploring the potential uses of risk prediction models for prevention in social care.
This research focuses on understanding current approaches used by care home staff to support beneficial access to nature for older care home residents. After conducting a scoping review, the aim is to develop a future study testing a practical and affordable intervention to support regular nature access in care homes alongside appropriate research methods.
Chief Investigator: Dr Nicky Taylor
LBU Investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: NIHR School for Social Care Research
Funding amount: £49,704
This study aims to understand the experiences, impacts, and best practices of intergenerational work in care homes with regular activities with pre-school children, for people living with all severities of dementia. It will share and develop recommendations for best practices.
Chief Investigators: Dr Chloe Bradwell and Professor Claire Surr
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Dr Rachael Kelley, Dr Nicky Taylor
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Research Programme for Social Care
Funding amount: £249,998.00
This project will pilot and evaluate an embedded artist-in-residency model in a dementia care home, integrating creativity into everyday care rather than standalone activities. Working alongside staff, residents and families, it will co-design practical resources to improve wellbeing, relationships, staff confidence and the long-term sustainability of creative care.
Chief Investigator: Dr Chloe Bradwell
Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Funding amount: £79,677.60
This doctoral research study explored the transitional experiences of family caregivers over time during the dementia care home trajectory. The aims were to understand the information and support needs of families, and whether these vary over time or between different members of a family unit, in order to make recommendations for the development of a care home-led family support intervention.
Two main themes were developed. The first, ‘Navigating in the dark’, reflects how families are expected required to travel along an unfamiliar road with little in the way of directional signage as their relative with dementia moves from living at home to residing in a care home. ‘Adjusting and adapting’ represents how families have already faced many changes prior to their relative with dementia moving to a care home. This includes changes to their identity, role, purpose and ongoing changes to their relationship with their relative in the context of the progressive dementia trajectory, which are frequently experienced without help or guidance from others. When their relative with dementia moves to a care home, family caregivers continue to face similar changes, as their role, identity and established ways of living must evolve again. The results of this study identify the diversity in family caregiver support needs and that these differ at different points in the care home. The results also show that care home staff are generally unaware of the experiences or support needs of family caregivers or how these may evolve over time, and many do not recognise they have a role in supporting these as part of developing an ongoing relationship between families and the care home.
Chief investigator: Dr Jo Crossland
Supervisors: Professor Claire Surr and Dr Rachael Kelley
A substantial number of people living with dementia undergo care needs assessments and should be supported to make inclusive decisions about moving into permanent residential care. However, people living with dementia frequently face reduced involvement in decision-making, including decisions about where to live. Local authorities and social care practitioners who work within them play a central role in assessing need, determining eligibility for funding and supporting families to source care homes. This doctoral research study aimed to examine person-centredness relating to decision-making approaches employed to assess, procure and support a person’s transition into residential care funded by a local authority.
Multiple challenges were identified that hindered the employment of person-centred approaches, ultimately impacting decision-making. Fragmentation of processes and lack of clarity regarding roles, responsibilities, funding and criteria-based operational pressures, along with issues relating to collaborative working, further impacted on approaches used in decision-making. This study offers recommendations for how organisations can better support practitioners to communicate transparency about the limitations of available care options, while continuing to work collaboratively with clients and families to ensure what matters to the person remains central to decision-making. It also proposes measures to strengthen role clarity across multi-disciplinary teams and identifies opportunities for further research into training and ongoing continued professional development to enhance person-centred practices.
Chief investigator: Dr Gillian Maidens
Supervisors: Professor Claire Surr and Dr Laura Booi
This project aims to develop resources for dementia care workers by involving care workers themselves, people living with dementia, and (bereaved) family carers in the development process. The resources are intended to help care workers to feel confident and secure when supporting people with dementia at the end of their lives. We then want to see if these resources do what we hoped by having care workers test them out.
Chief Investigator: Dr Rasa Mikelyte University of Kent
Leeds Beckett investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research, Research Programme for Social Care
Funding amount: £255,000
There are a growing number of people living with dementia in the UK and one third live in long term care settings, with a need to offer non-pharmacological interventions in these settings being essential. One means to do so is through technology, such as the Magic Table (MT), an interactive game projector. There is limited evidence regarding the implementation and impact of the MT, including that of times of heightened infection control, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this doctoral research was to understand the features required for successful implementation and the impact of using the MT with people living with dementia in care homes and/or attending day services.
The findings indicate the MT is an activity, that can be used with people living with dementia at times of heightened infection control measures, with increasing planning and smaller group numbers, yet guidance of how to implement safely is required. There are inconsistencies in the ways the MT is being used at an organisational and staff level, including knowledge of MT features, flexibility in implementation approaches and the role of staff as facilitators, all limiting successful implementation. The role of people living with dementia in the implementation of the MT requires greater acknowledgement. Should the gaps in implementation be addressed, the MT can offer benefits including reducing time people living with dementia spend sedentary, the opportunity for social interaction and reducing behaviours that others finding challenging. Recommendations are provided to enhance guidance for use of the MT, for MT providers, organisations and staff members to enhance successful implementation and in doing so increase impact.
Chief investigator: Dr Rachel Fox
Supervisors: Professor Sarah Smith and Dr Jackie Hargreaves
This project brought together researchers and practitioners working in dementia-related co-production. The aim was to recognise co-production and dementia practice as a specialism, and to develop a network for vital peer support in conducting this work safely and ethically. Three workshops involving researchers and people with lived experience of dementia, were conducted, which offered a safe space to interrogate the practice, quality and challenges of co-production. We are working collaboratively and creatively to develop accessible evidence-based guidance and support for co-production practice in the dementia field.
Chief Investigator: Dr Nicky Taylor
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Three Schools Dementia Programme
Funding amount: £19,963
This co-production project was designed by people living with dementia from the Leeds Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project (DEEP), as part of the Dementia Enquirers project’s commitment to put people with dementia in the driving seat of research. The research element of the project was a survey of people diagnosed with dementia in Yorkshire to understand the new opportunities people experienced after diagnosis, and what barriers and facilitators effected people taking up new opportunities. The survey design, data collection and analysis was supported by members of the Centre for Dementia Research team.
Chief Investigator: Dr Nicky Taylor
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr and Dr Laura Booi
Funder: Dementia Enquirers, The National Lottery Community Fund
Funding amount: Partnership project with Leeds Up and Go DEEP group
This Pilot Award for Global Brain Health Leaders addressed the first stage of an ambitious plan to create a research centre focused on theatre and dementia. This feasibility study asked specifically: how can people with dementia be successfully involved in the co-production of a research centre for theatre and dementia? A practical process of creative co-production was used to engage people with dementia as creative equals to determine the focus and ambition of the centre’s initial plan, and as ongoing collaborators. This pilot drew on knowledge, experience and opinions of people with dementia, artists and researchers, to co-produce a model for the centre, giving equal weight to theatre practice and the scientific study of that practice.
Chief Investigator: Dr Nicky Taylor
Funder: Global Brain Health Institute, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Society
Funding amount: $25,000
NICHE Leeds is a partnership between care homes and researchers based on the 'Living Lab' model that has been active in Maastrict in the Netherlands since 1998. The Centre for Dementia research is an academic partner in NICHE Leeds, working alongside the University of Leeds who lead the initiative, and care home provider partners.
The model involves bringing together researchers, care home staff, residents and their relatives/supporters to identify priority areas for care improvement. Working together we gather evidence and generate insight into how new ways of working can help care homes to innovate. This can include presenting existing research evidence in accessible formats and supporting plans for implementation, through to designing and applying for funding to conduct research in areas of identified need.
Chief Investigator: Professor Karen Spilsbury, University of Leeds
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr, Dr Rachael Kelley, Dr Nicky Taylor and Dr Chloe Bradwell
Read more about the NICHE Leeds partnership.
This career development award aimed to provide opportunities for Nicky to learn about ways to take her co-production and creative engagement methods and apply them to working with people with dementia living in care homes.
Chief Investigator: Dr Nicky Taylor
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Three Schools Dementia Research Programme
Funded amount: £29,769
This study is carrying out a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial of the Cognitive Daisy (COG-D) in care homes. The COG-D is a package developed to help staff assess and plan care around people’s cognition. If the COG-D seems to lead to change and the trial is feasible to conduct, we intend to apply for further funding to conduct a larger scale trial.
Chief Investigator: Dr Petra Pollux, Lincoln University
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research, Research for Social Care (NIHR RfSC)
Funding amount: £279,729
Study outputs: Pollux et al (2023) The Cognitive Daisy (COG-D) for improving care for residents with dementia in care homes: protocol of a feasibility RCT. Pilot and Feasibility Studies. 9(34) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-023-01256-8
Pollux et al (2025) Implementation of the Cognitive Daisy (COG-D) for improving care planning and delivery for residents with dementia in care homes: results of a feasibility randomised controlled trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies. 11(66) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-025-01637-1
This study aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of implementing an intervention that will support improved nutritional care for people with dementia who are living at home. It involves training homecare staff to work in partnership with the carer of a person with dementia to identify individuals at risk of malnutrition and to address this in practical ways. We hope this will help to reduce the numbers of people becoming unwell and/or needing hospital care due to poor nutrition.
Chief Investigator: Professor Jane Murphy, Bournemouth University
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research, Research for Patient Benefit (NIHR RfPB)
Funding amount: £247,270
Study outputs: Yinusa, G., Surr, C., Thomas, S., Fenge, L-A., Howdon, D., Major, J., Heward, M., Taylor, G., Knight, H. Townsend, J. and Murphy, J. (2025) An intervention to provide nutritional care for people living with dementia at home receiving home care (TOMATO): study protocol for a single-arm feasibility study. Pilot and Feasibility Studies 11(146) https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-025-01722-5
The Person-Centred Observation and Reflection Tool (PORT) is a reflective observation tool, grounded in person-centred care, to support staff to develop empathic skills and their own practice. It addresses the current gap for a simple to learn and use, observation tool that is accessible to all staff. Leeds Beckett University are a member of the international consortium the 'Person First dementia Network (PFdN)' who developed the PORT tool. Professor Surr led a publication on use of the PORT tool within international practice settings and is joint UK lead for PORT with Professor Dawn Brooker (University of Worcester).
Chief Investigator: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: Internally funded
To read more about PORT please visit the PORT project page.
This pilot project sought to explore the implementation and impact of a novel Playwork-based intervention, in a long-term dementia care setting in Leeds. The aim was to explore and evaluate whether Playwork can be acceptably and feasibly applied to working with people living with dementia in care home settings. This practice-based project involved the collaboration of final year Playwork BA students with the staff and residentsthe Care Home.
Chief Investigator: Dr Chloe Bradwell
Leeds Beckett investigators: Dr Mike Wragg, Nicky Everett
Funder: Internally funded
Study outputs: Bradwell, C., Wragg, M., Everett, N. (2025) The Value of Playwork for Care Home Residents Living with Dementia: A Pilot Study. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice. 25 (3) https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012251362271
In the DCM EPIC trial we experienced a high number of care home residents who were recruited but did not complete the full trial. This was largely due to deaths which were anticipated to occur due to the population of study or to moving to another care home. This is known as 'loss to follow-up' and causes problems for trials because it means there may not be the required number of participants who complete the trial to provide robust results. This is a common challenge in trials in care home settings, but also applies to trials in other populations. This study looked at a different type of trial design - known as an open cohort trial - where new participants are recruited throughout the study period. It explored how the analysis of trial data can be undertaken to be able to accommodate this ongoing recruitment and different periods of time exposed to the intervention.
Chief Investigator: Dr Rebecca Walwyn, University of Leeds
Leeds Beckett Investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: Medical Research Council (MRC) Methodology bolt-on
Funding amount: £251,787
Study outputs: Surr, et al (2024) Researchers’ experiences of the design and conduct challenges associated with parallel-group cluster-randomised trials and views on a novel open-cohort design PLOS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297184
Marsden, L.E., Surr, C.A., Griffiths, A.W., Farrin, A.J., Copas, A.J. and Walwyn, R.E.A. (2025) Different types of cluster membership in parallel-group cluster-randomised trials, where the clusters are institutions: A classification system to aid identification, with six proposed designs Trials 26:380 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-09066-4
This study investigated the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of Dementia Care MappingTM (DCM) as a method for supporting care home staff to delivered person-centred care.
To read more about the study including a full list of publications please visit the EPIC Trial project page.
Chief Investigator: Professor Claire Surr
Leeds Beckett investigators: Dr Alys Griffiths, Dr Rachael Kelley
Funder: National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme (NIHR HTA)
Funding amount: £2,434,490
This trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of electric tibial nerve stimulation for reducing urinary incontinence in care home residents. It randomly assigned 408 care home residents to receive either tibial nerve stimulation or a sham (fake) simulation. No meaningful differences were found in urinary incontinence or any other outcomes (e.g. quality for life) between the two groups and so it was concluded the intervention was not effective in reducing urinary incontinence.
Chief Investigator: Professor Jo Booth - Glasgow Caledonian University
Leeds Beckett investigators: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme
Study outputs:
- Booth et al (2019) ELECtric Tibial nerve stimulation to Reduce Incontinence in Care homes: protocol for the ELECTRIC randomised trial. Trials 20 (723) https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3723-7
- Booth et al (2021) Tibial nerve stimulation compared with sham to reduce incontinence in care home residents: ELECTRIC RCT Health Technology Assessment. 25(41) https://doi.org/10.3310/hta25410
This consultancy project involved review and support for the revision and development of Barchester’s 10-60-06 quality assessment and development programme, implemented across all their care homes.
Consultancy lead: Professor Claire Surr
Funder: Barchester Healthcare
This project is based on the creative practice of Dr Alan Dunn in Belong Villages, a long-term care setting. It investigates the process, impact and benefits of tongue twister-based interventions in this setting. We will explore the impact of the intervention on residents (including verbal fluency, enjoyment and wellbeing), staff and managers, as well as students and researchers. We will focus on their perceptions of dementia and the use of sound in dementia care.
Chief Investigator: Dr Alan Dunn (Leeds Beckett University School of Art)
Leeds Beckett investigators: Dr Sarah Jane Smith, Professor Claire Surr, Dr Chloe Bradwell
Funder: Internally funded
