Rachael Kelley

Senior Research Fellow
School of Health & Community Studies
0113 81 25909 R.Kelley@leedsbeckett.ac.ukAbout Rachael Kelley
Rachael is a research fellow in the School of Health and Community studies with a focus on developing and conducting research into the care of people with dementia. She also teaches health research methods to undergraduates and postgraduates.
Rachael has worked in health research since 2004, predominantly at the University of Leeds where she held two National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Fellowships; a Doctoral Fellowship and a Clinical Trials Fellowship.
She has worked on many quantitative and qualitative research projects during this time, including large epidemiological studies, clinical trials, process evaluations and in-depth ethnographic studies. Her research has focused mainly on two research areas; the care of people with dementia and their families and hospital services for people who self-harm. Her NIHR funded PhD was an ethnographic study exploring how the use of families knowledge and expertise impacts upon the general hospital care of people with dementia.
Rachael teaches qualitative and quantitative health research methods to postgraduate level. She is a member of a National Institute for Health Research Research for Patient Benefit funding panel (Yorkshire and North East Region) as well as undertaking regular reviews for numerous academic journals and research funding panels.
Prior to starting her research career she was a qualified mental health nurse specialising in the care of people with dementia.
Current Teaching
Rachael teaches applied health research methods across numerous undergraduate and postgraduate courses with the School of Health and Community Studies. She also runs workshops on ethnography, and teaches on a postgraduate certificate in health research at the University of Leeds.
Student supervision:
Rachael supervises projects in applied health research with a focus on mental health and her research interests.
Current & recent PhD and DClinPsychol students:
- 2020 – present PhD Thesis, Butterworth, L. Improving patient transport services for people living with dementia
- 2019 – present PhD Thesis, Crossland, J. Development of an intervention to support family carers whose relative with dementia moves into a care home
- 2019 – present PhD Thesis, Platt, R. The care and support needs of residential care home residents with comorbid cancer and dementia: An ethnographic study
- 2018 – 2020 DClin Psychology Doctoral Thesis, Crane R. Staff experiences of caring for people with dementia who are distressed (completed)
- 2018 – 2020 DClin Psychology Doctoral Thesis, Higgins, E. Disclosing Self-Harm to Non-Professionals in an Adult Sample (completed)
- 2015 – 2017 DClin Psychology Doctoral Thesis, Jenkins, E. Comparing conveyance and non-conveyance to the Emergency Department for self-harm (completed)
Research Interests
Rachael is interested in various aspects of research into mental health. Specific areas of interest include the care and support of people with dementia and their families, and services and support for people who self-harm.
Rachael's PhD explored whether involving families in care can improve experiences of hospital care for people with dementia. She carried out ethnographic data collection involving interviews and observations with people with dementia, their families and staff on elderly care hospital wards. The findings of this research will help to guide the development of recent NHS plans to increase the involvement of families in the general hospital care of people with dementia.
Other previous research projects include the process evaluation for the DCM-EPIC trial (a trial to establish the effectiveness of a care improvement tool called Dementia Care Mapping in care homes), a systematic review of the implementation of randomised controlled trials in care homes, and a mixed methods study of care experiences, treatments and outcomes for people with co-morbid dementia and cancer.
She is currently working on a NIHR funded mixed methods research study exploring treatment decision making in Memory Assessment Services for people living with dementia and their families.
Research Funding:
- 2020 - NIHR Research for Patient Benefit £149,169 – Effective communication of pharmaceutical treatment uncertainty in Memory Assessment Services
- 2019 - Leeds University Business School Challenge Fund £26,000 - Applying computer modelling, simulation and socio-technical systems analysis to improve NHS dementia care outcomes
- 2017 - NIHR Research for Patient Benefit £155,116 - Effective clinical cancer treatment, care and management for people with co-morbid cancer and dementia
- 2015 - NIHR Clinical Trials Fellowship £41,620 – complex interventions in older people
- 2010 - WY R&D Consortium, NHS Support Costs for mortality follow up £43,740
- 2009 - NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship £223,434 – involving families in acute dementia care
Selected Publications
Journal articles (25)
- Surr CA; Holloway I; Walwyn REA; Griffiths A; Meads D; Kelley R; Martin A; McLellan V; Ballard C; Fossey J (In press) Dementia Care Mapping™ to reduce agitation in care home residents with dementia: The DCM™ EPIC cluster randomised controlled trial
View Repository Record - Surr C (In press) Staff experiences of implementing Dementia Care Mapping to improve the quality of dementia care in care homes: a qualitative process evaluation
View Repository Record - Kelley R; Godfrey M; Young J (2021) Knowledge Exchanges and Decision-Making Within Hospital Dementia Care Triads: An Ethnographic Study
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa216
View Repository Record - Kelley R; Surr C; Griffiths A; Ashley L; Procter A (2021) Providing cancer treatment and care to people living with cancer and dementia: challenges and research-based recommendations
https://doi.org/10.7748/cnp.2021.e1754
View Repository Record - Ashley L; Kelley R; Griffiths A; Cowdell F; Henry A; Inman H; Hennell J; Ogden M; Walsh M; Jones L (2020) Understanding and identifying ways to improve hospital-based cancer care and treatment for people with dementia: an ethnographic study
https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa210
View Repository Record - Kelley R; Griffiths A; Shoesmith E; Couch E; Robinson O; Perfect D; Surr C (2020) The influence of care home managers on the implementation of a complex intervention: Findings from the process evaluation of a randomised controlled trial of Dementia Care Mapping
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-01706-5
View Repository Record - Griffiths A; Ashley L; Kelley R; Cowdell F; Collinson M; Mason E; Farrin A; Henry A; Inman H; Surr C (2020) Decision-making in cancer care for people living with dementia
https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5448
View Repository Record - Meads D; Martin A; Griffiths A; Kelley R; Creese B; Robinson L; McDermid J; Walwyn R; Ballard C; Surr C (2019) Cost-effectiveness of Dementia Care Mapping in care home settings - Evaluation of a randomised controlled trial
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-019-00531-1
View Repository Record - Surr C; Shoesmith E; Griffiths A; Kelley R; McDermid J; Fossey J (2019) Exploring the role of external experts in supporting staff to implement psychosocial interventions in care home settings: results from the process evaluation of a randomized controlled trial
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4662-4
View Repository Record - Griffiths A; Smith S; Martin A; Meads D; Kelley R; Surr C (2019) Exploring self-report and proxy-report quality of life measures for people living with dementia in care homes
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02333-3
View Repository Record - Kelley R; Godfrey M; Young J (2019) The impacts of family involvement on general hospital care experiences for people living with dementia: An ethnographic study
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.04.004
View Repository Record - Surr CA; Griffiths A; Kelley R; Holloway I; Walwyn REA; Martin A; McDermid J; Chenoweth L; Farrin AJ (2019) The implementation of Dementia Care MappingTM in a randomised controlled trial in long-term care: results of a process evaluation
https://doi.org/10.1177/1533317519845725
View Repository Record - Griffiths A; Kelley R; Garrod L; Perfect D; Robinson O; Shoesmith E; McDermid J; Burnley N; Surr CA (2019) Barriers and facilitators to implementing Dementia Care Mapping in Care Homes: Results from the DCM EPIC Trial process evaluation
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1045-y
View Repository Record - Surr CA; Griffiths AW; Kelley R (2018) Implementing Dementia Care Mapping as a practice development tool in dementia care services: A systematic review
https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S138836
View Repository Record - Kelley R; Owens D (2017) Predictive properties of risk assessment instruments following self-harm
https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.116.196253
View Repository Record - Birtwistle J; Kelley R; House A; Owens D (2017) Combination of self-harm methods and fatal and non-fatal repetition: a cohort study
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.04.027
View Repository Record - Diggins E; Kelley R; Cottrell D; House A; Owens DW (2016) Age-related differences in self-harm presentations and subsequent management of adolescents and young adults at the emergency department
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.10.014
View Repository Record - Owens D; Kelley R; Munyombwe T; Bergen H; Hawton K; Cooper J; Ness J; Waters K; West R; Kapur N (2015) Switching methods of self-harm at repeat episodes: Findings from a multicentre cohort study
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.03.051
View Repository Record - Karasouli E; Owens D; Latchford G; Kelley R (2015) Suicide after nonfatal self-harm: A population case-control study examining hospital care and patient characteristics
https://doi.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000285 - Budd ST; Kelley R; Day R; Variend H; Dogra N (2011) Student attitudes to psychiatry and their clinical placements
- Lilley R; Owens D (2009) Services for assessment, aftercare and psychological treatment following self-harm.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B82Y7-4WM70BJ-6&_user=7523285&_coverDate=07/31/2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1263672825&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000005458&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=7523285&md5=7fb238a90b9eec2c4d0e3afe1e9fcfee
- Kapur N; Murphy E; Cooper J; Bergen H; Hawton K; Simkin S; Casey D; Horrocks J; Lilley R; Noble R (2008) Psychosocial assessment following self-harm: results from the Multi-Centre Monitoring of Self-Harm Project.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T2X-4PJ0BW9-1&_user=7523285&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2008&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1263691086&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000005458&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=7523285&md5=3951ab725e6db2734c21f0e683027f1c
- Lilley R; Owens D; Horrocks J; House A; Noble R; Bergen H; Hawton K; Simkin S; Casey D; Murphy E (2008) Hospital care and repetition following self-harm: a multicentre comparison of self-poisoning and self-injury.http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/192/6/440
- Hawton K; Bergen H; Casey D; Simkin S; Palmer B; Cooper J; Kapur N; Horrocks J; House A; Lilley R (2007) Self-harm in England: a tale of three cities.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17516016
- Cooper J; Murphy E; Bergen H; Casey D; Hawton K; Owens D; Lilley R; Noble R; Kapur N (2007) The effect of using NHS number as the unique identifier for patients who self-harm: a multi-centre descriptive study.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2041945/