Queerying activism through the lens of the sociology of everyday life

The approaching 30th anniversary of the introduction of the 1988 Local Government Act offers an opportunity to reflect on the nature of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) activism in Britain. The protests against its implementation involved some of the most iconic moments of queer activism. Important though they are, these singular, totemic moments give rise to, and are sustained by small, almost unobtrusive acts which form part of LGB people’s everyday lives. This article aims to contribute to a re-thinking of queer activism where iconic activism is placed in a synergetic relationship with the quieter practices in the quotidian lives of LGB people. The authors interrogate a series of examples, drawn from three studies, to expand ideas about how activism is constituted in everyday life. They discuss the findings in relation to three themes: the need to forge social bonds often forms a prompt to action; disrupting the binary dualism between making history and making a life; and the transformative potential of everyday actions/activism. The lens of the sociology of everyday life (1) encourages a wider constituency of others to engage in politics, and (2) problematises the place of iconic activism.Peer reviewe

Supporting early oral language skills for English language learners in inner city preschool provision

BACKGROUND: A significant number of children now enter formal education in England with reduced levels of proficiency in oral language. Children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and who are English language learners (ELL) are at risk of limited oral language skills in English which impacts on later educational achievement. AIMS: This paper reports the development of a theoretically motivated oral language intervention, Talking Time, designed to meet the needs of preschool children with poor language skills in typical preschool provision. SAMPLE: One hundred and forty-two 4-year-old children attending three inner city preschools in a disadvantaged area of London, England. METHOD: This is a quasi-experimental intervention study comparing children exposed to Talking Time with children exposed to a contrast intervention and children receiving the statutory early years curriculum. Measures were taken of both targeted and non-targeted language and cognitive skills. RESULTS: Data were analysed for the ELL. The intervention had a significant effect on vocabulary, oral comprehension, and sentence repetition but not narrative skills. As predicted, there were no effects on the skills which were not targeted. CONCLUSIONS: Regular evidence-based oral language interactions can make significant improvements in children's oral language. There is a need to examine the efficacy of more intensive interventions to raise language skills to allow learners to access the curriculum

The Impacts of Health Care Reconfiguration on Patient Access to Services: A Case Study of Nenagh General Hospital

Access to health care is becoming a popular area of research in health geography especially in relation to service provision and policy planning. Since 2006, many changes to health policy have been made by the Irish government which have been both supported and opposed at a local level. The principal objective of this thesis was to account for the changes which have been made to acute care services in North Tipperary and look at how these changes have impacted the community in regards to access to care. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods in the form of interviews, questionnaires and already available hospital statistics, conclusions were drawn as to how access to care has changed especially from the perspective of the community and workers within the medical community. Two questionnaires, one for the general public and one for medical professionals, focused on access to health care in North Tipperary and the attitudes of the two groups towards centralisation of care. The interviews conducted with medical professionals also focused on access to health care and the recommendations that participants had for a safer service. The hospital statistics studied were for used for the purpose of contrasting case studies into how the local hospital in Co. Tipperary has changed since centralisation began. The results of this study revealed that the current reconfiguration process is not fully supported by either the public or medical personnel in Nenagh and Limerick and that the Health Service Executive reneged on their promise to work with the public and the health care providers to develop this new service and put support services in place at a local level. This has left the public and medical professionals regarding the health service in North Tipperary as unsafe and inaccessible and has resulted in extra pressure being put on ambulance personnel to provide high quality care to the patient- care which was once available to them at the local hospital

The Impacts of Health Care Reconfiguration on Patient Access to Services: A Case Study of Nenagh General Hospital

Access to health care is becoming a popular area of research in health geography especially in relation to service provision and policy planning. Since 2006, many changes to health policy have been made by the Irish government which have been both supported and opposed at a local level. The principal objective of this thesis was to account for the changes which have been made to acute care services in North Tipperary and look at how these changes have impacted the community in regards to access to care. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods in the form of interviews, questionnaires and already available hospital statistics, conclusions were drawn as to how access to care has changed especially from the perspective of the community and workers within the medical community. Two questionnaires, one for the general public and one for medical professionals, focused on access to health care in North Tipperary and the attitudes of the two groups towards centralisation of care. The interviews conducted with medical professionals also focused on access to health care and the recommendations that participants had for a safer service. The hospital statistics studied were for used for the purpose of contrasting case studies into how the local hospital in Co. Tipperary has changed since centralisation began. The results of this study revealed that the current reconfiguration process is not fully supported by either the public or medical personnel in Nenagh and Limerick and that the Health Service Executive reneged on their promise to work with the public and the health care providers to develop this new service and put support services in place at a local level. This has left the public and medical professionals regarding the health service in North Tipperary as unsafe and inaccessible and has resulted in extra pressure being put on ambulance personnel to provide high quality care to the patient- care which was once available to them at the local hospital

Colour forecasting: an investigation into how its development and use impacts on accuracy

Colour forecasting is a sector of trend forecasting which is arguably the most important link in the product development process, yet little is known about it, the methodology behind its development or its accuracy. It is part of a global trend forecasting industry valued recently at $36bn, providing information which is developed commercially eighteen months to two years ahead of the season. Used throughout the garment supply chain, by the yarn and fibre manufacturers, the fabric mills, garment designers and retailers, it plays a pivotal role in the fashion and textile industry, but appears in many different forms. Colour forecasts were first commercially produced in 1917, but became more widely used during the 1970s, and in recent years digital versions of colour forecasts have become increasingly popular. The investigation aimed to establish the historical background of the industry, mindful of the considerable changes to fashion manufacturing and retailing in recent decades. For the purposes of the investigation, a period spanning 25 years was selected, from 1985 to 2010. In reviewing the available literature, and the methodologies currently used in developing forecasting information, it became clear that there was a view that the process is very intuitive, and thus a lack of in depth academic literature. This necessitated a considerable quantity of primary research in order to fill the gaps in the knowledge regarding the development, use and accuracy of colour forecasting. A mixed method approach to primary research was required to answer the aim of the thesis, namely to investigate how colour forecasts are compiled, and examine their use, influence and accuracy within the fashion and textiles industry, suggesting methods for developing more accurate forecasts in the future. Interviews were conducted with industry practitioners comprising forecasters, designers and retailers to better understand how colour was developed and used within industry. Two longitudinal studies were carried out with the two largest UK clothing retailers to map their development and use of colour palettes, and understand better how colour contributes to the critical path and supply chain. Two colour development meetings were observed, one with a commercial colour forecaster, the other with an industry association, and two colour archives were studied to establish whether or not any identifiable and predictable colour cycles existed. Data from the interviews and longitudinal studies were analysed using a grounded approach, and revealed some new insights into the influences upon the development of colour forecasts both commercially and from the retailer's perspective. The sell through rates of merchandise, EPOS analysis and range of practices between those interviewed and the two retailers studied provided an interesting insight into working practices and how colour forecasting information is changed when used by the retailers. It was found that a group of core colours existed, which were used season after season, and consistently demonstrated a high sell through rate, such as black, white, grey and navy. In order to establish whether or not colour cycles were consistently predictable in their repetition, two colour forecasting archives were assessed. If predictable colour cycles existed, they would be a useful tool in developing more accurate forecasts. Unfortunately this was not the case, as no clear colour cycles were found. However, the archive, together with evidence from the retailers demonstrated the 'lifecycle' of fashion colours was longer than expected, as they took time to phase in and out. It was concluded that in general the less fashion led brands used their own signature colours and were able to develop colour palettes far later in the product development timeline. This approach could be adopted more widely by retailers and designers as it was discovered that although accuracy rates for colour forecasts are generally accepted to be around 80%, the commercial forecasters provide colour update cards closer to the season where at least 40% of the colours are changed. Very early information, two years ahead of the season is no longer necessary in the contemporary fashion and textiles industry

Post-surgical pain, physical activity and satisfaction with the decision to undergo hernia surgery : a prospective qualitative investigation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Electronic swallowing intervention package to support swallowing function in patients with head and neck cancer: development and feasibility study

Background: Many patients undergoing treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC) experience significant swallowing difficulties, and there is some evidence that swallowing exercises may improve outcomes, including quality of life. This feasibility study developed an evidence-based, practical Swallowing Intervention Package (SiP) for patients undergoing chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) for HNC. As part of the study, an electronic version of SiP (e-SiP) was concurrently developed to support patients to self-manage during treatment. This paper reports on the e-SiP component of this work. Objective: To develop and conduct preliminary evaluation of an electronic support system (e-SiP) for patients undergoing CRT for head and neck cancer. Methods: The study involved health professionals and patients who were undergoing CRT for head and neck cancer. The scoping stage of e-SiP development involved investigated the potential usefulness of e-SiP, exploring how e-SiP would look and feel and what content would be appropriate to provide. Patient and carer focus groups and a health professionals’ consensus day were used as a means of data gathering around potential e-SiP content. A repeat focus group looked at an outline version of e-SIP and informed the next stage of its development around requirements for tool. This was followed by further development and a testing stage of e-SiP involved the coding of a prototype which was then evaluated using a series of steering group meetings, semi-structured interviews with both patients and health care professionals, and analysis of e-SiP log data. Results: Feedback from focus groups and health professional interviews was very positive and it was felt e-SiP use would support and encourage patients in conducting their swallowing exercises. However, of the ten patients offered e-SIP, only two opted to use it. For these patients, aspects of the e-SIP application were considered useful, in particular the ease of keeping a diary of exercises performed. Interviews with users and non-users suggested significant barriers to its use. Most significantly the lack of flexibility of platform on which e-SiP could be accessed appeared a dominant factor in deterring e-SiP use. Conclusions: Results suggest a need for further research to be conducted around the implementation of e-SiP. This involves evaluating how e-SiP can be better integrated into usual care, and through patient training and staff engagement, can be seen as a beneficial tool to help support patients in conducting swallowing exercises