Tubular configurations: equivariant scanning and splitting

Replacing configurations of points by configurations of tubular neighbourhoods (or discs) in a manifold, we are able to define a natural scanning map that is equivariant under the action of the diffeomorphism group of the manifold. We also construct the so-called power set map of configuration spaces diffeomorphism equivariantly. Combining these two constructions yields stable splittings in the sense of Snaith and generalisations thereof that are equivariant. In particular one deduces stable splittings of homotopy orbit spaces. As an application the homology injectivity is proved for diffeomorphism of manifolds that fix an increasing number of points. Throughout we work with configurations spaces with labels in a fibre bundle.Comment: 24 page

The continuity of social care when moving across regional boundaries

© The Author(s) 2018. Summary: This paper reports the experiences of adults in receipt of social care when relocating to new local authorities, and of family carers. While many matters need to be considered when moving, the study focused specifically on the ‘portability’ of social care. The study draws on data from semi-structured interviews conducted between July and November 2013 with 12 adults who had relocated between English local authorities. Data were collected prior to the implementation of the Care Act 2014; the potential impact of the Act in respect of relocation is considered. Findings: Although some positive experiences were identified, participants primarily reported challenges when moving with social care support. Five themes were identified, these related to the amount of organisation, planning and activity required; the need for a timely approach and the risk of delays and interruptions to care delivery; differences between the practices of local authorities; a lack of control and involvement; a negative impact on emotional and physical well-being. As a result of such difficulties, some experienced delays or interruptions to their care and support; lost all or some of their care package; experienced stress, anxiety and worry. Applications: The paper documents the experiences of people relocating with social care support, which have been little explored to date within the UK or internationally, and contributes to the evidence base in respect of relocation and portability of care. It highlights the importance of smooth transitions for those relocating between local authorities, and the potential for social workers to assist by addressing potential problems

Health and wellbeing promotion strategies for ‘hard to reach’ older people in England: a mapping exercise.

The version of the article that has been accepted for publication. This version may include revisions resulting from peer review but may be subject to further editorial input by Cambridge University Press.Background: Older people from deprived areas, the oldest old and those from ethnic minorities engage less in health promotion interventions and related research, potentially generating inequities. Aim: To explore and map the extent to which such ‘hard to reach’ groups of older people, are the focus of local health and wellbeing strategies in England. Methods: Document analysis of current health and wellbeing promotion strategies in a purposive sample of 10 localities in England with high proportions of some or all of the three hard-to-reach groups. Documents were analysed using an interpretive approach. Findings: A total of 254 documents were retrieved and reviewed. Much of the content of the documents was descriptive and reported the implications for resources/services of population ageing rather than actual initiatives. All localities had an Older People’s Strategy. Strategies to counter deprivation included redistribution of winter fuel payments, income maximisation, debt reduction and social inclusion initiatives, a focus on older owner occupiers and recruitment of village ‘agents’ to counter rural deprivation. The needs of the oldest old were served by integrated services for older people, a community alarm service with total coverage of the 85+ population, and dietary advice. The needs of Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) older people were discussed in all localities and responses included community work with BME groups, attention to housing needs and monitoring of service use by BME older people. Three other themes that emerged were: use of telecare technologies; a challenge to the idea of ‘hard to reach’ groups; and outreach services to those at most risk. Conclusions: Document analysis revealed a range of policy statements that may indicate tailoring of policy and practice to local conditions, the salience of national priorities, some innovative local responses to policy challenges and even dissenting views that seek to redefine the policy problem.Peer reviewe

Enabling research in care homes : an evaluation of a national network of research ready care homes

© 2014 Davies et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise statedIn the UK care homes are one of the main providers of long term care for older people with dementia. Despite the recent increase in care home research, residents with dementia are often excluded from studies. Care home research networks have been recommended by the Ministerial Advisory Group on Dementia Research (MAGDR) as a way of increasing research opportunities for residents with dementia. This paper reports on an evaluation of the feasibility and early impact of an initiative to increase care home participation in researchPeer reviewe

Social workers' workload survey: messages from the frontline: findings from the 2009 survey and interviews with senior managers

"The research findings which have been reported emerged from work commissioned to inform the Social Work Task Force but they also make a contribution to issues discussed in this section and to other social work debates. It is important to recognise that this was the most comprehensive diary exercise conducted with social workers in this country. The findings generated from the analysis of the diaries have provided the first systematic examination of how social workers use their time. Yet for the reasons examined in the report there are provisos regarding the representativeness of data which leads to the recommendation that the exercise should be repeated with an instrument which is redesigned to reflect lessons from this survey and with a larger negotiated sample, along the lines of the Teachers’ Workload Survey." - Page 138