Kirstie Sharpe

Health inequality is a continuing pressing need within the UK and the introduction of integrated care systems has provided a new opportunity to provide holistic, meaningful and impactful interventions to local populations. Social determinants of health place significant pressure on individual and community wellbeing, and the provision of personalised, more responsive care aligns to the principles evidenced within social justice theory. This PhD seeks to examine how Integrated Care Systems can achieve social justice for underserved populations, and the resulting impact this has on the educational requirements of new health and social care professionals. The study will do this via the following objectives:

Objective 1: Identify and synthesise available literature on Integrated Care Systems as enablers of social justice within underserved communities and the methods in which Higher Education Institutions can educate students on professional programmes within Integrated Care Systems to achieve social justice in their future graduate practice.

Objective 2: Explore the perspectives of care providers and recipients from underserved communities within the BLMK ICS of how providing or receiving Integrated Care Services influences the attainment of the principles of social justice.

Objective 3: Conceptualise with stakeholders and educators the requirements of future professional workforces in attaining social justice in the graduate practice and the implications this has for Higher Education Institution delivered professional training programmes.