Demonstrators 
What are Demonstrators?
Demonstrators explore how we can use evidence to address a major strategic issue.
Our Coaches work with local stakeholders and draw on evidence, to understand the issue and how it can be addressed, before facilitating an evidence-informed change programme.
Insights are shared widely, and we’ll work with national policy and practice leaders to embed future learnings.
Projects
Asset-based approaches for older people
This project is taking place in Northern Ireland, with IMPACTAgewell®. Looking at asset-based approaches, we’re exploring how older people can have better lives through health and social services working with them, their communities, and the voluntary sector.
Neighbourhood working and integrated health and social care teams
To better support individuals and families within the community it is important that health and social care professionals can work together. A common approach is to create integrated health and social care teams. As well as learning how to collaborate together, such teams must connect with other social care partners in their local neighbourhoods. These include provider services and voluntary and community sector organisations. Based in Leeds, East Ayrshire and Caernarfon, these demonstrator projects will be exploring different aspects of integrated neighbourhood working.
Improving the health and well-being of PAs
The option for people who access social care services to employ their own personal assistants has enabled people to have more say over who supports them and how care is provided. Along with the rest of the social care workforce, it is vital that those working as personal assistants can have a good work life balance, develop professionally in their roles and enjoy positive wellbeing in their work. This demonstrator project will explore how we can promote the well-being of personal assistants in Scotland.
Waiting times in adult social care
There is understandably considerable concern within all UK nations regarding the length of time that people wait before they can access NHS services. Increasing numbers of people in many areas also experience long waiting times before they can receive social care assessment and support. This demonstrator will be based in the East Midlands and will explore the causes and potential solutions to addressing waiting times in adult social care.
Latest Project Updates
Project Team
Robin
Miller
Demonstrators Lead
Birmingham
I began my career in practice as a social worker, team manager, commissioner and senior manager of health and social care services. For the last ten years I have been an applied academic with an interest in innovation, integration, and leadership. What gets me out of the bed in the morning is the opportunity to work with people, communities, practitioners, and fellow academics who are committed to improving the quality of social care. IMPACT provides the best chance we have had in a lifetime to do this across the UK – and I am proud to be part of it.
Dr Soracha Cashman
Strategic Improvement Coach
North Wales
I have 15+ years’ experience in leadership and management development in a range of sectors and a strong background in evidence-informed-practice and research. My experience consulting in the voluntary sector and the private care sector has shown me just how much unaddressed need there is out there. I am a strong advocate of community social action, community collaboration and community development, and believe that IMPACT is one of the most inspiring initiatives of a generation. I am committed to having frank and emotionally honest conversations with communities about what they need, and with providers about how we can best shape the social care of the future to meet those needs.
Paul Gosling
Strategic Improvement Coach
Northern Ireland
I am committed to the improvement of the health and social care system and the delivery of public services. I am a professional writer, having authored several books dealing with social care, the financial system, and technology. For three decades I was a specialist journalist, writing on public services management for The Independent newspaper and public sector magazines.
Rhiann McLean
Strategic
Improvement Coach
Scotland
I joined IMPACT because I am passionate about evidence-informed practice and co-production. I started my career as a support worker before joining the world of research and evidence impact to improve outcomes for people who use Scotland’s health and social care services.
Richard Brunner
Strategic Improvement Coach
Scotland
For the past two years, I have done research in collaboration with Glasgow Disability Alliance. We have researched how to remove barriers to employment and participation for disabled people. We have collected lots of evidence about ‘future visions for social care’. Before that I researched what life is like after being in psychiatric hospital, the experiences of disabled parents, and much more. I have done lots of collaborative research about the barriers to independent living experienced by disabled people in Scotland. Good social care is essential to support disabled people to achieve independent living. IMPACT has a great team that can support people and services to achieve this.
Angela Fulton
Strategic Improvement Coach
Scotland
IMPACT gives the incredible opportunity to listen, learn, discuss, test and share (and to then listen, learn, discuss, test and share some more!) to collectively enable meaningful, person centred change. I’ve had the privilege of learning from and working with communities and a wide range of partners across Scotland through partnership, engagement, volunteer leadership, and Board member roles in the Third Sector for around 15 years. It’s exciting to now be part of IMPACT to continue valuing people’s own experiences and insights, and the wider ranges of evidence that complement co-produced practical and cultural change.
Alicia Ridout
Strategic Improvement Coach
North England
I am an occupational therapist with 30+ years of experience working across health and care services, commissioning, service improvement, research, and innovation. The opportunity to work on such an important programme of work with such esteemed colleagues was one of the main reasons I wanted to join the team. My work is all co-design focused and evidence underpinned, and the demonstrator model aligned to my values and belief that people must be central to any change work for it to unleash sustainable improvements.
Lorraine Mighty
Strategic Improvement Coach
Birmingham
I have over 20-years’ experience of people and programme management, learning facilitation and organisational development in the private and education sector. I joined IMPACT because of the shared alignment between my values and approaches to work and those of the Centre and wider team. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to transfer my skills into supporting improvements in social care services and foster IMPACT’s coproduction and evidence-informed approaches.
Naomi Russell
Strategic Improvement Coach
East Midlands
I am a social worker and have worked with working age adults for most of my career. I have a particular interest in Preparing for Adulthood, Co-Production and Strength-Based Approaches. I have just completed a Masters in Research Methods and wanted to combine these skills with my social work practice experience to focus on improving people’s experiences of social care.