Caroline is Professor of Medical Sociology within the Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care. Her recent and current work focuses on patient and carer experiences of health and healthcare, especially in relation to patient safety and quality improvement, and includes research on access to services for underserved groups, management of long-term conditions, and digital inequalities. She has expertise in qualitative methods (including in-depth interviews, focus groups and focused ethnography), co-design, and participatory research.  She leads the 'Developing Safer Health and Care Systems' research theme within the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration, and co-leads the 'Person-centred care and complex health needs' research theme within the Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research. She is lead for Public and Community Involvement and Engagement (PCIE) for Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, and for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration in Greater Manchester.

Caroline is a medical sociologist with a professional background in nursing. Since 1995 she has held a number of posts combining research and teaching in the field of health and medicine at the universities of Bristol, Sheffield before joining the Centre for Primary Care at University of Manchester in 2005.  

Much of my current research focuses on patient and carer experiences of living with and managing long-term conditions (both physical and mental health), health and care inequalities, digital health and patient safety. I have specific expertise in qualitative research, participatory methods and co-design of complex interventions, and patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE).

Caroline is currently leading a theme of research on 'Developing Safer Health and Care Systems' within the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC).

• Dissertation supervisor for MPH/MRes
• Tutor for Personal and Professional Development (MBChB)
• APEP supervisor MBChB

Recent completed PhD students:

• Ellen Brady - Providing self-care support in the management of long-term conditions: exploring the role of social networks and e-health technologies
• Michaela Goodwin – Reducing the number of General Anaesthetics required for tooth extraction for children in the North West: a multilateral approach
• Lisa Brunton - An experience based analysis of barriers to the adoption of telehealth in UK healthcare: a case study on COPD
• Josie Messina- Primary Care as a setting for diabetes prevention and tackling health inequalities: a qualitative study and systematic review of lifestyle modification adviCe in disadvantaged populations
• Naomi Wood - Social networks, chronic illness work, resources and community based knowledge

• Andrew Shepherd – Service user and provider experiences of personality disorder in community and forensic settings

• Sarah Jayne Leonard – A comparative study of people transferred from prison to hospital under the Mental Health Act: discharge decision-making

Professor Peter Bower (Primary Care, Health Services Research)

Professor Darren Ashcroft (Patient Safety)

Professor Will Dixon (Digital Epidemiology, Rheumatology, Digital Innovation)

Professor Evan Kontopantelis (Data Science)

Professor Goran Nenadic (Computer Science, Text Analytics)

Professor Pauline Ong (Primary Care, Social Science)

Dr Tom Blakeman (Primary Care)

Professor Sue Kirk (Long-term Conditions, Nursing, Children & families)

Professor Caroline Watkins (Stroke Care, Global Health)

Professor Linda Davies (Health Economics)

Professor Jenny Shaw (Forensic Psychiatry)

Professor Andrew Renehan (Colo-rectal Cancer)

Dr Sarah Devaney (Law)

Professor Shon Lewis (Mental Health)

Professor John Ainsworth (Health Informatics)

Professor Karina Lovell (Mental Health)

Professor Iain Pretty (Dentistry)

British Sociological Association

Qualitative Research Methods

RGN/RSCN, BA (hons), M.Sc., PhD