I am a social science researcher with over 10 years of experience in health policy analysis. I have a broad and deep understanding of the current health system in the UK, having led research in this area on multiple projects, with most of my experience being a core member of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System (PRUComm) and contributing to projects funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

My main area of research is in primary care policy, specifically workforce and commissioning. I have also contributed to projects addressing wider system issues, including the operation of competition in the NHS and the development of Integrated Care Systems.

I have worked as part of the Organisations theme within the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre since 2009, which from January 2011 became part of the Health Policy, Politics and Organisation (HiPPO) Research Group within the Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research. In 2018, HiPPO became part of the bigger Health Policy Organisations and Economics (HOPE) group within the Centre and a member of the Institute for Health Policy and Organisation (IHPO). 

My methodological expertise is in qualitative research. I have a particular interest in exploring the use of applied linguistics methods for health policy and health services research. A paper using this method (Who do we think we are? Analysing the content and form of identity work in the English National Health Service), was awarded a Highly Commended Paper of 2013 by the Journal of Health Organisation & Management as it was thought to be “one of the most impressive pieces of work the [Editorial] team has seen throughout 2013”. In this paper, I introduced a novel approach to analytical methods which had not been applied to health services research before.  

I am currently exploring the use of text mining and big qualitative data analysis to provide rapid evidence and evaluation that can feed into the policymaking process. 

Health Policy & Politics Network

British Association for Applied Linguistics

Member of the University of Manchester Research Ethics Committee (January 2013 - October 2015)

Linguistic Ethnography, (Critical) Discourse Analysis, Argumentation Theory, Systemic Functional Linguistics, Realist Evaluation, and Normalisation Process Theory.

PhD Theoretical & Applied Linguistics, University of Edinburgh

Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Monash University

BSc (Hons) in Banking and Finance, London School of Economics

Ongoing projects

Assessing the Contributions of Additional Role Practitioners to general practice in England (CARPE)

• Principal investigator: Dr Sharon Spooner
• Team members: Dr Imelda McDermott, Professor Kath Checkland, Professor Matt Sutton, Dr Maria Panagioti

Evaluation of Newly Qualified Pharmacists Pathway

• Principal investigator: Dr Imelda McDermott
• Team members: Professor Ellen Schafheutle, Dr Sarah Willis, Adrian Moss (ICF), Lauren Blum (ICF)

Market Research to understand what motivates people to choose a career as a Pharmacy Technician.

• Principal investigator: Professor Ellen Schafheutle
• Team members: Dr Imelda McDermott, Dr Sarah Willis, Dr Ali Hindi, Adrian Moss (ICF)

Market Research to understand factors contributing to pharmacy technician attrition from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register.

• Principal investigator: Professor Ellen Schafheutle
• Team members: Dr Imelda McDermott, Dr Sarah Willis, Dr Ali Hindi, Adrian Moss (ICF)

Completed projects

Evaluation of the Integrated Pre-Registration Trainee Pharmacy Technician (IPTPT) Training Pilot

• Principal investigator: Professor Ellen Schafheutle
• Team members: Dr Imelda McDermott, Dr Ali Hindi, Dr Sarah Willis
• Full report (May 2022)
• Executive summary (May 2022)

An investigation of the scale, scope and impact of skill mix change in primary care

• Principal investigator: Dr Sharon Spooner
• Team members: Dr Imelda McDermott, Dr Jon Gibson, Dr Mark Hann, Professor Kath Checkland, Professor Matt Sutton, Professor Damian Hodgson, Professor Anne McBride
• Full report (May 2022)

Investigating recent developments in the new commissioning system

• Principal investigator: Professor Pauline Allen
• Team members: Dr Valerie Moran, Dr Imelda McDermott

Exploring the development of Clinical Commissioning Groups: Understanding primary care co-commissioning - uptake, development and impacts (CCG3)

• Principal investigator: Professor Kath Checkland
• Team members: Dr Imelda McDermott, Dr Anna Coleman, Dr Lynsey Warwick-Giles, Dr Donna Bramwell, Dr Valerie Moran, Mr Oz Gore
• Full report (March 2018)
• Achieving integrated care through commissioning of primary care services in the English NHS: a qualitative analysis

Exploring the ongoing development and impact of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG2)

• Principal investigator: Dr Kath Checkland
• Team members: Dr Anna Coleman, Dr Imelda McDermott, Mr Neil Perkins, Dr Dorota Osipovic, Dr Christina Petsoulas

Exploring the early workings and impact of emerging Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG1)

• Principal investigator: Dr Kath Checkland
• Team members: Dr Anna Coleman, Professor Steve Harrison, Professor Stephen Peckham, Dr Imelda McDermott, Dr Julia Segar, Rosalind Miller, Dr Andrew Wallace, Dr Christina Petsoulas

Management practice in PCTs: the role of middle managers

• Principal investigator: Dr Kath Checkland
• Team members: Dr Stephanie Snow, Dr Imelda McDermott, Professor Steve Harrison, Dr Anna Coleman

Alternative providers of Primary Care (APPC)

• Principal investigator: Professor Steve Harrison
• Team members: Dr Anna Coleman, Dr Kath Checkland, Dr Imelda McDermott

Professional attitudes and behaviours of doctors in the United Kingdom and the United States

• Principal investigator: Professor Bonnie Sibbald
• Collaborators: Professor Steve Harrison, Dr Mark Hann, Dr George Dowswell, Dr Alex Walter, Prof Martin Roland , Prof Bruce Guthrie , Prof Eric Campbell