Stephanie Tierney

Social prescribing, workforce in primary care, community-orientated health, rapid evaluations, realist research, mixed methods, qualitative research 

I am a health services researcher with an interest in long-term conditions, delivery of services and patients' experiences of care. I have completed work (reviews, qualitative research and mixed methods studies) on a range of health-related topics, including: understanding compassionate care, living with cystic fibrosis, working with patients who have diabetes, interventions for children with a cleft lip/palate, experiencing anorexia nervosa, managing heart failure, improving hospital discharge, supporting people caring for someone with dementia. 

My current research focuses on social prescribing and how it can help to address consequences stemming from the wider determinants of health. I have conducted projects on the link worker role (who connect people to community assets and services), and on the contribution of the cultural sector to social prescribing (funded by NIHR and UKRI respectively). I currently lead the Oxford Social Prescribing Research Network. Research I lead on the link worker role is part of a broader interest I have in skills mix within primary care and service redesign.