Kate Baxter

Kate's research centres on social care for older people, with a focus on self-funders and their families. She is especially interested in self-funders' experiences of navigating the social care system and how these experiences compare with older people in receipt of local council funding. She is committed to developing evidence-based resources to improve the experiences of self-funders, such as Getting informed, getting prepared. Kate is also interested in joint working between social care and other sectors, including the financial sector. Her earlier research in the Social Policy Research Unit focussed on personalisation, home care and personal budgets for older people. She worked previously in the Departments of Social Medicine and Primary Care at the University of Bristol on evaluations of primary care interventions and commissioning.   

Qualifications

• BA, University of Essex
• MSc, University of York
• PhD, LSE

Current / recently completed research

Understanding and using experiences of dementia to develop a Socialcaretalk section for public, policy, educators and service providersMay 2022 - February 2024

What matters most to people with dementia? The understanding and using experiences of dementia project will develop and produce a Socialcaretalk section for the public, policymakers, educators and service providers, that tells people's stories about what worked for them.

Development of a decision support tool for older people who pay for social care, and their familiesJune 2021 - May 2023

In this study we will create a decision support tool that aims to help older people make decisions about paying for social care.

The Curiosity PartnershipJune 2020 - May 2025

To develop and evaluate a regional capacity building network: facilitating greater understanding, use and production of research in adult social care.

Exploring experiences of loneliness and improving social care supportApril 2020 - January 2023

This study is testing a service improvement approach from healthcare in which people using and providing a service co-design changes.

The preferences of older self-funders navigating community social care (the PRESENCE study)January 2020 - December 2021

Investigating the preferences and decisions of older self-funders of community social care as they navigate the system.

Scoping the evidence on the use and effectiveness of decision aids in adult social careDecember 2019 - March 2020

This study will assess the research evidence about, and current availability of, online decision aids in adult social care

Supporting Adult Social Care Innovation (SASCI)September 2019 - September 2024

This study is building evidence to support the adult social care sector to start up, implement and spread innovation.

Finding and funding social care: a qualitative study of the experiences of self-fundersSeptember 2019 - February 2021

The purpose of this project is to understand self-funders' experiences of finding and funding social care, and create an online resource of peer experiences.

DETERMIND: Determinants of quality of life, care and costs, and consequences of inequalities in people with dementia and their family carersJanuary 2019 - December 2023

DETERMIND is designed to address critical, fundamental, and as yet unanswered questions about inequalities, outcomes and costs following diagnosis with dementia.

Independent financial advice about funding social care in later life – a project exploring evidence and practiceNovember 2016 – December 2017

This study explored existing research and current practice regarding independent financial advice about funding social care in older age.

Evaluation of Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC)October 2016 - April 2019

The Department of Health has commissioned a summative evaluation of the Integrated Personal Commissioning (IPC) programme. The evaluation aims to identify key lessons about the effectiveness of IPC schemes.

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for non-respiratory sleep disturbances in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a systematic reviewFebruary 2016 - January 2017

Many children with neurodisabilities experience sleep problems: this project is reviewing existing evidence on the effectiveness of the different ways sleep difficulties may be managed.

The SIgN project: self-funders and information needsFebruary 2015 - October 2016

This project will produce a short film and leaflet to help people looking for care and support as they get older.

External roles

• Reviewer - NIHR School of Social Care Research proposals