John Ford

My main interest is health inequalities and in particular what the NHS can do about them. I am currently working with NHS England and the University of York to look at inequalities in avoidable unplanned admissions across England to produce national recommendations. This involves exploration of national data and case studies in six different Clinical Commissioning Groups. My NIHR Doctoral Research Fellowship looked at how disadvantaged older people from rural areas access primary care. The first two years were spent generating theory based on a realist review, cohort analysis of ELSA using structural equation modelling and semi-structured interviews/focus groups. In the second two years I completed a feasibility study to improve access to primary care for older people with four general practices in Norfolk. The main publications can be found on the publications section below. Other research projects include: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease, which has been published in the Lancet, and a feasibility trial of goal setting in primary care for patients with multi-morbidity. Research skills include mixed methods, primary care trials, evidence synthesis, meta-analysis, cohort analysis and service evaluation. I am currently an associate editor with the journal Public Health.