Dr Philippa Locke

Phil Locke is a Research Fellow in the School of Applied Social Science, currently working on a 3 year project led by Dr Lizzie Ward and funded by the Wellcome Trust. This collaborative project is taking place across three sites, Brighton & Hove, Solihull and Lincolnshire and aims to co-produce knowledge of the lived experiences of older people and explore the ethical issues surrounding self-funded care. By co-production we mean: knowledge rooted in older people’s experiences and generated through a research process involving older co-researchers at all stages.

Contact Details:

School of Applied Social Science
University of Brighton,
Mayfield House,
Falmer,
Brighton BN1 9PH

Telephone: 01273 644531
Email: P.locke@brighton.ac.uk

My research interests

My research interests focus on the lives of older people. In particular the experience of receiving care and the impact that relationships with family, friends and carers have on older people’s perception, and experience, of care. My PhD, awarded in 2016, centered on care relations and explored the relevance of the policy rhetoric of choice to the experiences of older people and their informal carers. I examined the transition from independence to informal care, the introduction of formal care and the way that care relationships developed and shifted through these changes. I considered a wide range of perspectives, carers and care recipients, informal and formal care, and how all these elements intersect to provide a view of the way that care relationships advance or constrain older people’s opportunities to make choices.

Research activity

Current research projects:

Older People: Care and Self-Funding experiences

Qualifications:

PhD: Sociology and Social Policy. Aston University 2016

MSc: Social Research Methods. University of Portsmouth 2011

BSc(Hons): Sociology with Psychology (1st Class). University of Portsmouth 2009.

Biography

As a mature student I studied BSc(Hons) Sociology with Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. I was encouraged to collect primary data for my undergraduate dissertation. This experience led to an enduring interest in the process of research and the relationships between researchers and participants. This was developed through an MSc in Social Research Methods before gaining a studentship at Aston University funded by the Aston Research Centre for Healthy Ageing.

Publications:

Book section:

Locke, P & West, K 2016, Individualised funding for older people and the ethic of care. in M Fenger, J Hudson & C Needham (eds),Social policy review 28: analysis and debate in social policy 2016.Social Policy Review, vol. 28, Policy Press, Bristol (UK), pp. 251-267.

About Me