Craig Andrews

Tell us a bit about your PhD project and you hope it will achieve

My PhD project is on understanding and meeting the support needs of unpaid carers of acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors.

This research will follow a multiple stage process. First, I will establish a comprehensive understanding of ABI caregiver’s lived experiences, challenges, and specific support needs, alongside an evaluation of existing support programmes to discover where failures in provision occur. This will then be used to collaboratively co-design new, practical support resources with ABI caregivers, leading academics, and healthcare professionals, to directly address gaps during post-ABI care, improving the long-term quality of life for caregivers navigating their lives following an ABI.

Tell us a bit about your background

My interest in this area of research began during my integrated Master’s degree in Psychology with Clinical Psychology (Hons) at the University of Plymouth, where I carried out a systematic review on the support and information needs of ABI family members. This review highlighted how current post-ABI care fails to support families, with vital gaps in access to information, social support, and personal wellbeing. Through this research and direct engagement with ABI family members I recognised that their struggles extend beyond managing the complex needs of the ABI survivors. Their difficulties also include maintaining their own welfare, as they attempt to navigate complex and often unsupportive social systems. This knowledge fuelled my desire to advocate for ABI caregivers. Extending directly from my review, my PhD research will now focus on designing and testing support resources to address these systematic failings.

What are you most looking forward to about being a part of the NIHR School for Social Care Research? 

The NIHR School for Social Care Research offers an environment to learn from and collaborate with leading experts, whose work directly influences changes to social policy and practices. I anticipate significant professional development opportunities, where I am able to grow as an academic researcher, enabling me to enhance my research skills and expand my expertise. Furthermore, being a part of a prestigious research school will ensure that my PhD research is rigorous, impactful, and strongly positioned in influencing social care provision and change for ABI caregivers.

Any ideas for post-PhD? 

While I am considering several possibilities, my primarily goal would be to advance the expertise I gain during my PhD to pursue a post-doctoral fellowship. This path would allow me to further my research and strengthen the evidence needed to drive social change and improve the quality of life for ABI caregivers.