Portrait of Dr Sarah Hotham

Dr Sarah Hotham

She/Her

Senior Research Fellow
BA, BSc, MSc, PhD, C.Psychol

About

I am an expert in applied public health research and behavioural psychology. My research uses Implementation Science approaches to evaluate interventions, training programmes and translating evidence in to public health and primary care settings.

 

I lead a portfolio of research commissioned by the NIHR, Local Authority Public Health teams, NHS and Third sector organisations. My research is broadly focused on four topics:

  1. Designing and evaluating public health interventions, with a specific focus on healthy eating, physical activity and active travel.
  2. Evaluating interventions that involve Third sector collaborations with health and social care (i.e. social prescribing, community navigator roles).
  3. The training of health care professionals in behaviour change theory and techniques
  4. Building research capacity in Local Authorities

 

I also Co-Lead ‘Future Human’ a University of Kent Signature Research Theme.

Alongside my academic role I am a Clinical Research Network (CRN) Public Health Champion in Kent County Council Public Health team. This involve working with colleagues to develop new research projects and promote the use of research in decision making and programme design.

Research interests

• Whole system approaches to behaviour change
• Public health approaches to loneliness and social isolation
• Evaluation and programme design
• Implementation science
• Translating evidence in to practice and policy
• Building research capacity in public health
• The role of Third sector in health and social care systems
• Social prescribing
• Involving public and patients in research
• Training of healthcare professionals in behaviour change

Teaching

KMMS SCP1: Communication Skills

Professional

Chartered member of BPS Division of Health Psychology
National Association of Link Workers Research Committee
Liaison Officer on the UK Society of Behaviour Medicine Mid-career committee

Current Research

I am currently Principal Investigator on the following projects:

 

Public health & community based research

  • Building a sustainable health community in East Surrey: Understanding the impact and implementation of Growing Health Together. Funded by NIHR ARC KSS
  • Evaluation of whole system approach to obesity in Kent. Funded by Kent County Council
  • Evaluation of Medway Can: A Social Marketing Healthy Weight Campaign. Funded by Medway Local Authority

 

Training of health care professionals

  • Evaluating the effectiveness of New to Primary Care Practice programme: ARRS Roles. Funded by Kent & Medway HEE Training Hub
  • Evaluating the GP Attraction Package in Kent & Medway. Funded by Kent & Medway HEE Training Hub
  • Evaluation of Simulation Based Education for Primary Care. Funded by Kent & Medway HEE Training Hub
  • How do PCN CEF Educators make a difference? Funded by Kent & Medway HEE Training Hub
  • Evaluation of the Kent & Medway Primary Care ICS Transformation Programme. Funded by Kent & Medway HEE Training Hub
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of New to Primary Care Practice programme: GPs and GPNs. Funded by Kent & Medway HEE Training Hub

 

I am also:

  • A co-investigator on the NIHR Health Determinants Collaboration (HDRC) Medway.
  • Leading on the social care cross-partnership learning and impact group. Funded by the NIHR this project brings together outputs from across the 6 social care partnerships funded by the NIHR.
  • A co-investigator on the NIHR-funded project: Prevent from Home: Young women’s cardiovascuLar heaLth Improvement feasibility Study (PHYLLIS)
  • A co-investigator on an NIHR-funded project: Understanding how social prescribing and social care work together

 

Past Research Projects

Public health & community based research

Using RE-AIM to evaluate  Every Day Active: Resource to promote physical activity Kent County Council Principal Investigator
Local Authority Research  System call NIHR Co-Investigator
Implementation of Video Consultations in Community Mental Health Service: Evaluation using RE-AIM framework KMPT Principal Investigator
Evaluation of StAR active travel initiatives Kent County Council Principal Investigator
Capturing the impact of the Aspirations for Life Project: Porchlight Principal Investigator
Ageing Better Programme Intervention Typology National Lottery Principal Investigator
The impact of ‘Live Well Kent’. Porchlight Principal Investigator
The impact of ‘Connect for Wellbeing’: Social Prescribing in West Kent Involve Kent Principal Investigator
Using CFIR to evaluate  Multidisciplinary Team Meetings Oxleas NHS Trust Principal Investigator
Evaluating family weight management service Kent CC Principal Investigator
Evaluation of a whole place community health project ‘Go Golborne’ RBKC Co-Investigator
Evaluating impact and implementation of ‘Ageless Thanet’ using RE-AIM framework National Lottery Principal Investigator
Evaluation of Physical Inactivity Pilots in primary care Kent County Council Principal Investigator

 

 

Training of health care professionals

Using COM-B model to design and deliver a training package for social prescribing workforce to support conversations on changing physical activity behaviour London Sport Principal Investigator

 

Evaluation of a training package on physical activity for the social prescribing sector. London Sport Co-Investigator

 

Improving the competencies of psychological wellbeing practitioners for LTCs. North West London CCGs Co-Investigator

Specialties

Psychology, quantitative methods, public health and behaviour change, social prescribing, eating behaviours, health behaviours, self-efficacy theory, voluntary sector role in health and social care, training healthcare professionals.

Awards

  • The implementation of virtual consultations for patients accessing NHS psychological interventions: A mixed-methods evaluation to understand what works, for whom and in what circumstances (PI). KMPT. £10,500. August-October, 2020
  • London Sport (2018). Designing a training package to improve physical activity knowledge in social prescribers (PI)
  • Kent County Council (2018). Designing an evaluation to capture effectiveness of the school nurse package of care programme to support children and families to make positive healthy lifestyle changes.
    (PI)
  • Big Lottery (2018). Ageing Better Programme Intervention Typology Project. (PI)
  • Bexley NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (2018). Developing an evaluation toolkit to assess impact of prevention and early intervention (PEI) grants in Bexley. (PI)
  • NHS North West London Collaboration of CCGs (2017). Improving the competencies of psychological wellbeing practitioners for LTCs. (Co-I)
  • Kent Health VC Scholarship. Evaluation of social prescribing model in Bexley. KentHealth VCs Research grant to fund PhD studentship. (PI)
  • Kent County Council (2016). Impact of conservation volunteering on health & well-being. (PI)Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (2016). Feasibility of using mindfulness in adult Tier 3 weight management services. (PI)
  • Big Lottery(2015) Ageing better programme: Ageless Thanet (Co-I)
    Kent County Council (2015). Evaluation of KCC physical inactivity pilot (PI)
  • London Triborough Authorities (2015). Evaluation of ‘whole place’ community health lifestyle project. (Co-I)
  • Faculty Research Fund: Social Sciences (2014). The effect of a mindful eating intervention on dieters’ susceptibility to food cues and weight loss. (PI)
  • Kent Health Grant (2014). Support for the qualitative analysis of PCMHS project (PI)
  • East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2012). Understanding the support needs of disabled children and their families in East Kent (Co-I)
  • PhD Studentship (2009) School of Psychology, University of Kent
    Pfizer Studentship (2007) MSc in Research Methods in Psychology

Memberships

  • Chartered member of the British Psychological Society: BPS Division of Health Psychology and Cognitive Psychology Section
  • Association for the Study of Obesity
  • UK Society of Behavioural Medicine
  • Higher Education Academy: Associate Fellow

Supervision

First Supervisor

 

Second Supervisor

 

External Advisor

Publications

Last updated 26 October 2023