Dr Rekha Elaswarapu


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Lecturer (Health and Social Care)

I have over 20 years of experience in health and social care in policy, regulation and research. I am a Dignity Champion with the National Dignity Council where I am also a Trustee. I am an experienced senior policy advisor and a researcher specialising in older people, nutrition, dignity and privacy, end of life, long term conditions, user voice and age discrimination. I am also a special advisor to Age UK London.

Teaching and supervision

I teach on the following courses:

BSc Health and Social Care (Top-Up)

Research

Publications: (Journals/conferences)

- Experiences of the experienced – a mixed-method study on older people services, R Elaswarapu, D Klee. Presented at the International Conference on Mixed Methods 2005, Cambridge.

- Combining Qualitative and Quantitative methods in Real World Health Research, J Scully, R Elaswarapu. International Conference on Mixed Methods 2005, Cambridge

- Role of qualitative information in regulation and assessment. R Elaswarapu, Presented at the International Conference on Mixed Methods 2007, Cambridge

- Dignity in care for older people - a philosophy or a measurable concept. R Elaswarapu. Presented at International Conference on Mixed Methods 2008, Cambridge

- Dignity in care for older people – Measuring what matters. R Elaswarapu, Working with older people (2007) Vol. 11(2), pp 15-19.

- Dignity – a measurable concept? R Elaswarapu, Poster presented at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care, 2009, Berlin

- R Elaswarapu, 'Regulation and quality', in Mental Health and Care Homes, Ed. Tom Dening and Alisoun Milne, Oxford University Press.

- ‘Rekha interviews Baroness Sally Greengross’. R ElaswarapuBritish Journal of Community Nursing, Vol. 16, Iss. 5 - Nutrition Supplement, 04 May2011, pp 14 - 15

- ‘Enhancing dignity in care: the role of management’. R ElaswarapuNursing and residential care, Vol. 13 (12), December 2011, pp 610-612 

- ‘Dignity in Care’ R Elaswarapu  Eastern Eye, March 23, 2012, p. 8

 - ‘An interview with Dame Jo Williams, Chair, Care Quality Commission’ R ElaswarapuBritish Journal of Community Nursing   - Nutrition Supplement, May 2012, pp S 24 - S27

- R Elaswarapu‘Dignity in care for older women’ IN ‘Has sisterhood forgotten older women’ Ed Sally-Marie Bamford and Jessica Watson, ILC-UK, 2013, pp 76-78,

- ‘Improving quality through feedback(Editorial)’. R. Ealswarapu  Nursing & Residential Care, February 2013, Vol 15, No 2 

- ‘An interview with Janine Roberts’, Director, Malnutrition Taskforce’. R ElaswarapuBritish Journal of Community Nursing   - Nutrition Supplement, May 2013, pp S 32- S33

- ‘JDC asks – Do you agree with the CQC that the health and social care system is struggling to care adequately for people with dementia’ - panel contributor, R. Elaswarapu Journal of Dementia care,May/June 2013, vol 21 no 3, pp 10-11

 - ‘The CQC strategy–for better orfor worse’. R. Elaswarapu  Nursing & Residential Care, July 2013, Vol 15, No 7, pp 508

 - ‘Barriers to good hydration in home and in care’. R. ElaswarapuIN Monographon hydration and care of the elderly, 2016, European Hydration Forum

- R. Elaswarapu et al. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust An independent investigation into how the Trust carries out reviews of allegations of bullying and harassment, under the Trust’s Dignity at Work Policy, July 2015, The Good Governance Institute

- R. Elaswarapu Dignity at work: Policies and legislative framework, Clinical Risk, 2016http://bit.ly/2cwhOgi Sage publications

- R. Elaswarapu (2017)  Avoiding loneliness at Christmas, Nursing and Residential Care. Vol 19(12)  December 2017, pp 668 – 668

- Manthorpe, J., Norrie, C., Elaswarapu, R., Lipman, V. & Moriarty, J. (2016) Care home handovers, Royal Society of Medicine, London. 16 May 2016.

- Moriarty, J., Norrie, C., Elaswarapu, R., Lipman, V. & Manthorpe, J. (2016) A study of handover at shift changeovers in care homes for older people, Social Care Workforce Research Unit Seminar: Adult Safeguarding in Care Homes, London. 5 October 2016.

- Norrie, C., Lipman, V., Moriarty, J., Elaswarapu, R. & Manthorpe, J. (2017a) How Do Handovers Happen? A study of handover-at-shift changeovers in care homes for older people, London, King's College London, Social Care Workforce Research Unit,

- Norrie, C., Moriarty, J., Lipman, V., Elaswarapu, R. & Manthorpe, J. (2017b) A study of handover at shift changeovers in care homes for older people, British Society of Gerontology Annual Conference, Swansea. 6 July 2017.

- Moriarty, J., Norrie, C., Lipman, V., Elaswarapu, R., Orellana, K. & Manthorpe, J. (2017) A study of handovers at shift changeover in care homes for people with dementia in England, 12th UK Dementia Congress, Doncaster. 7 November 2017.

- Moriarty, J., Lipman, V., Norrie, C., Elaswarapu, R. & Manthorpe, J. (2019) Handovers in care homes for older people - their type, timing, and usefulness –  findings from a scoping review. Ageing & Society, 39, 4: 851-871.

- Moriarty, J., Norrie, C., Manthorpe, J., Lipman, V. & Elaswarapu, R. (2019 in press) What makes a good handover in a care home for older people? Working with Older People.

- Orellana, K., Lipman, V., Norrie, C., Manthorpe, J., Moriarty, J. & Elaswarapu, R. (2019) Residents’ and their Family Members’ Perceptions of Shift Handovers in Care Homes. Final study report for The Abbeyfield Research Foundation, London, King's College London, NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit.

- Avgerinou, C., Gardner, B., Kharicha, K., Frost, R., Lijas, A., Elaswarapu, R., Manthorpe, J., Drennan, VM., Goodman, C.  (2019) Health promotion for mild frailty based on behaviour change: Perceptions of older people and service providers Health and Socialcare online, https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12781

I became a Fellow of Advance HE (formally the Higher Education Academy) in March 2020.
I was an expert advisor on a number of national projects, including work with clients such as Which?, Care England and the National Care Forum.

I was also a key member of the Royal College of Nursing Think Tank for developing dignity modules for pre-registration nursing courses.

Achievements

Developed an e-learning package on dignity with care for staff in care settings.

Led a project commissioned by the Trust Development Authority on staff bullying and harassment for and NHS trust.

I am an advisory expert on a research project led by Kings College London.

Led on the development and implementation of a national regulatory strategy for older people services for the Healthcare Commission and Care Quality Commission. This included looking at areas such as dementia, nutrition, end of life, dignity and neurological services.

Development a number of national strategies including the National Stroke Strategy, the National Carers’ Strategy, and the NICE Quality Standards for Dementia.

Sat on the delivery board of the National Nutrition Action Plan and co-chaired the Regulation and Inspection subgroup.

Project lead for the Dignity in Care project for older people in hospital for the NHS.

Project managed the first cross-organisational review of older people services.

Managed the delivery of the National NHS Patient and Staff Survey.

Last updated 28 February 2024