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Dr Natalie Richardson

BA (Hons), MA, PhD (University of Sheffield)

  • Post-doctoral research fellow

Visit Dr Natalie Richardson's profile on the York Research Database to see a full list of publications and browse her research related activities.

Profile

Areas of expertise / Research interests

  • Qualitative and ethnographic research methods
  • Hospice and palliative care 
  • Relationships at the end of life
  • The role of the senses in health care/work
  • Non-clinical staff in healthcare settings

Academic biography

Natalie is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School for Business and Society. She is a qualitative researcher with interests in healthcare work and end of life care. She first joined the Social Policy Research Unit in April 2021 after completing her PhD in the
department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield. Her PhD research involved an ethnographic study of hospice work, to explore the everyday experiences, emotional practices and sensory forms of care carried out by clinical and non-clinical
staff.

Within SPRU, she has previously worked as Research Associate on projects exploring the healthcare experiences of children and young people with a life-limiting condition, and their families. For the NIHR funded project ‘SPARK’, this involved carrying out interviews and focus groups with healthcare staff, as well as children, young people and parents/carers to explore their experiences of spiritual care provision in hospitals and hospices. She has also been involved in developing a Patient-Reported Experience
Measure (PREM) for use in children’s palliative care settings.

Natalie was awarded an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship which began in November 2022. The fellowship is focused on sharing findings and further developing her PhD research on hospice work. During the fellowship, she will work alongside
hospices to carry out consultation work around non-clinical work, and develop resources to impact policy and practice. She is particularly interested in exploring the everyday experiences and emotional work of non-clinical healthcare staff to explore how we
consider care in such settings.

Research

Current research interests and projects

Research interests

  • Hospice work
  • Palliative Care
  • Relationships at the end of life
  • Qualitative and ethnographic methods
  • Sensory methodology

Current projects

Supporting the complete care of children and young people with life-threatening or life-shortening conditions

The aim of this study is to gather evidence the NHS and children's hospices can use to guide how they meet the pastoral, spiritual and religious needs of children and young people living with a life-threatening or life-shortening condition, and their families.

Developing a Patient-Reported Experience Measure for use in children's palliative care settings 

This project will develop a Patient-Reported Experience Measure (PREM) for use in children's palliative care settings.

Hidden Hospice Work Understanding Clinical and Non-Clinical Work in Hospices

Publications

Recent publications

Richardson, N and Campbell, S (2024) Sensory attunements of caregivers and care receivers: the value of an embodied and emplaced approach in everyday care encounters, The Senses and Society, pp. 1-13. 

Richardson, N (2024) ‘Just a Simple Sausage Sandwich’: The Significance of Sensory Care Practices and Hidden Carers in the Hospice, Sociology. 

Mukherjee, S. K. M, Richardson, N and Beresford, B (2023) Hospital healthcare experiences of children and young people with life-threatening or life-shortening conditions, and their parents: scoping reviews and resultant conceptual frameworks, BMC Pediatrics, 23. 

Richardson, N. and Hockey, J. (2020) ‘Reflections on ‘doing’ death: a conversation with Jenny Hockey on her life and work’, Mortality, 25:3, pp. 255-265.

Other Outputs:

Short animated video on ‘Hidden Hospice Work’

Natalie Richardson

Contact details

Dr Natalie Richardson
Post-doctoral research fellow
School for Business and Society
CL/A/107

Tel: +44 (0)1904 321992