LSE Health and Social Care
Who We Are
LSE Health and Social Care is a research centre in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The centre comprises of two long standing research units LSE Health and the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU). Its fundamental mission is the production and dissemination of high quality research in health and social care, and its unique research base contributes to LSE's established world presence and reputation in health policy and social care. The core group draws upon the multidisciplinary expertise of 45 staff members, 15 associated academics and a number of postgraduate students.The Centre is also a designated collaborating Centre for European Health Policy for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a partner in the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Funding for research programmes comes from a variety of sources, including public bodies, charitable trusts and private corporations. Currently, research is funded by - among others - the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Department of Health for England, the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, the Department for International Development, the European Commission, the Rowntree Trust, the Nuffield Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, the King's Fund and the UK Home Office.
Major research areas within the Centre cover health policy, health economics, social policy and social care, with substantial overlap between these areas, emphasising the multidisciplinary assets of the Centre. LSEHSC staff also collaborate with a number of other research centres and individuals in the UK and internationally. One key area is work in the area of international mental health policy and practice, where current and previous research has looked at the impact of exclusion of individuals with mental health problems from the labour market, and has also quantified the economic costs of absenteeism and poor performance at work due to mental health problems. Current and previous health economic research includes the further development of methods of economic evaluation, and their application to areas outside healthcare.
Partner's Contribution to Opti-Work
The principle contribution to Opti-Work will be to assess the costs and benefits to employers of employing a person with a disability (Cost Benefit Analysis), to assess the overall macroeconomic impact of increasing the rate of employment of people with disabilities in a country (Economic Impact Model), and also to identify the economic barriers and rewards faced by a person with a disability when deciding whether or not to seek and accept employment (Better Off Analysis). Work will be undertaken in partnership with local collaborating centres in partner countries.