Helen Allan
Biographic Data
| ID | 271247 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Helen Allan |
| GIVEN NAMES | Helen |
| FAMILY NAME | Allan |
| SIGNATURE | ALLAN H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Middlesex University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9391-0385 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 41 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Invisible labour: A qualitative exploration of the professional identity of interpreters working in UK maternity care settings
The work of professional interpreters is frequently misunderstood and mistrusted, leading to its underuse across healthcare settings. In UK maternity services, this failing contributes to the higher mortality and morbidity of women with limited or no English proficiency. Our study explored interpreters’ professional identities and their contribution to the delivery of care in maternity services. Face-to-face interviews with a purposive sample of …
An auto-ethnographic reflection on the nature of nursing in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic
In this article I discuss the effects on the patient experience of isolation nursing during the CoronaVirus Disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. An unintended consequence of isolation nursing has been to distance patients from nurses and emphasise the technical side of nursing while at the same time reducing the relational or affective potential of nursing. Such distanced forms of nursing normalise the distal patient in hospital. I consider ways in which…
Uptake of advanced clinical practice roles in the health service in England: Perspectives at the micro level
Health care organisations in many countries are developing advanced clinical practitioner roles to address workforce shortages and growing demand for services. Even in countries where advanced practice roles are more established there are low numbers, clustered in a limited range of professions, mostly nursing specialities. Successful implementation of national policies encouraging increased advanced practice roles and from a broader range of pro…
Just have some IVF: A longitudinal ethnographic study of couples' experiences of seeking fertility treatment
We present findings from a longitudinal ethnographic study of infertile couples seeking treatment following initial GP referral to specialist fertility services. Repeated observations and interviews were undertaken with the same 14 heterosexual participants over an 18-month period. Heterosexual, non-donor couples comprise the majority of fertility clinic patients; however, research interest in this group has dwindled over time as IVF cycles have …
Transition to parenthood after successful non-donor in vitro fertilisation: The effects of infertility and in vitro fertilisation on previously infertile couples' experiences of early parenthood
Recent social science research in the field of parenting following assisted conception has focused on the experiences of donor-assisted conception and surrogacy. This article draws from a study which explored the experiences of the transition to early parenthood in 16 heterosexual non-donor couples and includes a specific consideration of the experiences of men as they navigate this journey. We argue that these couples' transition to early parent…
Guyanese expatriate women ask: Is it a touch of sugar
Eight Guyanese expatriate women, who had been living in and around London for decades, came together driven by a participatory inquiry approach. Do we just have ‘a touch of sugar’ or is diabetes a serious affliction were questions asked. The study’s objective was to find answers to these questions. Three nurse academics, one a Guyanese/English woman herself, researched alongside participants. After several years of storytelling and group discussi…
Gatekeeping access to the midwifery unit: Managing complaints by bending the rules
While poor communication between service users and front-line staff causes many service user complaints in the British National Health Service, staff rarely reflect on the causes of these complaints. We discuss findings from an action research project with midwives which suggest that the midwives struggled to fully understand complaints from women, their partners and families particularly about restricted visiting and the locked door to the midwi…
Learning from people with long-term conditions: New insights for governance in primary healthcare
The introduction of top-down centrally driven solutions to governance of healthcare, at the same time as increasing policy emphasis on greater 'bottom up' patient and public involvement in all aspects of healthcare, has set up complex tensions for policy implementation and healthcare practice. This paper explores the interplay of these agendas in the context of changes in primary healthcare services provided by the National Health Service in Engl…
The re-construction of women's sexual lives after pelvic radiotherapy: A critique of social constructionist and biomedical perspectives on the study of female sexuality after cancer treatment
Working People in Alberta: A History
SP1-103 The social experiences of infertility in a religious and spiritual context: A socio-epidemiologial perspective
Introduction Existing research has predominantly focused on medical, psychological, social and cultural aspects of infertility, while religious and spiritual dimensions have received little attention. This study using a socio-epidemiological perspective designed a qualitative study to explore how religion/spirituality affect social consequences of infertility. Method The design was a grounded theory study including semi structured in-depth interv…
Overseas nurses' motivations for working in the UK: Globalization and Life Politics
This article addresses the theoretical integration of macro and micro dimensions of global workforce migration, detailing overseas nurses'motivations for working in the UK. The discussion is based on focus group interviews with overseas nurses in three areas in the UK. Their motivations for migrating are contrasted with their experiences of frequently being stereotyped as economic migrants who come from poor countries to gain financial benefits. …
The Workings of the Household
Overseas nurses' motivations for working in the UK: Globalization and Life Politics
This article addresses the theoretical integration of macro and micro dimensions of global workforce migration, detailing overseas nurses'motivations for working in the UK. The discussion is based on focus group interviews with overseas nurses in three areas in the UK. Their motivations for migrating are contrasted with their experiences of frequently being stereotyped as economic migrants who come from poor countries to gain financial benefits. …
The re-construction of women's sexual lives after pelvic radiotherapy: A critique of social constructionist and biomedical perspectives on the study of female sexuality after cancer treatment
Just have some IVF: A longitudinal ethnographic study of couples' experiences of seeking fertility treatment
We present findings from a longitudinal ethnographic study of infertile couples seeking treatment following initial GP referral to specialist fertility services. Repeated observations and interviews were undertaken with the same 14 heterosexual participants over an 18-month period. Heterosexual, non-donor couples comprise the majority of fertility clinic patients; however, research interest in this group has dwindled over time as IVF cycles have …
Working People in Alberta: A History
Learning from people with long-term conditions: New insights for governance in primary healthcare
The introduction of top-down centrally driven solutions to governance of healthcare, at the same time as increasing policy emphasis on greater 'bottom up' patient and public involvement in all aspects of healthcare, has set up complex tensions for policy implementation and healthcare practice. This paper explores the interplay of these agendas in the context of changes in primary healthcare services provided by the National Health Service in Engl…
Transition to parenthood after successful non-donor in vitro fertilisation: The effects of infertility and in vitro fertilisation on previously infertile couples' experiences of early parenthood
Recent social science research in the field of parenting following assisted conception has focused on the experiences of donor-assisted conception and surrogacy. This article draws from a study which explored the experiences of the transition to early parenthood in 16 heterosexual non-donor couples and includes a specific consideration of the experiences of men as they navigate this journey. We argue that these couples' transition to early parent…
Gatekeeping access to the midwifery unit: Managing complaints by bending the rules
While poor communication between service users and front-line staff causes many service user complaints in the British National Health Service, staff rarely reflect on the causes of these complaints. We discuss findings from an action research project with midwives which suggest that the midwives struggled to fully understand complaints from women, their partners and families particularly about restricted visiting and the locked door to the midwi…
An auto-ethnographic reflection on the nature of nursing in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic
In this article I discuss the effects on the patient experience of isolation nursing during the CoronaVirus Disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. An unintended consequence of isolation nursing has been to distance patients from nurses and emphasise the technical side of nursing while at the same time reducing the relational or affective potential of nursing. Such distanced forms of nursing normalise the distal patient in hospital. I consider ways in which…
Guyanese expatriate women ask: Is it a touch of sugar
Eight Guyanese expatriate women, who had been living in and around London for decades, came together driven by a participatory inquiry approach. Do we just have ‘a touch of sugar’ or is diabetes a serious affliction were questions asked. The study’s objective was to find answers to these questions. Three nurse academics, one a Guyanese/English woman herself, researched alongside participants. After several years of storytelling and group discussi…
The Workings of the Household
The Workings of the Household
Overseas nurses' motivations for working in the UK: Globalization and Life Politics
This article addresses the theoretical integration of macro and micro dimensions of global workforce migration, detailing overseas nurses'motivations for working in the UK. The discussion is based on focus group interviews with overseas nurses in three areas in the UK. Their motivations for migrating are contrasted with their experiences of frequently being stereotyped as economic migrants who come from poor countries to gain financial benefits. …
SP1-103 The social experiences of infertility in a religious and spiritual context: A socio-epidemiologial perspective
Introduction Existing research has predominantly focused on medical, psychological, social and cultural aspects of infertility, while religious and spiritual dimensions have received little attention. This study using a socio-epidemiological perspective designed a qualitative study to explore how religion/spirituality affect social consequences of infertility. Method The design was a grounded theory study including semi structured in-depth interv…
Working People in Alberta: A History
The re-construction of women's sexual lives after pelvic radiotherapy: A critique of social constructionist and biomedical perspectives on the study of female sexuality after cancer treatment
Learning from people with long-term conditions: New insights for governance in primary healthcare
The introduction of top-down centrally driven solutions to governance of healthcare, at the same time as increasing policy emphasis on greater 'bottom up' patient and public involvement in all aspects of healthcare, has set up complex tensions for policy implementation and healthcare practice. This paper explores the interplay of these agendas in the context of changes in primary healthcare services provided by the National Health Service in Engl…
Gatekeeping access to the midwifery unit: Managing complaints by bending the rules
While poor communication between service users and front-line staff causes many service user complaints in the British National Health Service, staff rarely reflect on the causes of these complaints. We discuss findings from an action research project with midwives which suggest that the midwives struggled to fully understand complaints from women, their partners and families particularly about restricted visiting and the locked door to the midwi…
Guyanese expatriate women ask: Is it a touch of sugar
Eight Guyanese expatriate women, who had been living in and around London for decades, came together driven by a participatory inquiry approach. Do we just have ‘a touch of sugar’ or is diabetes a serious affliction were questions asked. The study’s objective was to find answers to these questions. Three nurse academics, one a Guyanese/English woman herself, researched alongside participants. After several years of storytelling and group discussi…
Transition to parenthood after successful non-donor in vitro fertilisation: The effects of infertility and in vitro fertilisation on previously infertile couples' experiences of early parenthood
Recent social science research in the field of parenting following assisted conception has focused on the experiences of donor-assisted conception and surrogacy. This article draws from a study which explored the experiences of the transition to early parenthood in 16 heterosexual non-donor couples and includes a specific consideration of the experiences of men as they navigate this journey. We argue that these couples' transition to early parent…
Uptake of advanced clinical practice roles in the health service in England: Perspectives at the micro level
Health care organisations in many countries are developing advanced clinical practitioner roles to address workforce shortages and growing demand for services. Even in countries where advanced practice roles are more established there are low numbers, clustered in a limited range of professions, mostly nursing specialities. Successful implementation of national policies encouraging increased advanced practice roles and from a broader range of pro…
Just have some IVF: A longitudinal ethnographic study of couples' experiences of seeking fertility treatment
We present findings from a longitudinal ethnographic study of infertile couples seeking treatment following initial GP referral to specialist fertility services. Repeated observations and interviews were undertaken with the same 14 heterosexual participants over an 18-month period. Heterosexual, non-donor couples comprise the majority of fertility clinic patients; however, research interest in this group has dwindled over time as IVF cycles have …
An auto-ethnographic reflection on the nature of nursing in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic
In this article I discuss the effects on the patient experience of isolation nursing during the CoronaVirus Disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. An unintended consequence of isolation nursing has been to distance patients from nurses and emphasise the technical side of nursing while at the same time reducing the relational or affective potential of nursing. Such distanced forms of nursing normalise the distal patient in hospital. I consider ways in which…
Invisible labour: A qualitative exploration of the professional identity of interpreters working in UK maternity care settings
The work of professional interpreters is frequently misunderstood and mistrusted, leading to its underuse across healthcare settings. In UK maternity services, this failing contributes to the higher mortality and morbidity of women with limited or no English proficiency. Our study explored interpreters’ professional identities and their contribution to the delivery of care in maternity services. Face-to-face interviews with a purposive sample of …
Psychology (9 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Qualitative research (5 works) · Health care (4 works) · Nursing (4 works) · Population (4 works) · Public relations (4 works) · Fertility (3 works)