2019 Labour History Review Essay Prize Winner: Navigating Deindustrialization in 1970s Britain: The Closure of Bilston Steel Works and the Politics of Work, Place, and Belonging1

2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-283
Author(s):  
Matt Beebee
Keyword(s):  
Economic Restructuring ◽  
Work Place ◽  
The West ◽  
Local Television ◽  
Personal Politics ◽  
Industrial Decline ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Steel Works

This article examines the impact of industrial decline on popular constructions of selfhood and place during the 1970s through a case study of the Bilston Steel Works in the West Midlands, which closed in May 1979. Following recent work exploring deindustrialization as a process of transformation, rather than simply a discreet event that is reacted to after the moment of closure, the article makes use of the contemporary accounts of local television and print media to uncover the immediacy of deindustrialization as a disruptive force. While studies of deindustrialization have long identified nostalgia as a characteristic, identity-defining trope of retrospective testimonies, the approach taken in this article suggests that the nostalgic reworking of identity was already a prominent feature of everyday language in late 1970s Bilston. Long-term processes of regional economic restructuring had already begun to recast the personal politics of place. The Bilston Steel Works was the last bastion of the once dominant steel industry in the West Midlands, a feature that Bilston’s steelworkers celebrated as a mark of uniqueness and pride at both an individual and community level. A consequence of the closure of the steelworks was its far-reaching social and cultural impact, with the implications for self and place complexly intertwined. The article argues that notions of community and belonging did not necessarily wane but were rather reconstructed and adapted to make sense of, and begin the process of navigating through, industrial decline.

scholarly journals Learning from the transfer of a fellowship programme to support primary care workforce needs in the UK: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e023384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Bryce ◽  
Rachel Russell ◽  
Jeremy Dale
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
The South ◽  
The West ◽  
Clinical Placements ◽  
Funding Model ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesService redesign, including workforce development, is being championed by UK health service policy. It is allowing new opportunities to enhance the roles of staff and encourage multiprofessional portfolio working. New models of working are emerging, but there has been little research into how innovative programmes are transferred to and taken up by different areas. This study investigates the transferability of a 1-year post-Certification of Completion of Training fellowship in urgent and acute care from a pilot in the West Midlands region of England to London and the South East.DesignA qualitative study using semistructured interviews supplemented by observational data of fellows’ clinical and academic activities. Data were analysed using a thematic framework approach.Setting and participantsTwo cohorts of fellows (15 in total) along with key stakeholders, mentors, tutors and host organisations in London and the South East (LaSE). Fellows had placements in primary and secondary care settings (general practice, emergency department, ambulatory care, urgent care and rapid response teams), together with academic training.ResultsSeventy-six interviews were completed with 50 participants, with observations in eight clinical placements and two academic sessions. The overall structure of the West Midlands programme was retained and the core learning outcomes adopted in LaSE. Three fundamental adaptations were evident: broadening the programme to include multiprofessional fellows, changes to the funding model and the impact that had on clinical placements. These were felt to be key to its adoption and longer-term sustainability.ConclusionThe evaluation demonstrates a model of training that is adaptable and transferable between National Health Service regions, taking account of changing national and regional circumstances, and has the potential to be rolled out widely.

“Have a Sip of This”: The Impact of Family on the Drinking Patterns of Untreated Heavy Drinkers Living in the West Midlands, UK

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ferrins-Brown ◽  
Sue Dalton ◽  
Jenny Maslin ◽  
Elizabeth Hartney ◽  
Cicely Kerr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Patterns ◽  
The West ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Heavy Drinkers ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Online Teaching During COVID-19 Pandemic for West Midlands Urology Trainees

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e25-e31
Author(s):  
Anton Wong
Keyword(s):  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
The West ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Virtual Presence ◽  
The Impact

Background and Objective Urology trainees in the West Midlands are provided with protected compulsory teaching sessions by the deanery. These teaching sessions are usually held in a regional centre, on a face-to-face basis. However, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impact not only on individuals, the healthcare system, but has affected medical education for trainees. All regional teaching sessions have been moved online for the safety of individuals and to comply with social distancing guidelines. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of online teaching during the pandemic. Material and Methods An online survey was sent out to all urology trainees in the West Midlands. The questionnaire, comprised of a mixture of open, closed and Likert-10-point scale questions was used to compare online teaching against face-to-face teaching. An independent t-test was carried out as the data was presumed to follow a normal distribution. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results 70% of trainees responded and participated in the survey. Attendance rates were higher when teaching was online compared to face-to-face sessions. 100% of trainees were able to attend at least 80% of online teaching sessions whilst 89% were able to attend face-to-face sessions. However, the quality of teaching were not statistically significant between face-to-face and online teaching sessions (mean = 7.95 and 8.11 respectively, p= 0.316). The study found that trainees benefited from the accessibility of online teaching sessions but lost out on social networking and interactivity of face-to-face sessions. Most participants recommended a hybrid or blended learning approach once the pandemic is over. Conclusion The impact of COVID-19 has almost forced all undergraduate and postgraduate education to have a form of virtual presence. All teaching sessions will remain online for the foreseeable future. Our study found no difference between the qualities of teaching for both approaches. However, benefits and drawbacks of online teaching have been identified. Hence, we recommend a mixed learning approach of face-to-face and online teaching for the future.  

Educating for the Cooperative Society

2019 ◽  
pp. 355-373
Author(s):  
Suzanna Tomassi
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
The West ◽  
Cooperative Society ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter investigates the relationship between industry and academia from the perspective of industry. In addition to the theoretical review, it is based on feedback from industry leaders on how they see the role of their organizations in wider society. This chapter utilizes case studies to examine the relationship between specific companies, their academic partners, and the wider society. It focuses on the UK experience reflecting the location of its author. It specifically looks at the links between Coventry University, a British public institution located in the West Midlands, and its selected partners: the Unipart Group, Horiba MIRA, Interserve, and KPIT in India. It also refers to a bespoke Global Leaders Programme which is an exclusive, extra-curricular offering, designed to enhance students’ leadership and soft skills and prepare them for future employment after graduation. Wherever possible, the author aimed to obtain feedback from the industry representatives to assess their views on the impact of their companies on the wider society. In the same spirit, relevant colleagues from Coventry University were asked for their feedback to ensure that both perspectives were fairly captured. The examples given, and indeed, the philosophy behind the projects could be transferred to other countries and applied to other industries.

scholarly journals How does the outcome of research training fellowships funded via the NHS compare with that from competitively funded fellowships from the MRC and other charities: a cross-sectional retrospective survey of trainees undertaking research training in the West Midlands

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e019630
Author(s):  
Charlotte Maybury ◽  
Matthew David Morgan ◽  
Russell Smith ◽  
Lorraine Harper
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Training ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
The West ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the impact of research training funded via the National Health Service (NHS) on medical trainees compared with traditional clinical research training fellowships (CRTFs).Design, setting and participantsOnline survey of 221 clinical trainees who had completed a period of research during their clinical training between 2009 and 2015 in the West Midlands.Main outcome measuresResearch outcomes.ResultsOverall response rate was 59%, of whom 72 participants were funded by CRTFs and 51 funded by the NHS. Although participants with CRTFs were more likely to be awarded a higher degree compared with those on NHS-administered funding (66/72 CRTFs and 37/51 NHS, P=0.005), similar proportions of NHS-funded and CRTF-funded participants entered clinical lecturer posts on completing initial research training (8/51 NHS and 16/72 CRTF, P=0.37). 77% of participants had three or more publications (CRTF 57 and NHS 39, P=0.72). 57 participants had completed clinical training; similar proportions of CRTF-funded and NHS-funded trainees had research included in their consultant contract (12/22 NHS and 14/26 CRTF, P=0.96) or were appointed to academic posts (3 of 25 NHS funded and 6 of 32 CRTF, P>0.05). 95% of participants would recommend to colleagues and 82% of participants felt the research experience improved their provision of clinical care with no difference between CRTF-funded and NHS-funded participants (P=0.49). Continuing to participate in clinical work during the research reduced reports of trainee difficulty on returning to clinical work (23/108 continued clinical work vs 12/22 no clinical work, P=0.001).ConclusionResearch training funded by the NHS provides a quality experience and contributes to the clinical academic capacity within the UK. More needs to be done to support NHS participants to successfully achieve a higher degree.

scholarly journals Healthy diets, lifestyle changes and wellbeing during and after lockdown: Longitudinal evidence from the West Midlands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thijs van Rens ◽  
Petra Hanson ◽  
Oyinlola Oyebode ◽  
Lukasz Walasek ◽  
Thomas M. Barber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
The West ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Impact

Background: "Lockdowns" to control the spread of COVID-19 in the UK have affected many aspects of life, with concerns that they may have adversely affected diets. We aimed to examine (i) the effect of living in lockdown on fruit and vegetable consumption; (ii) whether any population subgroup was particularly adversely affected; (iii) the barriers and facilitators to a healthy diet in lockdown; and (iv) the effect of lockdown on secondary outcomes such as weight and mental wellbeing. Methods: We conducted a mixed-method longitudinal study, involving an online survey of 1003 adults in the West Midlands, UK, 494 of whom were surveyed at two different points in time. Our first time point (T0: May 2020) was during stringent COVID-19 lockdown and the second (T1: September 2020) during a period of more relaxed restrictions. The survey included detailed quantitative questions about fruit and vegetable consumption; questions on physical activity, socio-demographic characteristics, BMI and wellbeing; and qualitative data collection about the reasons behind reported changes. Results: We find no evidence for respondents decreasing their fruit and vegetable consumption during lockdown compared to afterwards. If anything, consumption of fruit and vegetables increased by about half a portion daily among women, particularly among those who normally have a long commute. These findings combined with a significant increase in physical activity, suggest that behaviours were healthier during lockdown, consistent with higher self-reported health compared with afterwards. However, there was a marked deterioration in wellbeing during lockdown, and on average participants self-reported being heavier during this period as well. Our qualitative data suggested that an abundance of resources supported higher fruit and vegetable consumption during lockdown, for instance, participants had more time, while access issues were one barrier to consumption. Conclusions: Our results are reassuring for those concerned that lockdowns may have adversely affect diets. They may point to the impact of commuting on diet, particularly for women, and intervening to reduce commuting times may be one way to improve population diets. Our study adds longitudinal evidence to a growing body of literature on the adverse effect of lockdown on mental health.

Turning a Project into Reality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Yamamoto
Keyword(s):  
Economic History ◽  
Test Case ◽  
The West ◽  
Parliamentary Debate ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Parliamentary History ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Promotional Strategies ◽  
Charles Ii ◽  
The Impact

Moving from the republic of letters to Westminster and the West Midlands, this chapter investigates whether the impact of distrust found in Chapter 3 was limited to the likes of Hartlib, whose projects often never materialized. Andrew Yarranton provides an ideal test case. His Stour river navigation scheme was the first of its kind authorized by a private act of parliament after the Restoration of Charles II; it provided a foundation for the Stourbridge Canal, completed in the 1770s. Moving beyond the analysis of promotional strategies, the chapter combines sources conventionally used in parliamentary history and local economic history to establish in what ways the deep-seated distrust of the projector affected different stages of this relatively successful project—parliamentary debate, petitioning campaigns, coordination between Yarranton and financial backers, and the project’s implementation in the West Midlands.

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