Professor Trish Hafford-Letchfield

Emeritus Professor

Social Work and Social Policy

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Personal statement

I am Professor Emeritus. I have a nursing qualification (SRN, 1980) and a social work qualification (CQSW, 1985). I had 18 years practice experience in social work until 2003, the latter 10 of which I managed statutory social work services for adults, in England. I've held held many roles in Third Sector governance.  Since joining Higher Education in 2003, my research interests lie in the experiences of ageing in marginalised communities, the majority of which is applied and co-produced with people with lived experience. Prior to joining Strathclyde in 2019, I was Professor of Social Care at Middlesex University, London where I worked for 11 years.

My doctorate studies were in educational gerontology exploring the role of lifelong learning in care services. I am an activist for LGBTQI+ communities and founder member of the international LGBTQI social work network. In relation to learning and teaching I have over 170 publications including 20 key books covering a range of topics on leadership, management, organisational development, feminism, sexual and gender identities, values and ethics, gerontology and social work supervision. I have also published widely in other areas such as the use of the arts in professional education, parenting, ageing mental health and wellbeing. 

I was Head of Department for Social Work and Social Policy Jan 2020-Dec 2023 (role-share).  I am the lead for social care in Health and Social Care Futures since January 2025.

I have been involved in funded research and knowledge exchange by NIHR SSCR; DHSC England; British Academy; IASSW; Comic Relief; EU Cost Action; EU Erasmus Plus, Chief Scientist Office NHS Scotland, Skills for Care, UNITE and ESRC IAA.

 

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Professional Activities

20th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour
Participant
30/8/2030
End of project Symposium to showcase and share project activities and to launch the Anthology of new writing from Scottish older writers. Comprised 2 expert panels on Creativity and Care in Later Life across Scotland. Featured guest speaker Bernard MacLaverty, published author in discussion with Andrew Meehan on love in later life.
Chair
1/12/2025
Suicide and Later Life
Speaker
19/9/2025
UNIVERSAL NURSES ADDICTION CURRICULUM
Participant
16/9/2025
Understanding the support needs of older LGBTQ+ Londoners
Speaker
22/7/2025
LGBTQ+ Mental Health
Speaker
26/6/2025

More professional activities

Projects

Getting On: understanding & writing love in later life (ESRC IAA-funded)
Meehan, Andrew (Principal Investigator) Hafford-Letchfield, Trish (Co-investigator)
Getting On: Understanding & Writing Love in Later Life is a new project that explores and embraces the lived experience and cultural representations of love in later life in Scotland today. The project is being run from the University of Strathclyde by staff in Creative Writing and Social Work/Social Policy in collaboration with Autumn Voices, the organisation for growing old creatively.
13-Jan-2025 - 13-Jan-2026
Cultures of Collaborative Research in a Socially Progressive Technological University / R230557-209
Gray, Louise (Academic) Hafford-Letchfield, Trish (Academic) Egan, Kieren (Co-investigator) Connaghan, John (Research Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2026
Suicide prevention in later life
Hafford-Letchfield, Trish (Co-investigator) Karastoyanova-Gibson, Konstantina (Co-investigator) Rasmussen, Susan (Co-investigator) Sledmere, Maria (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2028
£12,262.72 HaSS Bridging Disciplines: "Predicting healthy ageing and age-related disorders using the UK Biobank Database" Successfully funded
McGeown, William (Principal Investigator) Mavroeidi, Alexandra (Principal Investigator) Parra Rodriguez, Mario (Co-investigator) Brown Nicholls, Louise (Co-investigator) Rasmussen, Susan (Co-investigator) Robertson, David (Co-investigator) Tse, Dwight (Co-investigator) Kirk, Alison (Co-investigator) Hafford-Letchfield, Trish (Co-investigator) Rattray, Nicholas (Co-investigator) Bushell, Trevor (Co-investigator) Gould, Gwyn (Co-investigator) GANGANNAGARIPALLI, Jaheedabegum (Co-investigator) Carswell, Hilary (Co-investigator) Tate, Rothwelle (Co-investigator) Kurdi, Amanj (Co-investigator) Lennon, Marilyn (Co-investigator) Moshfeghi, Yashar (Co-investigator) Roper, Marc (Co-investigator) McConnell, Gail (Co-investigator) Kerr, Andy (Co-investigator) Li, David (Co-investigator) Thomson, Avril (Co-investigator) Campbell, Gerard (Co-investigator) Vourganas, Ioannis (Co-investigator) Clark, Ruaridh (Co-investigator) Macdonald, Malcolm (Co-investigator)
HaSS Bridging Disciplines.

Successfully funded for access to UK Biobank:

The overarching aim of the application is to investigate the predictors (e.g., lifestyle, neuroimaging metabolic and genetic) of healthy ageing (e.g., cognitive, physical and mental health in older age).

Our objectives are to identify the contribution of predictors (lifestyle, medication-related, neuroimaging, metabolic, and genetic) of the following outcomes, that occur at greater frequency in older age:
1) Cognitive impairment (e.g., due to normal ageing or neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke)
2) Poor physical health (e.g., osteoporosis, diabetes, falls and fractures)
3) Poor mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation)
08-Jan-2023 - 09-Jan-2025
Student Drug Use Literature Review
Hafford-Letchfield, Trish (Principal Investigator)
28-Jan-2022 - 19-Jan-2022
Understanding and reducing the psychosocial impact of Coronavirus social distancing and behavioural changes on families of care home residents in Scotland
Quinn, Neil (Principal Investigator) Hafford-Letchfield, Trish (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2020 - 31-Jan-2020

More projects

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Contact

Professor Trish Hafford-Letchfield
Emeritus Professor
Social Work and Social Policy

Email: trish.hafford-letchfield@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 444 8656