Dr Hannah Carver

Lecturer in Substance Use

Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology 4T26, RG Bomont Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Hannah Carver

Contact details

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https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/hannahcarver

About me

About me

I am a Lecturer in Substance Use in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Co-Director of the Salvation Army Centre for Addiction Services and Research (SACASR). My research interests include substance use, vulnerable populations, health inequalities, harm reduction and qualitative methodology. Prior to joining the University of Stirling I completed a PhD at Edinburgh Napier University. My PhD research looked at substance use communication between looked after young people and their formal carers.

Award

An international and intersectional dialogue on how to reduce harm and promote wellbeing amongst people who have housing, health and substance use challenges: A series of knowledge exchange events
Scottish Universities Insight Institute

http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/…827/Default.aspx
People who experience homelessness often have intersecting health problems including poor mental and physical health and problem substance use (Hewett & Halligan 2010). The co-occurrence of these three problems has been termed ‘tri-morbidity’. Problem substance use is often a contributing factor to someone becoming homeless and accounts for over a third of deaths in homeless people (Crisis 2011). Engagement with treatment services, particularly those which expect abstinence, can be extremely challenging (Collins et al. 2016). While harm reduction approaches are recommended for those unlikely to achieve abstinence (Raistrick et al. 2006), there is virtually no specific guidance on how harms from problem substance use can be reduced for homeless people. International models of care and housing provision exist but their relevance to Scotland has not been systematically explored. To address this gap we will create a dialogue on international, national and local best practices in this area and, most critically, on how we can work better together across sectors and disciplines to develop Scottish solutions. We will bring together a diverse group who have substantial knowledge of the issues to develop a nuanced understanding of the current position and how this can better inform policy and practice developments going forward.

Professional membership

Addiction and the Family International Network - Member

British Psychological Society - Member
British Psychological Society

Society for the Study of Addiction - Member

Research (14)

My main research and knowledge exchange activities involve (problem) drug and alcohol use; social and health inequalities; children, young people and families; mental health; and homelessness.  My main methodological interests are in qualitative research methods; systematic reviews (including meta-ethnography); and undertaking collaborative research with marginalised groups.

Projects

Drugs Research Network Scotland Phase 2
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Scottish Funding Council
–

Governing parental opioid use: a relational ethnography
PI: Professor Anne Whittaker
Funded by: Economic and Social Research Council
–

Digital inclusion for the prevention of drug deaths proposal
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Scottish Government
–

Researching and developing key components of a new Scottish Drug Checking service
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: CORRA Foundation
–

See beyond, see the lives Scotland
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems
–

Exploring the utility and safety of benzodiazepine prescribing among people receiving Opiate Replacement Therapy in Scotland: a multicentre retrospective cohort study
PI: Mr Joe Schofield
Funded by: Scottish Government
–

How might the ‘Youth in Iceland Model’ for preventing substance use among young people be developed and adapted for use in Dundee, Scotland?
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Society for the Study of Addiction
–

Assessing the impacts of novel coronavirus outbreaks on people who use drugs, drug-related deaths and the effectiveness of service responses to them; a systematic review to inform practice and drug policy responses to COVID-19 in Scotland
PI: Dr Hannah Carver
Funded by: Scottish Government
–

Managed alcohol programmes: Implementation of a novel intervention to help prevent infection (Covid-19) for people experiencing alcohol dependency and homelessness
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Chief Scientist Office
–

Stress and mental health challenges experienced by third sector homelessness services workers during the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland
PI: Dr Hannah Carver
Funded by: Chief Scientist Office
–

Learning lessons from rapid changes to a UK homeless service in response to Covid-19.
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: The Salvation Army
–

Harm reduction intervention for severe drug and/or alcohol dependence among people who are homeless
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: National Institute for Health Research
–

Evidence review on homelessness, substance use and metal health
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Health Research Board
–

Scoping the feasibility and acceptability of Managed Alcohol Programmes for people who are homeless in community-based, third sector services in Scotland.
PI: Professor Tessa Parkes
Funded by: Chief Scientist Office
–

Outputs (40)

Outputs

Article

Assessing the feasibility, acceptability and accessibility of a peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of people who experience homelessness with problem substance use: the SHARPS study

Parkes T, Matheson C, Carver H, Foster R, Budd J, Liddell D, Wallace J, Pauly B, Fotopoulou M, Burley A, Anderson I, Price T, Schofield J & MacLennan G (2022) Assessing the feasibility, acceptability and accessibility of a peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of people who experience homelessness with problem substance use: the SHARPS study. Harm Reduction Journal, 19 (1), Art. No.: 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00582-5

Review

A Realist Review of How Community-Based Drug Checking Services Could Be Designed and Implemented to Promote Engagement of People Who Use Drugs

Masterton W, Falzon D, Burton G, Carver H, Wallace B, Aston EV, Sumnall H, Measham F, Gittins R, Craik V, Schofield J, Little S & Parkes T (2022) A Realist Review of How Community-Based Drug Checking Services Could Be Designed and Implemented to Promote Engagement of People Who Use Drugs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (19). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191911960

Article

Stress and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Frontline Homelessness Services Staff Experiences in Scotland

Carver H, Price T, Falzon D, McCulloch P & Parkes T (2022) Stress and Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Frontline Homelessness Services Staff Experiences in Scotland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (6), Art. No.: 3659. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063659

Article

A peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of homeless people with problem substance use: the SHARPS feasibility mixed-methods study

Parkes T, Matheson C, Carver H, Foster R, Budd J, Liddell D, Wallace J, Pauly B, Fotopoulou M, Burley A, Anderson I & MacLennan G (2022) A peer-delivered intervention to reduce harm and improve the well-being of homeless people with problem substance use: the SHARPS feasibility mixed-methods study. Health Technology Assessment, 26 (14), pp. 1-128. https://doi.org/10.3310/wvvl4786

Research Report

Digital Inclusion to Prevent Drug Related Deaths: Scoping user needs

Matheson C, Carver H, Parkes T, Daneshvar H, Schofield J, Dumbrell J, Connell C, Price T & Hnizdilova K (2022) Digital Inclusion to Prevent Drug Related Deaths: Scoping user needs. Scottish Government. Edinburgh. https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitallifelines.scot%2Fmedia%2F1111%2Fdigital-lifelines-user-needs-slide-deck-drns-jan-2022.pptx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

Article

Exploring the Potential of Implementing Managed Alcohol Programmes to Reduce Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Transmission, and Wider Harms, for People Experiencing Alcohol Dependency and Homelessness in Scotland

Parkes T, Carver H, Masterton W, Booth H, Ball L, Murdoch H, Falzon D, Pauly BM & Matheson C (2021) Exploring the Potential of Implementing Managed Alcohol Programmes to Reduce Risk of COVID-19 Infection and Transmission, and Wider Harms, for People Experiencing Alcohol Dependency and Homelessness in Scotland. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (23), Art. No.: 12523. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182312523

Article

"You know, we can change the services to suit the circumstances of what is happening in the world": a rapid case study of the COVID-19 response across city centre homelessness and health services in Edinburgh, Scotland

Parkes T, Carver H, Masterton W, Falzon D, Dumbrell J, Grant S & Wilson I (2021) "You know, we can change the services to suit the circumstances of what is happening in the world": a rapid case study of the COVID-19 response across city centre homelessness and health services in Edinburgh, Scotland. Harm Reduction Journal, 18, Art. No.: 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00508-1

Commentary

"PPI? That sounds like Payment Protection Insurance": Reflections and learning from a substance use and homelessness study Experts by Experience group

Foster R, Carver H, Wallace J, Dunedin A, Burridge S, Foley P, Pauly B & Parkes T (2021) "PPI? That sounds like Payment Protection Insurance": Reflections and learning from a substance use and homelessness study Experts by Experience group. Research Involvement and Engagement, 7 (1), Art. No.: 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-021-00324-8

Article

'They already operated like it was a crisis, because it always has been a crisis': a qualitative exploration of the response of one homeless service in Scotland to the COVID-19 pandemic

Parkes T, Carver H, Masterton W, Falzon D, Dumbrell J, Grant S & Wilson I (2021) 'They already operated like it was a crisis, because it always has been a crisis': a qualitative exploration of the response of one homeless service in Scotland to the COVID-19 pandemic. Harm Reduction Journal, 18, Art. No.: 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00472-w

Project Report

Managed alcohol programmes: Scoping the potential of a novel intervention to help prevent infection (COVID-19) for people experiencing alcohol dependency and homelessness - Staff

Parkes T, Carver H, Matheson C, Pauly B, McCulloch P, Browne T, Masterton W & Booth H (2021) Managed alcohol programmes: Scoping the potential of a novel intervention to help prevent infection (COVID-19) for people experiencing alcohol dependency and homelessness - Staff [COVID-19 MAPs Study Briefing - Staff]. Chief Scientist Office. University of Stirling.

Project Report

Managed alcohol programmes: Scoping the potential of a novel intervention to help prevent infection (COVID-19) for people experiencing alcohol dependency and homelessness - Clients

Parkes T, Carver H, Matheson C, Pauly B, McCulloch P, Browne T, Masterton W & Booth H (2021) Managed alcohol programmes: Scoping the potential of a novel intervention to help prevent infection (COVID-19) for people experiencing alcohol dependency and homelessness - Clients [COVID-19 MAPs Study Briefing - Clients]. Chief Scientist Office. University of Stirling.

Article

How might the 'Icelandic model' for preventing substance use among young people be developed and adapted for use in Scotland? Utilising the consolidated framework for implementation research in a qualitative exploratory study

Carver H, McCulloch P & Parkes T (2021) How might the 'Icelandic model' for preventing substance use among young people be developed and adapted for use in Scotland? Utilising the consolidated framework for implementation research in a qualitative exploratory study. BMC Public Health, 21, Art. No.: 1742. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11828-z

Article

Supporting Harm Reduction through Peer Support (SHARPS): testing the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-delivered, relational intervention for people with problem substance use who are homeless, to improve health outcomes, quality of life and social functioning and reduce harms: study protocol

Parkes T, Matheson C, Carver H, Budd J, Liddell D, Wallace J, Pauly B, Fotopoulou M, Burley A, Anderson I, MacLennan G & Foster R (2019) Supporting Harm Reduction through Peer Support (SHARPS): testing the feasibility and acceptability of a peer-delivered, relational intervention for people with problem substance use who are homeless, to improve health outcomes, quality of life and social functioning and reduce harms: study protocol. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 5 (1), Art. No.: 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-019-0447-0

Conference Paper

The outreach worker role in an anticipatory care programme: A valuable resource for linking and supporting

Carver H, Douglas M & Tomlinson J (2012) The outreach worker role in an anticipatory care programme: A valuable resource for linking and supporting. Mackie P (Editor) & Thorpe A (Editor) Public Health International Conference 2011: Health and Wellbeing – The 21st Century Agenda, London, 08.09.2011-09.09.2011. Public Health, 126 (Supplement 1), pp. S47-S52. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350612001953; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2012.05.023

Research centres/groups