Review of the Primary Health Care for Travellers Projects (PHCTPs)
Commissioned by the National Traveller Health Implementation Group (NTHIG) | 2025–2026
The Primary Health Care for Travellers Projects (PHCTPs) have been a cornerstone of Ireland’s approach to Traveller health for over 30 years. This independent review — commissioned by the National Traveller Health Implementation Group, with representation from the Department of Health, the HSE, and Traveller organisations — examined the role, value, and impact of the PHCTPs and set out recommendations for how they can be sustained and strengthened going forward.
The review involved extensive, participatory engagement with approximately 150 stakeholders across national, regional, and local levels — including Traveller Community Health Workers, PHCTP coordinators, Traveller organisations, HSE staff, senior policy stakeholders, and people from within Traveller communities. Methods included national workshops using creative methods, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and surveys across several stakeholder groups.
The final report presents detailed findings on the value and impact of the peer-led PHCTP model, the structural challenges affecting sustainability, and the implications for monitoring and future development. It also includes an outline monitoring framework to support accountability and evidence-based decision-making going forward.
The review was endorsed by the National Traveller Health Implementation Group in February 2026, with a foreword from the TD Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Well Being and the National Drugs Strategy, and the HSE Chief Executive Officer. The findings and recommendations were presented at a national stakeholder webinar in March 2026, attended by approximately 200 staff from the HSE, the Department of Health, Traveller organisations, and wider sector stakeholders.
(Full report available shortly — link to follow)
Evaluation of the Independent Guardian Service for Separated Children including Separated Children who are victims or potential victims of human trafficking
Commissioned by the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Board | 2020–2021
The following work was carried out in my role as Project Specialist at the Centre for Effective Services (CES)
The Independent Guardian Service (IGS) was established in Northern Ireland in 2018 to provide dedicated support to separated children — including those who are victims or potential victims of human trafficking. Delivered by Barnardo’s NI and commissioned by the Health and Social Care Board, the service assigns an Independent Guardian to each eligible child to advocate for their welfare, facilitate coordination across agencies, and ensure their voice is heard in decision-making.
CES was commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of the service across all five Health and Social Care Trust areas in Northern Ireland. My role on the evaluation team covered evaluation design and execution, including the application of Proctor et al.’s typology of implementation outcomes as the theoretical framework, design and delivery of qualitative and quantitative research, coordination of peer researchers and translators, presentation of findings to a Research Advisory Group, and lead responsibility for the methodology and findings chapters of the final report.
The evaluation drew on a rich mixed-methods design, including interviews and focus groups with children and young people, Independent Guardians, Barnardo’s management, Health and Social Care Trust staff, and wider stakeholders, alongside stakeholder mapping, case file auditing and analysis, and a rapid evidence review.
I’m Here But I’m Not: A Photovoice Study of the Lived Experience of Self-Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis Funded by the UCD Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund under the Medical Humanities and Social Science Collaboration Scheme, University College Dublin | 2018–2020
Image © Ursula
The following work was carried out in my role as co-principal investigator and postdoctoral fellow at UCD
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects approximately 40,000 people in Ireland and is often described as an invisible illness because its impact on daily life is frequently hidden from others. This study set out to understand the patient experience of self-managing RA, using Photovoice: a participatory action research method that uses photography, group dialogue, and photo-captioning to give voice to lived experience.
The project was conducted in collaboration with the UCD Centre for Arthritis Research and UCD Health Systems. Ethical approval was obtained from the Mater Hospital and UCD. Twelve people living with RA took part. Participants attended group workshops and individual in-depth interviews, selecting their own photographs to explore their thoughts, feelings, and daily experiences of the condition. The project was conducted with a Research Advisory Group of people living with RA, who shaped the study design from the outset, and a visual artist who provided training and creative direction.
The work culminated in a public photo exhibition — I’m Here But I’m Not — held in Dublin in September 2019, followed by a series of public engagement activities to raise awareness of RA, such as Culture Night. Deidentified transcripts and photographs from the study are archived with the Irish Qualitative Data Archive for future research and teaching.
The study generated a peer-reviewed systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis published in Health Expectations (2020), and an empirical paper presenting the photovoice study in Plos One (2021). A poster presentation at the 2019 UCD Arthritis Research Conference won the Clarity in Research Medal, judged by patients and members of the public.
View the exhibition booklet → Read the systematic review → Read the findings →
Susie Donnelly Research (SDR) 