Professor Tom Sanders

Professor

School: Communities and Education

I am a Professor of Applied Health and Social Care. My research has focused on the development, implementation and testing of healthcare interventions using a range of mixed design and qualitative methods. I joined Northumbria in September 2018 as Associate Professor of Applied Health Research. Prior to this I worked as a Senior Research Fellow in the Public Health Section of ScHARR at the University of Sheffield and in the Translating Knowledge to Action theme (CLAHRC Yorkshire and Humber). Prior to joining the University of Sheffield I was a Senior Research Fellow (Qualitative) at the ARUK Primary Care Centre, Keele University (2010-14) where I conducted studies investigating the implementation of musculoskeletal care interventions, largely within large trials in primary care (STarT Back Tool).

I am the Programme Lead for the BSc Health and Social Care and honorary senior research fellow at the School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield.

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Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

I am a Professor of Applied Health and Social Care Research. My research is concerned with the development, implementation and testing of healthcare interventions using a range of mixed design and qualitative methods. I joined Northumbria in September 2018 as Associate Professor of Applied Health Research. Prior to this I worked as a Senior Research Fellow in the Public Health Section of ScHARR at the University of Sheffield and in the Translating Knowledge to Action theme (CLAHRC Yorkshire and Humber). Prior to joining the University of Sheffield I was a Senior Research Fellow (Qualitative) at the ARUK Primary Care Centre, Keele University (2010-14) where I conducted studies investigating the implementation of musculoskeletal care interventions, largely within large trials in primary care (STarT Back Tool). Between 2005 and 2010 I was a Lecturer in Medical Sociology at the Division of Primary Care, University of Manchester, and prior to this I was an NHS Executive Post Doctoral Research Training Fellow (2002-2005) under the supervision of Professor Stephen Harrison (University of Manchester), where I conducted a three year ethnographic research study of professional boundaries in the management of heart failure, culminating in a paper on 'professional legitimacy claims' in the Journal Sociology of Health & Illness (2008). Prior to this I held several research positions including as Research Associate (Cardiff University, University of Bristol), and a PhD Studentship funded by the Medical Research Council (University of Bristol/Bath, 1995-199) where I conducted an ethnography in decision-making in oncology (bowel cancer). I hold a Masters in Medical Sociology and a BA degree in Sociology.

Prevously I have served on the NIHR PGfAR funding Committee (2017-2022), and Health Sub Committee of the Arthritis Research UK (now Versus Arthritis, 2018-2021). I am the University Faculty Representative on the Committee for Responsible Research Assessment.

I have a longstanding interest in cancer care, namely the delivery of services and patient experiences. I have also conducted studies on patients and healthcare professionals in the context of muskuloskeletal conditions, Type 1 Diabetes (young adults), heart failure, help seeking behaviours by people prior to a cancer diagnosis. I have also conducted studies on risk perceptions among people with first degree relatives with cancer, and on non-accidental head injuries in young children culminating in a book (2006). Currently, I am a co-investigator on a primary care trial (NIHR HSDR) testing a new symptoms clinic in primary care for medically persistent symptoms, and a co-investigator on an NIHR Programme Grant to develop a digital intervention for fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis. Here I lead the qualitative and implementation research workpackages and supervise several researchers. Recent completed research includes a qualitative study and toolkit development for personalised care following hospital discharge (2022-2023), evaluation of the diabetes prevention programme, (health economic modelling tool for diabetes prevention, 2016-18), and a study investigating optimal models of care for post partum weight management (2017-18).

My research has been funded by NIHR (HSDR, PGfAR, HTA), NIHR NSPCR (National School for Primary Care Research), VONNE, and CLAHRC.

Medical Sociology

Understanding standardised tools and interventions and their adoption in healthcare

Normalisation Process Theory

Experiences of chronic illness (heart failure, type 1 diabetes, musculoskeletal pain, persistent and medically unexplained symptoms)

Healthcare communication in the consultation (heart failure, primary care, physiotherapy)

Development and testing of a Symptoms Clinic in Primary Care (MSS3 Trial - Funded by NIHR HS&DR)

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Awakening the sense of the possible: the Symptoms Clinic as liminal affective technology, Greco, M., Deary, V., Fryer, K., Sanders, T., Burton, C. 1 Oct 2025, In: Social Science and Medicine
Co-Producing Personalised Discharge Planning: Developing a Toolkit to Improve Caregiver Involvement in Hospital Transitions, McEwan, K., Sanders, T., Carr, S., Van der Graaf, P., Jones, S., Aquino, M., Hogg, M., Hameed, R., Lai, F., Cooper, C., Potthoff, S. 1 Dec 2025, In: Health Expectations : an International Journal of Public Participation in Health Care and Health Policy
Diabetes, Sanders, T. 1 Oct 2025, The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Health, Illness, Behaviour and Society, Hoboken, US, Wiley-Blackwell
Multiple Symptoms Study 3 – An extended-role general practitioner clinic for patients with persistent physical symptoms: a Randomised Controlled Trial, Burton, C., Mooney, C., Sutton, L., White, D., Dawson, J., Fryer, K., Greco, M., Horspool, M., Neilson, A., Rowlands, G., Sanders, T., Thomas, R., Thomas, S., Cooper, C., Woodward, J., Turton, E., Waheed, W., Kumar, P., Ridsdale, K., Mallender, E., Deary, V. 2 Apr 2025, In: Health and Social Care Delivery Research
‘There’s no magic pill’: A multi-methods qualitative study exploring routine fatigue care in multiple sclerosis, O'Connor, E., Fawson, S., Sanders, T., Finch, T., Dodsworth, N., Waine, H., Tamburro, O., Freeman, J., Bostock, P., Hendry, W., Moss-Morris, R. 23 Jun 2025, In: International Journal of MS Care
Effectiveness of a symptom-clinic intervention delivered by general practitioners with an extended role for people with multiple and persistent physical symptoms in England: the Multiple Symptoms Study 3 pragmatic, multicentre, parallel-group, individually randomised controlled trial, Burton, C., Mooney, C., Sutton, L., White, D., Dawson, J., Neilson, A., Rowlands, G., Thomas, S., Horspool, M., Fryer, K., Greco, M., Sanders, T., Thomas, R., Cooper, C., Turton, E., Waheed, W., Woodward, J., Mallender, E., Deary, V. 15 Jun 2024, In: The Lancet
Explanation for symptoms and biographical repair in a clinic for persistent physical symptoms, Sanders, T., Fryer, K., Greco, M., Mooney, C., Deary, V., Burton, C. 1 Jun 2024, In: SSM - Qualitative Research in Health
How can asset-based approaches reduce inequalities? Exploring processes of change in England and Spain, Cassetti, V., Barnes, A., Powell, K., Sanders, T. 1 Apr 2024, In: Health Promotion International
Liver disease as new work in the context of protocolised primary care - do GPs have a role? A qualitative interview study, Jarvis, H., Sanders, T., Hanratty, B. 20 Jun 2024, In: The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
Recognition, explanation, action, learning: Teaching and delivery of a consultation model for persistent physical symptoms, Fryer, K., Sanders, T., Greco, M., Mooney, C., Deary, V., Burton, C. 1 Oct 2023, In: Patient Education and Counseling

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Developing an NIHR Health and Social care Delivery Research (HSDR) national evaluation team: InterDisciplinary Evaluation of complex innovations in heAlth and Social care (IDEAS) Centre, Bate, A. (Principal Investigator), Sanders, T. (Co Investigator), National Institute for Health Research, 01/02/25 - 31/01/30, £3,028,752.00

PGR Supervision

Claire Leader Caught Between Fields: Leadership Identity, Psychological Safety, and Workforce Wellbeing in NHS Nursing and Midwifery "Caught Between Fields: Leadership Identity, Psychological Safety, and Workforce Wellbeing in NHS Nursing and Midwifery" Start Date: 01/03/2020
Chloe Beck Start Date: 01/10/2025