Michael Calnan

Michael Calnan is a sociologist who has a national and international reputation for research into the study of the sociology of health, illness and health service policy and research. He has carried out numerous studies on health-related topics and published extensively in books, chapters in books, peer-reviewed journals and professional journals. His research from an academic point of view has tended to bridge the academic disciplines of the sociology of health and illness and health policy but it also has significant implications for policy and practice. One area in which a considerable amount of his research has focused is in providing an understanding of the perspective and experience of the lay person and the patient. His recent work on trust relations has shown how important trust is not only to patients, but also to professionals and managers in the provision of health care. This work has been published in two books: Trust matters in Health Care (2008) and Trusting on the Edge (2012) This research council funded work has focused on trust relations in health systems which has involved studies in both high and low to middle income countries such as in India. The focus has been on the sources of the erosion of trust in the governance of health systems. The aim is to identify the barriers to trust making and develop strategies for repairing trust with a view to building sustainable health systems. A related interest is in the institutions (HTAs) set up in different countries for the rationing of new, expensive medicines. This builds on his recently completed ESRC funded research in England about the social influences on decision making by NICE in relation to technological appraisals which focused specifically on the role of trust in the management of uncertainty.He has recently published a book entitled(2020) Health Policy , Power and Politics:Sociological Insights and written on Covid 19, Trust relations and the policy response in England.