
Dr Kalpa Kharicha
Senior Research Fellow
Biography
Kalpa has over 25 years’ experience as a social science researcher, mostly gained at the Centre for Ageing Population Studies, Research Department of Primary Care & Population Health, UCL, and recently applied in the third sector to inform evidence-based change.
Her main research interests include ageing and care across the trajectory of later life and in under-researched groups, wider determinants of health, well-being and inequalities, and loneliness and isolation across the life course and in different contexts. Her PhD was on older people’s experiences and responses to loneliness in later life.
She is primarily a qualitative researcher with broad experience of research methods for applied health and social care research, including reviews and syntheses, mixed methods evaluations, intervention development, randomised controlled trials with clinical trials units, and PPIE using principles of co-design.
Most recently, she was Head of Research, Policy and Practice at the Campaign to End Loneliness, part of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing. She led the Campaign’s research and evidence activities by developing, sharing and using robust evidence to inform decision-making in policy and practice, and partnering with cross-sector stakeholders including researchers, government policy makers, VCSE organisations, businesses and people with lived experience. She worked closely with implementation and communications colleagues to develop wide-reaching and accessible outputs.
She was a course lead on the postgraduate Qualitative Research Methods in Health course at UCL, and co-developed an e-learning course on Tackling Loneliness and Social Isolation for health and social care practitioners at the Campaign.
She worked at UCL from 1997–2018, where she did her PhD, and at the Institute of Psychiatry and Brunel University before then.
At the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, Kalpa leads the Visa Study.
Kalpa Kharicha: ORCID iD
Research

Volunteers in Adult Social Care (VASC): An evaluation of the national volunteer responders scheme
Evaluating an online system that aims to ‘match’ potential volunteers with care providers and organisations who wish to recruit more volunteers.
Project status: Ongoing

Evaluation of the International Recruitment Fund for adult social care
The fund aims to increase the number of international recruits entering adult social care, improving ethical international recruitment & employment practice.
Project status: Ongoing

The Visa Study: Understanding the impact of the Health and Care Worker visa on the frontline adult social care workforce
Evaluating the impact of immigration rule changes on the social care system.
Project status: Ongoing

International educational partnerships to develop the healthcare workforce
Building on the Unit's earlier review of ethical international recruitment
Project status: Completed
News
Understanding the impact of changes to the UK Health and Care Visa System on the adult social care workforce in England
New report identifies important areas of learning for practice and policy on international recruitment

International educational partnerships to develop the healthcare workforce
What are the benefits and challenges associated with these partnerships?

At the Health Services Research UK Conference 2023
Senior Research Fellow Kalpa Kharicha discussed the Unit's Visa Study at the conference

Exploring local adult social care evidence needs
Unit researchers a strong presence at an event that employed World Café methodology

Developing the Workforce Research Roadmap at the Health and Care Workforce Forum
Connecting research evidence and policy

Events

Showcase of social care research in NIHR Policy Research Units
Hosted by the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Adult Social Care
Please note: this event has passed.

Equality, Dignity and Care Homes – The Way Forward
Inaugural meeting of the Human Rights and Social Care Forum
Please note: this event has passed.
Research

Volunteers in Adult Social Care (VASC): An evaluation of the national volunteer responders scheme
Evaluating an online system that aims to ‘match’ potential volunteers with care providers and organisations who wish to recruit more volunteers.
Project status: Ongoing

Evaluation of the International Recruitment Fund for adult social care
The fund aims to increase the number of international recruits entering adult social care, improving ethical international recruitment & employment practice.
Project status: Ongoing

The Visa Study: Understanding the impact of the Health and Care Worker visa on the frontline adult social care workforce
Evaluating the impact of immigration rule changes on the social care system.
Project status: Ongoing

International educational partnerships to develop the healthcare workforce
Building on the Unit's earlier review of ethical international recruitment
Project status: Completed
News
Understanding the impact of changes to the UK Health and Care Visa System on the adult social care workforce in England
New report identifies important areas of learning for practice and policy on international recruitment

International educational partnerships to develop the healthcare workforce
What are the benefits and challenges associated with these partnerships?

At the Health Services Research UK Conference 2023
Senior Research Fellow Kalpa Kharicha discussed the Unit's Visa Study at the conference

Exploring local adult social care evidence needs
Unit researchers a strong presence at an event that employed World Café methodology

Developing the Workforce Research Roadmap at the Health and Care Workforce Forum
Connecting research evidence and policy

Events

Showcase of social care research in NIHR Policy Research Units
Hosted by the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Adult Social Care
Please note: this event has passed.

Equality, Dignity and Care Homes – The Way Forward
Inaugural meeting of the Human Rights and Social Care Forum
Please note: this event has passed.