The University of Sheffield
Public Health

Dr Mark Pickin FFPH MD

Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer in Public Health

Dr Mark Pickin

Address

Section of Public Health
School of Health and Related Research
The University of Sheffield
Regent Court
30 Regent Street
Sheffield
S1 4DA

Background

Mark moved from the Medical Care Research Unit to join the Public Health Section in February 2006. He has worked at ScHARR since 1995 when he won an MRC Special Training Fellowship in Health Services Research. He qualified in medicine at the University of Bristol in 1986, before training in general practice and public health medicine.

Research interests

Evaluation of the NPCDT's Advanced Access programme

Fast response, mixed method evaluation evaluating Advanced Access, a flagship modernisation programme rapidly rolled out in the NHS. The study, using data from the first 400 practices in the National Primary Care Collaborative, received acclaim from independent reviewers and the issues it raised provoked media interest in the subsequent general election. We also reported to the Prime Minister´s Delivery Unit Task Force on Access.

Access to health care - An evaluation of advanced access in general practice

Collaboration between the universities of Bristol, Sheffield, Southampton and Brighton, led by Professor Chris Salisbury of the University of Bristol. This SDO funded controlled before and after study of 48 practices in 12 primary care trusts, examining the impact of "Advanced Access".

Multiple Sclerosis Risk Sharing Scheme Monitoring Study

This politically and logistically challenging study of disease progression in 5200 MS patients recruited from 70 centres in the UK, funded for £1.8m by DH and four companies. The study is determining NHS prescribing policy using the ScHARR model (BMJ 2004).

Patient deregistration by GPs: epidemiology and professional views

DH funded study which addressed concerns from the media, Health Service Ombudsman and Parliamentary Select Committee about unfair removal of patients by GPs. Despite the sensitive nature of the topic, a response rate of 76% was achieved in a national survey of 1000 GPs.

The impact on A&E and other services of a new GP co-operative primary care treatment centre

DH funded multi-method study undertaken during MRC fellowship. 26,000 people were surveyed about their use of health services. The findings allayed fears that GP cooperatives would cause flooding of A&E departments. A response rate of 97% from GPs illustrates its salience to them.

Grants

Key publications since 2001

Salisbury C, Goodall S, Montgomery AA, Pickin DM, Edwards S, Sampson F, Simons L, Lattimer V. Does Advanced Access improve access to primary health care? Questionnaire survey of patients. Br J Gen Pract. 2007 Aug;57(541):615-21.

Salisbury C, Montgomery AA, Simons L, Sampson F, Edwards S, Baxter H, Goodall S, Smith H, Lattimer V, Pickin DM. Impact of Advanced Access on access, workload, and continuity: controlled before-and-after and simulated-patient study. Br J Gen Pract. 2007 Aug;57(541):608-14.

Cooper C, Pickin M, Chater T, O´Hagan T, Abrams K, Cooper N, Boggild M, Palace J, Ebers G and Nicoll J. MS Risk Sharing Scheme Monitoring Study Final report (Confidential) March 2006

Pickin DM, O´Cathain A, Fall M, Morgan AB, Howe A, Nicholl JP. The impact of a general practice co-operative on accident and emergency services, patient satisfaction and GP satisfaction. Fam Pract 2004, 21:180-182

Pickin M, O´Cathain A, Sampson FC, Dixon S. Evaluation of Advanced Access in the National Primary Care Collaborative. Br J Gen Pract 2004, 54:334-340

Pickin M, Sampson F, Munro J, Nicholl J. General practitioners´ experience and views of removing patients from their lists: postal survey in England and Wales. BMJ 2001;322:1158-9.

View a full list of Mark Pickin´s publications

Full list of publications

Teaching and training

Undergraduate
Mark teaches undergraduate medical students and work with Rachel O'Hara to oversee the public health teaching in Phases 1a and 1b of the MBChB.

Postgraduate
Mark teaches health needs assessment on the SchARR Master in Public Health (MPH) and works with Sarah Barnes to organise the module on Health Needs Assessment and Economic Appraisal. He also teaches on the Leadership module of the ScHARR MSc in Health Economics and Management with Tony Smith. External examiner for Nuffield MPH, 2001-2003.

Writing for publication
Mark is licensed by Tim Albert Training to deliver courses on writing a scientific paper and getting it published. He delivers these to ScHARR staff and to other researchers. If you are interested please contact Mark for further information.

Section

Mark Pickin is based in the Section of Public Health

Public Health