Dr Mel Steer

Assistant Professor

School: Healthcare and Nursing Sciences

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

My research interests include social policy, poverty and disadvantage, social and health inequity, the social determinants of health, adult social care and homecare (access and workforce) and social justice. I'm interested in policy-relevant research findings to inform policy and practice for positive social change.

Before starting my PhD (completed 2015), I worked as a Senior Research Officer for the Home Office (Crime and Community Safety), in research and policy roles for local government and the third sector, and in housing management roles for local authorities and housing associations. I completed a PGCE in Post Compulsory Education and training (literacy specialism) and gained experience teaching functional English to adults in the community and at a male prison in the North East region.

I'm an Associate member of Fuse (Centre for translational research in public health), a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Social Policy Association.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Review of residential and nursing care home policies on safety incident reporting in England, Steer, M., Sykes, K., Waring, J., Mason, C., Dawson, P., Newman, C., Young-Murphy, L., Spencer, M., Scott, J. 1 Apr 2026, In: Journal of Health Services Research & Policy
Addressing substance use challenges and interventions for emergency department nurses, Skinner, J., Steer, M., Murphy, K., Hill, B. 19 Jun 2025, In: British Journal of Nursing
Balancing individual rights and risks: A systematic review of qualitative studies of perspectives on older adults' alcohol use in residential care settings, Nichol, B., Charlton, C., Scott, J., Steer, M., Sattar, Z., Haighton, C. 1 Dec 2025, In: Ageing & Society
Home care and alcohol use: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of domiciliary carers' perspectives on alcohol use for older adults in their care, Steer, M., Haighton, C., Nichol, B. 20 May 2025, NIHR School for Social Care Research, York, National Institute for Health Research
Safety incident reporting: policy review in English care homes to improve learning and safety, Steer, M., Sykes, K., Waring, J., Mason, C., Dawson, P., Newman, C., Young-Murphy, L., Spencer, M., Scott, J. 20 May 2025, NIHR School for Social Care Research, York, National Institute for Health Research
Domiciliary Carers’ Perspectives on Alcohol Use by Older Adults in Their Care: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies, Haighton, C., Steer, M., Nichol, B. 6 Oct 2024, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Developing and piloting an intervention to reduce colposcopy non-attendance and corresponding inequalities: a mixed-methods study, Cowling, A., Nevens, L., Contogiorgi, N., Bradley, N., Wilcockson, C., Stebbings, C., McMeekin, P., Steer, M., Harland, J. Nov 2023, In: Lancet (London, England)
Local authority austerity and place-based working: a qualitative exploration of a pilot policy implementation in a market town, Steer, M. 14 Jul 2023, In: People, Policy and Place
North of Tyne Combined Authority Child Poverty Prevention Pilot Evaluation: How does the North of Tyne Combined Authority Child Poverty Prevention Programme work, for whom and in what circumstances?, Steer, M., Bate, A. 2023
Conclusion: hope in an age of austerity and a time of anxiety, Shucksmith, M., Davoudi, S., Todd, L., Steer, M. 26 Apr 2021, Hope under neoliberal austerity, Bristol, Policy Press