Amanda Cresswell
Faculties, departments and locations
- Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education
- Department of Public Health and Children's, Learning Disabilities and Mental Health Nursing
- Centre for Health and Social Care Research
Research Assistant
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
I am a Research Assistant in the Kingston University Intellectual Disability (KIND) Research Group, bringing almost two decades of research experience in the area of cancer, death, dying and intellectual (learning) disability, working with Professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne. I have worked on many research projects about people with an intellectual disability who have cancer, how to break bad news, and how to help people with an intellectual disability get good care at the end of their life. Our recent studies were the Victoria & Stuart Project (end of life care planning with people with an intellectual disability) and the DAPPLE Project (how to make sure everyone with an intellectual disability gets good care at the end of their life). I also work as part of the co-production group of the LeDeR Programme (NHS England’s programme of reviewing the deaths of people with a learning disability).
As a researcher, I am involved in running focus groups and doing interviews. I help with data analysis and dissemination. We make a lot of videos and put them on our research YouTube channels, so everyone can learn about our research.
I bring lived experience as a person with an intellectual disability, who has experienced bereavement and survived cancer. I have given conference presentations both in the UK and abroad, including a plenary presentation for over 2,000 people at EAPC World Congress in Madrid in 2017.
It is really important that people with an intellectual disability, like me, get the chance to do research. With support, we CAN do it! I am very happy that Kingston University is making it possible for myself and my other colleagues with an intellectual disability to be employed here. Hopefully other universities will follow our lead!
Qualifications
- Attended Special Needs schools
- No formal academic qualifications
Domains
I am involved in giving presentations and speak at conferences, both online an in-person.
I do qualitative research. My focus is on health inequalities for people with learning disabilities; dying, death and bereavement; shared decision making; and inclusive research methodologies.
Publications
- Cresswell, A., Tuffrey-Wijne, I. (2008) The come back kid: I had cancer, but I got through it. British Journal of Learning Disabilities 36 (3), 152-156
- Tuffrey-Wijne, I., Giatras, N., Butler, G., Cresswell, A. (2012) People with intellectual disabilities who are affected by a relative or friend with cancer: a qualitative study exploring experiences and support needs. European Journal of Oncology Nursing 16 (5), 512-519
- Tuffrey-Wijne, I., Giatras, N., Butler, G., Cresswell, A. (2011) Supporting people with learning disabilities who are affected by a relative or friend with cancer: Final Report. London: Macmillan Cancer Support.
- Butler, G., Cresswell, A., Giatras, N., Tuffrey-Wijne, I. (2012) Doing it together: Co-facilitating focus groups with people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities 40 (2), 134-142
- Tuffrey-Wijne, I., Giatras, N., Butler, G., Cresswell, A., Manners, P., Bernal, J. (2013) Developing guidelines for disclosure or non-disclosure of bad news to people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 26 (3), 231-242
- Bruun A, Cresswell A, Jeffrey D, Jordan L, Keagan-Bull R, Giles J, Swindells S, Wilding M, Payne N, Gibson S, Anderson-Kittow R, Tuffrey-Wijne I (2024) The All Together Group: Co-Designing a Toolkit of Approaches and Resources for End-of-Life Care Planning With People With Intellectual Disabilities in Social Care Settings. Health Expectations 27(4).
- Tuffrey-Wijne I, Bruun A, Tilley E, Giles J, Gibson S, Cresswell A, Keagan-Bull R, Jordan L, Allen G, Swindells S, Payne N, Hughes R, Anderson-Kittow R (2025) Co-designing a toolkit of approaches and resources for end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities within adult social care settings: a multi-phase study. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 38:e70019.
- Tuffrey-Wijne I, Tilley E, Tyrer F, Islam Z, Jordan J, Glover G, Wallace L, Giles J, Keagan-Bull R, Cresswell A, Anderson-Kittow R (2025) Developing service models for adult palliative and end of life care for people with a learning disability (The DAPPLE Project): protocol for a mixed-method study. BMJ Open 2025;15:e106752. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-106752
Specialisms
- Learning disability
- Palliative care
- Inclusive research
- Patient and Public Involvement