Staff Profile
Dr Gemma Frances Spiers
Principal Research Associate
- Address: Population Health Sciences Institute
Faculty of Medical Sciences
Newcastle University
Background
I am Principal Research Associate in the Healthy Ageing Policy Research Unit, within the Population Health Sciences Institute at Newcastle University. My research interests include ageing and care, with a particular focus on the link between inequity in access to health and social care and the implications for later life health inequalities. Prior to coming to Newcastle, I worked as a Research Fellow at the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York.
A full list of publications is available on my Research Gate page.
ORCiD number: 0000-0003-2121-4529
Teaching
I current contribute to the MSc in Public Health, teaching sessions on Ageing & Inequalities, and Public Policy.
Publications
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Articles
- Spiers GF, Davies L, Sinclair D, Tan MMC, Kingston A, Hanratty B. Which unmet social care needs have the biggest impact on healthy ageing? An analysis of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. BMJ Open 2025, 15, e084812.
- Spiers G, Tan MMC, Astbury JL, Hall A, Ahmed N, Lanyi K, Williams O, Beyer F, Craig D, Hanratty B. What works to support carers of older people and older carers? an international evidence map of interventions and outcomes. BMC Geriatrics 2024, 24(1), 301.
- Brotherhood K, Searle B, Spiers GF, Caiado C, Hanratty B. Variations in older people's emergency care use by social care setting: a systematic review of international evidence. British Medical Bulletin 2024, 149(1), 32-44.
- Davies LE, Spiers GF, Kingston A, Todd A, Hanratty B. The Co-Occurrence of Polypharmacy and Unmet Needs for Social Care in Older People: A Systematic Review. Health and Social Care in the Community 2024, 2024, 9849110.
- Davies LE, Sinclair DR, Kingston A, Spiers GF, Hanratty B. Is it possible to identify populations experiencing material disadvantage in primary care? A feasibility study using the Clinical Practice Research Database. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2024, 78(12), 806-808.
- Johnson EE, Searle B, Lazo Green K, Walbaum M, Barker R, Brotherhood K, Spiers GF, Craig D, Hanratty B. Interventions to Prevent Hospital Admissions in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Rapid Review of Economic Evidence. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2024, 25(8), 105034.
- Green KL, Tan MMC, Johnson EE, Ahmed N, Eastaugh C, Beyer F, Craig D, Spiers GF, Hanratty B. Interventions for cold homes: a rapid review of the health impacts. European Journal of Public Health 2024, 34(4), 682-695.
- Davies LE, Spiers GF, Sinclair DR, Kingston A, Hanratty B. Characteristics of older unpaid carers in England: A study of social patterning from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Age and Ageing 2024, 53(3), afae049.
- Stowell M, Spiers GF, Kunonga P, Beyer F, Richmond C, Craig D, Hanratty B. Caring for Older People As a Social Determinant of Health: Findings from a Scoping Review of Observational Studies. Journal of Long-Term Care 2024, 28-41.
- Searle B, Barker RO, Stow D, Spiers GF, Pearson F, Hanratty B. Which interventions are effective at decreasing or increasing emergency department attendances or hospital admissions from long-term care facilities? A systematic review. BMJ Open 2023, 13(2), e064914.
- Whitehead IO, Moffatt S, Warwick S, Spiers GF, Kunonga TP, Tang E, Hanratty B. Systematic review of the relationship between burn-out and spiritual health in doctors. BMJ Open 2023, 13(8), e068402.
- Kunonga TP, Spiers GF, Richmond C, Beyer FR, Bower P, Hanratty B, Craig D. Health interventions and the unseen impact on equality. The Lancet Healthy Longevity 2023, 4(1), E8-E9.
- Spiers GF, Liddle JE, Stow D, Searle B, Whitehead IO, Kingston A, Moffatt S, Matthews FE, Hanratty B. Measuring older people's socioeconomic position: a scoping review of studies of self-rated health, health service and social care use. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2022, 76(6), 572-579.
- Spiers GF, Kunonga TP, Stow D, Hall A, Kingston A, Williams O, Beyer F, Bower P, Craig D, Todd C, Hanratty B. Factors associated with unmet need for support to maintain independence in later life: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Age and Ageing 2022, 51(10), 1-11.
- Hall A, Spiers G, Hanratty B. Constructions of childlessness and ageing: legitimising dependency on unpaid care?. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults 2022, 23(4), 165-173.
- Spiers GF, Liddle J, Kunonga TP, Whitehead IO, Beyer F, Stow D, Welsh C, Ramsay SE, Craig D, Hanratty B. What are the consequences of caring for older people and what interventions are effective for supporting unpaid carers? A rapid review of systematic reviews. BMJ Open 2021, 11(9), e046187.
- Spiers GF, Kunonga TP, Beyer F, Craig D, Hanratty B, Jagger C. Trends in health expectancies: A systematic review of international evidence. BMJ Open 2021, 11(5), e045567.
- Spiers GF, Kunonga TP, Hall A, Beyer F, Boulton E, Parker S, Bower P, Craig D, Todd C, Hanratty B. Measuring frailty in younger populations: a rapid review of evidence. BMJ Open 2021, 11, e047051.
- Hall A, Boulton E, Kunonga P, Spiers G, Beyer F, Bower P, Craig D, Todd C, Hanratty B. Identifying older adults with frailty approaching end-of-life: A systematic review. Palliative Medicine 2021, 35(10), 1832-1843.
- Bennett HQ, Kingston A, Spiers G, Robinson L, Corner L, Bambra C, Brayne C, Matthews FE, Jagger C. Healthy ageing for all? Comparisons of socioeconomic inequalities in health expectancies over two decades in the Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies I and II. International Journal of Epidemiology 2021, 50(3), 841-851.
- Kunonga TP, Spiers GF, Beyer FR, Hanratty B, Boulton E, Hall A, Bower P, Todd C, Craig D. Effects of Digital Technologies on Older People's Access to Health and Social Care: Umbrella Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research 2021, 23(11), e25887.
- Jarvis H, Craig D, Barker R, Spiers G, Stow D, Anstee QM, Hanratty B. Metabolic risk factors and incident advanced liver disease in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): A systematic review and meta-analysis of population based observational studies. PLoS Medicine 2020, 17(4), e1003100.
- Dawson S, Kunonga P, Beyer F, Spiers G, Booker M, McDonald R, Cameron A, Craig D, Hanratty B, Salisbury C, Huntley A. Does health and social care provision for the community dwelling older population help to reduce unplanned secondary care, support timely discharge and improve patient well-being? A mixed-method meta review of systematic reviews. F1000Research 2020, 9, 857.
- Davies LE, Spiers G, Kingston A, Todd A, Adamson J, Hanratty B. Adverse Outcomes of Polypharmacy in Older People: Systematic Review of Reviews. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA) 2020, 21(2), 181–187.
- Stow D, Spiers G, Matthews FE, Hanratty B. What is the evidence that people with frailty have needs for palliative care at the end of life? A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Palliative Medicine 2019, 33(4), 399-414.
- Spiers G, Matthews FE, Moffatt S, Barker R, Jarvis H, Stow D, Kingston A, Hanratty B. Impact of social care supply on healthcare utilisation by older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing 2019, 48(1), 57-66.
- Spiers G, Matthews FE, Moffatt S, Barker R, Jarvis H, Stow D, Kingston A, Hanratty B. Does older adults’ use of social care influence their healthcare utilisation? A systematic review of international evidence. Health & Social Care in the Community 2019, 27(5), e651-e662.
- Barker RO, Craig D, Spiers G, Kunonga P, Hanratty B. Who Should Deliver Primary Care in Long-term Care Facilities to Optimize Resident Outcomes? A Systematic Review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 2018, 19(12), 1069-1079.
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Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
- Kunonga TP, Spiers GF, Richmond C, Beyer FR, Bower P, Hanratty B, Craig D. Health Interventions and the Unseen Impact on Equality in Disability Free Life Expectancy: A Rapid Evidence Synthesis. In: Society for Social Medicine & Population Health Annual Scientific Meeting 2023. 2023, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: BMJ Publishing Group.
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Reviews
- Spiers G, Boulton E, Corner L, Craig D, Parker S, Todd C, Hanratty B. What matters to people with multiple long-term conditions and their carers?. Postgraduate Medical Journal 2023, 99(1169), 159-165.
- Stowell M, Hall A, Warwick S, Richmond C, Eastaugh CH, Hanratty B, McDermott J, Craig D, Spiers GF. Promoting sexual health in older adults: Findings from two rapid reviews. Maturitas 2023, 177, 107795.