After graduating in Social Sciences (Sociology and Social Policy) from the Polytechnic of Central London in 1984, I undertook an M.Sc in Sociology as Applied to Medicine at Bedford College, University of London. I then gained employment as a research officer in the Legal Department of National Mind, exploring the implementation of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act where I became interested in a broad range of mental health issues including civil commiment, coercion, drug treatments and user involvement. During that time I undertook a part-time Phd at the University of Nottingham exploring notions of profesional dominance applied to policing and psychiatry. Between 1985-90 I was a a member and then Chair of a Community Health Council in South London. I worked for a while as a free lance and contract researcher for the National Youth Burea and undertook part-time tutoring at various London Universities and medical schools until I was appointed to a full time sociology lecturing post at the Roehampton Institute University in 1989. I taught medical sociology, research methods and underook research exploring users experiences of psychiatric services. In 1994 I moved to the North West and joined the University of Manchester, the School of Primary Care and the National Primary Care Research & Development Centre. In 2001 I was promoted to my present position as Professor of the Sociology of Health Care. I was elected an Academician of the Academy of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences in 2009 and in 2010 was appointed an NIHR Senior Investigator.