Vari Drennan

Vari Drennan is a senior academic and researcher affiliated with the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London. Her work centers on primary and community care, nursing workforce development, aging, dementia, and the evolving roles of non-medical practitioners in the NHS, particularly physician associates and advanced clinical practitioners.

Her research interests include primary and community care, nursing workforce issues, frailty and aging, dementia care, continence management, and health policy evaluation. She has led and contributed to numerous studies examining the integration and impact of physician associates, district nursing, and interprofessional working.

Recent publications (2022–2025) show a strong focus on interventions for older people with mild frailty (e.g., the HomeHealth RCT), workforce challenges in community and emergency nursing, and the psychosocial aspects of care for older adults. Her methodological expertise spans qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research, including systematic reviews, process evaluations, and large-scale surveys.

She has been recognized with an MBE for services to healthcare, underscoring her significant contributions to the field.

Drennan has supervised and collaborated on major research projects, often leading multi-institutional teams. She has also contributed to national policy discussions on workforce planning and service delivery. Her work frequently appears in high-impact journals such as The Lancet Healthy Longevity, BMC Health Services Research, and Journal of Advanced Nursing.

She has been involved in evaluating innovative care models such as the Buurtzorg district nursing approach and has explored the challenges of managing continence in dementia care. Her leadership in research indicates a strong advisory and grant-holding role, although specific grants are not detailed in the provided texts.