Sarah Rose Stokes 🌻

A small black box sat on a white desk. The box is black, with white and green writing and imagery indicating the product inside, which are loop earplugs, in the model ‘switch 2’.

Obsessed.

June 2025— month note This month was dominated by the tour of GP practices in England — really great to be doing field research again, joined by some of our UCD…

June was dominated by field research in GP practices with Alison, joined at times by Nick, Ben, and Mohit.

Also featured were patient observations, reading up on triaging approaches, and a delicious Victoria sponge.

medium.com/@SarahRose-U...

#UserResearch #HealthcareLeadership #PrimaryCare

Help: latest with user needs for accounts?

When does someone need an account

When do they not?

When is “magic link” good enough - for user to track application, and for the organisation to be able to connect a person to their records?

Are accounts an inevitable in the age of integrated data?

@mindcharity.bsky.social are leaving X! 💙

We’re sending you love ❤️

(please ignore that he hates the bath being run 🤣)

A lady smiling with shoulder length brown hair. In the background is a lit arena / theatre stage. Superimposed on the photograph is white writing that says ‘Vicky Teinaki, 1985 - 2025’.

Vicky 🖤


The most generous, warm, principled, intelligent, passionate, creative, and empathetic colleague and friend you could hope to have. So many of us wouldn’t be who we are without her. I hope she knows how many lives she touched. 


@vickytnz.bsky.social

Blue book on a table. Edited by Rachel Edwards, book is called ‘Designed with Care: Creating trauma-informed content‘

📚 new read - ‘Designed with Care: Creating trauma-informed content’

Arrived Sunday and a couple chapters in - covering what trauma is and why clarity is kinder when creating content for bereaved and dying people.

🏷️
#TraumaInformed
#ContentDesign
#TraumaInformedDesign
#TraumaInformedResearch

Our User Research role working in digital primary care closes this Sunday at 11.59pm 🚨

Any questions, you can still reach out :)

www.jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jo...

#UserResearch
#NHS
#Hiring
#Vacancy

Hi! The one you’ve posted is correct, yes 👍

(We will complete shortlisting and inform all candidates before the festive period. Interviews will be scheduled for the New Year.)


#Hiring

#JobVacancy

#JobSearch

#UserResearch

#NHS

If you’re interested please do apply - or reach out if you have any questions, we’d be happy to chat!


jobs.nhs.uk/candidate/jobadver..


* Though this role is being advertised as being based at one of our National Offices, once in post we can support you with applying to either be based at one of our Regional offices, or with switching to a home working contract if required. *

We have an opening for a User Researcher in the Digital Primary Care team 🩺

It’s an interesting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team, whose current focus is ensuring that out of hours GP appointments can be offered to patients.

Month notes for October 2024, written by Sarah stokes, Senior user researcher at nhs England

Mental health first aid workbook lying on a desk, with slides displayed on a large screen in the background

Framed drawings by young children on display in a hospital corridor

Two cats lying on windowsill, nose prints on the window pane. The black and white cat is staring at the camera

My month notes from October.
Includes work on ‘how might we’ workshops, line management training, MHFA refresher training, creating user artefacts, and recruitment admin 👀

Link to read is in my bio!

🏷️
#UserResearch
#ResearchLeadership
#UserExperienceResearch
#WomenInTech
#MentalHealthFirstAid

Little nervous as it’s been a while since I’ve been in an academic setting and life looks different now than it did back then - but it’s mostly excitement right now!

The programme named after her focuses on skills to work strategically across complex healthcare systems, strengthening leadership skills - and my most favourite - bringing positive changes to services and patients.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson herself was the first woman in Britain to qualify as a physician and a surgeon, and was co-founder of the first medical school in Britain to train doctors. She’s also the first female Dean of a British medical school, and the first female mayor in Britain.

I’m going back to Uni!

Starting late October this year, I’ll be studying Healthcare Leadership at the University of Birmingham via the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson programme.

—
🏷️
#UserResearch
#UserResearcher
#UserExperience
#PatientExperience
#Student
#WomenInTech

Month notes for July 2024, written by Sarah stokes - a senior user researcher at NHS England

Blurry Houses of Parliament at night

White and ginger cat lying in the window, with a paw on a human hand

This month, I worked on recruitment, strategic research, co-working, team charters, and ethics & safeguarding. And it was really warm! 🌞

Next month - I’m looking forward to longer term planning for research in my area, and a tonne of accessibility work with colleagues.

(To read - link is in bio!)

Sarah rose stokes, senior user researcher at nhs England is the author of June month notes

Room of people sat round table talking

Woman presenting to an audience, with a whiteboard with sticky notes on in the foreground

Wooded area with bunting and a purple banner that states Durham scouts

June Month Notes
Includes away days, volunteering leave, tech festivals, and end of month updates with cats.
🏢 @nhsengland
____
🏷️
#UserResearch
#UserExperienceResearch
#WomenInTech
#WomenInTechNorthEast
#TechNExt2024
@technext_uk
#UCD
#UserCentredDesign
#ResearchLeadership
#Volunteering

May Monthnotes

(now pre election period is over) and the first in the new job.


Link to read the monthnotes are in the bio.


🏢 @nhsengland


🏷️ 
#MonthNotes
#UserResearch
#UserExperienceResearch
#ResearchLeadership
#WomenInTech
#Blog

Screenshot of a LinkedIn post, announcing Sarah has a new role as Senior User Researcher at NHS England.

It’s official!

Month Notes for March!

Includes in-person research with digitally excluded patients, Services Week, playing back some research findings, and meeting people in the office!

medium.com/@SarahRose-U...

#UserResearch #UXResearch #ServiceDesign

🏷️:
#UserResearch
#UserCentredDesign
#UX
#UserExperience
#ServiceDesign
#Design
#Prototyping
#Events
#Community
#Tech

We don’t always have the time or opportunity through our work!

Helping provide a space to do this in the north east, means better services for users anyway, so of course I’m on board😄

Announcement on February’s meet-up coming next week!

White background with grey text stating ‘User Centred Dojo’ to the left. To the right is a series of interlocking black, pink, and blue puzzle pieces. One large overlayed puzzle piece contains a photo of Sarah, a 30 year old woman with dark brown curly hair, red lipstick, and bags under her eyes.

Really pleased to be joining Megan and Gabe to help organise User Centred Dojo!

I really believe that regardless of our background, our day job or amount of experience, people need a safe space to practice and learn aspects of research, design, and implementation of services.

“The UK Civil Service is undertaking a once-in-a-generation review of design in the public sector – an opportunity for all public designers to make their voice heard. We need you to complete the survey.”

publicpolicydesign.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/22/s...

Sarah Stokes – Medium Read writing from Sarah Stokes on Medium. Lead User Researcher | Views my own. Every day, Sarah Stokes and thousands of other voices read, write, and share important stories on Medium.

medium.com/@SarahRose-UR

Sketch on white paper with black marker - sat at wooden desk

Group of people sat at a long wooden table. They’re building models out of LEGO

Man and woman wearing NYPD tops

Table with stack of sticky notes, blue tac, whiteboard pens and printed out hypotheses on it

I’ve finally collated my previous week notes and articles in one place, over on Medium

Sadly some were hosted elsewhere and no longer available, or you’d have those too.

Enjoy!

#userresearch #userexperienceresearch #weeknotes #agile #dataanalysis #codesign #legoseriousplay #qualitativedata

Schools & Academies Show

Attending The Schools & Academies Show (co-located with The EdTech Summit) this year!

excited for pop-up research with my DfE Digital, Data and Technology service team (eek!) and to hear from the speakers!

shorturl.at/dksRU