Gerald's current academic work includes evaluations of social care innovations.

He has previously carried out evaluations of the Integrated Care and Support Pioneer Programme and the North West London Whole System Integrated Care initiative, and contributed to studies of the economic case for community capacity building, an EU programme on the role of the third sector in social innovation, and the impact of spending constraints on adult social care.

Gerald has previously been Co-director of the Centre for Social Policy Research at Loughborough University, Director of the Nuffield Institute for Health at Leeds University, Chair of a Primary Care Trust and was, for ten years, a Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Health Committee. He has published extensively on a wide range of health and social care issues.

He has served as the scientific adviser to the Department of Health's Individual Budgets pilot programme (2005-08), was the scientific adviser to the Department of Health's Demonstration Programme for the Common Assessment Framework for Adults, advised the Cabinet Office on the proposals for personal budgets in the NHS and was seconded to the DH team working on integration policy. He has also advised the States of Jersey Scrutiny Committee on Health, the Audit Commission on integrated commissioning, and the Department of Health on the preparation of Green and White Papers. He chaired the Advisory Board for the Turning Point Centre of Excellence for Connected Care.