Better healthcare for care homes
Improving the delivery of existing NHS services to care homes is the focus of a new collaborative project led by researchers at the University of Hertfordshire and funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR) Programme.
The three year study will look at the key features of existing health service delivery to identify methods of effective working for all care homes - this could inform future commissioning of services and be applied to influence and evaluate the delivery of optimal care.
Professor Claire Goodman, at the University of Hertfordshire’s Centre for Research in Primary and Community Care, said: “We know from our research that NHS services focus on diagnosis, treatment and support at specific times, whereas care homes prioritise on-going support and relationships that nurture a continuous review of the older person’s care.”
In England, most long term care for older people is provided by independent care homes. These older people are in the last years of their life and have a complex range of health and social care needs. They rely on primary healthcare services for medical care and also for access to nursing, specialist services and secondary healthcare. Yet, according to some recently published research, access to NHS services is inconsistent and determined by local custom and practice rather than the particular needs of the care home residents.
Professor Goodman continued: “We now have a good understanding of many of the barriers affecting how healthcare services work with care homes, and too many examples of when the oldest and most vulnerable members of society do not receive adequate health care. What is needed is evidence of the best ways of working between healthcare services and providers of care which benefit care home residents, their families and the care home staff, as well as making the best use of NHS resources.”
The project is led by Professor Claire Goodman at the University of Hertfordshire in collaboration with University of Nottingham, University of Surrey, Brunel University, City University, Kings College London and University College London. It is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme (project number 11/1021/02).
ENDS
For more information, please contact Julie Cooper, University of Hertfordshire Press Office on 01707 284095, Email: j.cooper5@herts.ac.uk
Notes to Editor
About the University of Hertfordshire
The University is the UK’s leading business-facing university and an exemplar in the sector. It is innovative and enterprising and challenges individuals and organisations to excel.
The University of Hertfordshire is one of the region’s largest employers with over 2,650 staff and a turnover of almost £233 million.
With a student community of over 27,200 including more than 2,800 students from eighty-five different countries, the University has a global network of over 175,000 alumni.
It is also one of the top 100 universities in the world under 50 years old, according to the new Times Higher Education 100 under 50 rankings 2012.
For more information, please visit www.herts.ac.uk
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About the National Institute of Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research Programme
The National Institute of Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research (NIHR HS&DR) Programme was established to fund a broad range of research. It builds on the strengths and contributions of two NIHR research programmes: the Health Services Research (HSR) Programme and the Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Programme, which merged in January 2012. The programme aims to produce rigorous and relevant evidence on the quality, access and organisation of health services, including costs and outcomes. The programme will enhance the strategic focus on research that matters to the NHS. The HS&DR programme is funded by the NIHR, with specific contributions from the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) in Scotland and the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR) in Wales. www.netscc.ac.uk/hsdr/
About the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government’s strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world. For further information, visit the NIHR website (www.nihr.ac.uk ).
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