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Nurse-led study will examine quality of life in care homes

Four-year project will build a data resource on treatment and services at care homes
Picture shows a group of older people sitting in chairs while a younger man in the centre of the room throws one of them a beach ball. A four-year project will build data resource on treatment and services at care homes.

Four-year project will build a data resource on treatment and services at care homes

Picture shows a group of older people sitting in chairs while a younger man in the centre of the room throws one of them a beach ball. A four-year project will build data resource on treatment and services at care homes.
Picture: Charles Milligan

A nurse-led study will explore how to improve care and quality of life for care home residents, family members and staff.

The four-year study will be led by Queen’s Nursing Institute fellow Claire Goodman, who is professor of healthcare research at the University of Hertfordshire and trained as a district nurse.

Professor Goodman said: ‘By bringing together existing data systems, creating a minimum data set and further researching care home residents’ needs, we can make recommendations likely to improve residents’ quality of life.’

The University of Hertfordshire said the study will look for a more consistent approach to how information about care home residents is recorded and handled, and build a data resource.

Hard to understand the care needs of residents

Care homes, commissioners, practitioners and regulators collect and hold a lot of information about residents’ medical history, needs, preferences and care, but all do this in different ways.

Picture shows three older women sitting in chairs with their arms raised in a group exercise session. A four-year project will build data resource on treatment and services at care homes.
Picture: Neil O’Connor

Researchers say this makes it hard to understand the care needs of residents and how these are met as they move between organisations. Consequences include duplication, some needs not being identified or reviewed, feelings of frustration and failures in communication.

It also hinders planning at a national level for future needs of residents as well as required treatments and services, and makes it hard to research their effectiveness.

The project has been awarded £2.2 million by the National Institute for Health Research.


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