How to … develop an in-house COVID-19 training programme for care home staff

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Adrian Ashurst
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Staff Training ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
House Staff ◽  
Care Home Staff

Adrian Ashurst provides some ideas for developing in-house staff training for staff during lockdown, when external trainers are not permitted, in order to effectively care for and support older people through the pandemic

Urinary catheterization in care homes for older people: self-reported questionnaire audit of catheter management by care home staff

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A.M. McNulty ◽  
J. Bowen ◽  
C. Foy ◽  
K. Gunn ◽  
E. Freeman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Urinary Catheterization ◽  
Care Home Staff

scholarly journals Hearing and vision care provided to older people residing in care homes: a cross-sectional survey of care home staff

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Andrusjak ◽  
Ana Barbosa ◽  
Gail Mountain
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Chi Square Analysis ◽  
Vision Care

Abstract Background: Hearing and vision loss in older people has proven to affect physical and mental health and increase the speed of cognitive decline. Studies have proven certain practices and aspects of staff knowledge increase the effective care of residents’ ears and eyes, yet it is not known which of these are being implemented in care homes. This study aims to identify the gaps in staff knowledge and underused practices evident in long term care homes when identifying and managing hearing and vision difficulties in older residents. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Survey questions were informed by the existing literature and were focused on practices, staff knowledge, and other aspects that have shown to affect residents’ hearing and vision care. The survey was sent to care homes across England between November 2018 and February 2019 both via Email and in paper format for care home staff to complete. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis was used to assess the factors particularly influencing the current care being provided to care home residents. Results: A total of 400 care home staff responded from 74 care homes. The results revealed that screening tools are rarely used by staff to identify hearing and vision impairments, care homes have limited access to other assistive devices, and audiology services do not regularly assess care home residents. A majority of staff were also not entirely confident in their knowledge of ear and eye care. Responses were also affected by the respondents’ job role, length of time working in care homes and also the care home type and care home capacity revealing a lack of standardised practice and shared communication. Conclusion: This study identifies which practices known to facilitate ear and eye care are currently under used in care homes across England and what particularly staff are not knowledgeable on when it comes to ear and eye care. This can now inform future research of the areas requiring improvement to as effectively address to acknowledged slow identification and poor management of hearing and vision loss in older people residing in care homes.

Partnership working by default: district nurses and care home staff providing care for older people

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 553-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Goodman ◽  
Nadia Robb ◽  
Vari Drennan ◽  
Rosemary Woolley
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
District Nurses ◽  
Care For Older People

scholarly journals Understanding Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Implementing Deprescribing for Older People Living in Long-term Residential Care Homes: The STOPPING Study Protocol

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystal Warmoth ◽  
Jo Day ◽  
Emma Cockcroft ◽  
Donald Nigel Reed ◽  
Lucy Pollock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Qualitative Approaches

Abstract Background: Older people with multimorbidity often experience polypharmacy. Taking multiple medicines can be beneficial; however, some older adults are prescribed multiple medicines when they are unlikely to improve clinical outcomes and may lead to harm. Deprescribing means reducing or stopping prescription medicines which may no longer be providing benefit. While appropriate deprescribing may usually be safely undertaken, there is a lack of guidance about how to implement it in practice settings such as care homes. Implementing deprescribing in care homes is often challenging, due to differing concerns of residents, staff, clinicians, friends/family members and carers along with differences in care home structures. The STOPPING study will support the development of better deprescribing practice in care homes, considering different views and environments. This paper aims to introduce the research protocol. Methods: We will use qualitative approaches informed by the widely accepted Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to aid analysis. To understand the barriers, facilitators and contextual factors influencing deprescribing in care homes, we will employ individual interviews with care home residents and family members, focus groups with care home staff and healthcare professionals, and observations from care homes. Then, we will examine acceptability, feasibility, and suitability of existing deprescribing approaches using cognitive interviews with care home staff and healthcare professionals. Lastly, we will use narrative synthesis to integrate findings and develop guidance for implementing a deprescribing approach for care homes.Discussion: This research will support the development of implementable approaches to deprescribing in care homes. The insights from this project will be shared with various stakeholders: care home residents, staff, pharmacists, general practitioners, nurses, and other health professionals, carers, researchers, and the public. This work will support deprescribing to be implemented effectively in care homes to benefit residents and the wider health economy.

scholarly journals Hearing and vision care provided to older people residing in care homes: a cross-sectional survey of care home staff

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Andrusjak ◽  
Ana Barbosa ◽  
Gail Mountain
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Vision Care

Abstract Background: Hearing and vision loss in older people has been proven to affect physical and mental health and increase the speed of cognitive decline. Studies have demonstrated that certain practices and improved staff knowledge increase the effective care of residents’ ears and eyes, yet it is not known which practices are being implemented in care homes. This study aimed to identify the gaps in staff knowledge regarding hearing and vision difficulties in older residents, and which practices known to improve ear and eye care in older care home residents are not commonly implemented in care homes in England.Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Survey questions were informed by the existing literature and were focused on practices, staff knowledge, and other aspects that have shown to affect residents’ hearing and vision care. A convenience sample of care home staff were recruited from care homes across England between November 2018 and February 2019 via email and in paper format. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis were applied to identify the factors influencing the care being provided to care home residents. Results: A total of 400 care home staff responded from 74 care homes. The results revealed that less than half of staff respondents reported to use screening tools to identify hearing (46%) and vision impairments (43.8%); that care homes rarely have limited access to other assistive devices for hearing (16%) and vision loss (23.8%), and that audiology services do not regularly assess care home residents (46.8%). A majority of staff who responded were not confident in ear and eye care. Responses were found to be influenced by the respondents’ job role, length of time working in care homes and also the care home type and care home size. Findings confirmed a lack of standardised practice and the importance of shared communication for promulgation of best practice.Conclusion: This study has identified that some practices known to facilitate ear and eye care are not commonly applied in a sample of English care homes. It has also shown that care home staff knowledge of ear and eye care is inconsistent. The information derived from this survey can be used to inform guidelines for best practice and inform needs for future research.

scholarly journals Improving partnerships with families and carers in in-patient mental health services for older people: a staff training programme and family liaison service

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger I. Stanbridge ◽  
Frank R. Burbach ◽  
Estelle H.S. Rapsey ◽  
Simon H. Leftwich ◽  
Catherine C. McIver
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Older People ◽  
Staff Training ◽  
Training Programme

scholarly journals Hearing and vision care provided to older people residing in care homes: a cross-sectional survey of care home staff

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy Andrusjak ◽  
Ana Barbosa ◽  
Gail Mountain
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Vision Care

Abstract Background: Hearing and vision loss in older people has been proven to affect physical and mental health and increase the speed of cognitive decline. Studies have demonstrated that certain practices and improved staff knowledge increase the effective care of residents’ ears and eyes, yet it is not known which practices are being implemented in care homes. This study aimed to identify the gaps in staff knowledge regarding hearing and vision difficulties in older residents, and which practices known to improve ear and eye care in older care home residents are not commonly implemented in care homes in England.Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey design. Survey questions were informed by the existing literature and were focused on practices, staff knowledge, and other aspects that have shown to affect residents’ hearing and vision care. The survey was sent to care homes across England between November 2018 and February 2019 via email and in paper format for care home staff to complete. Descriptive statistics and Chi-Square analysis were applied to identify the factors influencing the care being provided to care home residents. Results: A total of 400 care home staff responded from 74 care homes. The results revealed that screening tools are rarely used by staff to identify hearing and vision impairments; that care homes have limited access to other assistive devices for hearing and vision loss, and that audiology services do not regularly assess care home residents. A majority of staff who responded were not confident in ear and eye care. Responses were found to be influenced by the respondents’ job role, length of time working in care homes and also the care home type and care home size. Findings confirmed a lack of standardised practice and the importance of shared communication for promulgation of best practice.Conclusion: This study has identified that some practices known to facilitate ear and eye care are not commonly applied in a sample of English care homes. It has also shown that care home staff knowledge of ear and eye care is inconsistent. The information derived from this survey can be used to inform guidelines for best practice and inform needs for future research.

scholarly journals Medical Crises in Older People: cohort study of older people attending acute medical units, developmental work and randomised controlled trial of a specialist geriatric medical intervention for high-risk older people; cohort study of older people with mental health problems admitted to hospital, developmental work and randomised controlled trial of a specialist medical and mental health unit for general hospital patients with delirium and dementia; and cohort study of residents of care homes and interview study of health-care provision to residents of care homes

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gladman ◽  
Rowan Harwood ◽  
Simon Conroy ◽  
Pip Logan ◽  
Rachel Elliott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Older People ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Randomised Controlled

BackgroundThis programme of research addressed shortcomings in the care of three groups of older patients: patients discharged from acute medical units (AMUs), patients with dementia and delirium admitted to general hospitals, and care home residents.MethodsIn the AMU workstream we undertook literature reviews, performed a cohort study of older people discharged from AMU (Acute Medical Unit Outcome Study; AMOS), developed an intervention (interface geriatricians) and evaluated the intervention in a randomised controlled trial (Acute Medical Unit Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Intervention Study; AMIGOS). In the second workstream we undertook a cohort study of older people with mental health problems in a general hospital, developed a specialist unit to care for them and tested the unit in a randomised controlled trial (Trial of an Elderly Acute care Medical and mental health unit; TEAM). In the third workstream we undertook a literature review, a cohort study of a representative sample of care home residents and a qualitative study of the delivery of health care to care home residents.ResultsAlthough 222 of the 433 (51%) patients recruited to the AMIGOS study were vulnerable enough to be readmitted within 3 months, the trial showed no clinical benefit of interface geriatricians over usual care and they were not cost-effective. The TEAM study recruited 600 patients and there were no significant benefits of the specialist unit over usual care in terms of mortality, institutionalisation, mental or functional outcomes, or length of hospital stay, but there were significant benefits in terms of patient experience and carer satisfaction with care. The medical and mental health unit was cost-effective. The care home workstream found that the organisation of health care for residents in the UK was variable, leaving many residents, whose health needs are complex and unpredictable, at risk of poor health care. The variability of health care was explained by the variability in the types and sizes of homes, the training of care home staff, the relationships between care home staff and the primary care doctors and the organisation of care and training among primary care doctors.DiscussionThe interface geriatrician intervention was not sufficient to alter clinical outcomes and this might be because it was not multidisciplinary and well integrated across the secondary care–primary care interface. The development and evaluation of multidisciplinary and better-integrated models of care is justified. The specialist unit improved the quality of experience of patients with delirium and dementia in general hospitals. Despite the need for investment to develop such a unit, the unit was cost-effective. Such units provide a model of care for patients with dementia and delirium in general hospitals that requires replication. The health status of, and delivery of health care to, care home residents is now well understood. Models of care that follow the principles of comprehensive geriatric assessment would seem to be required, but in the UK these must be sufficient to take account of the current provision of primary health care and must recognise the importance of the care home staff in the identification of health-care needs and the delivery of much of that care.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN21800480 (AMIGOS); ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01136148 (TEAM).FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research programme and will be published in full inProgramme Grants for Applied Research; Vol. 3, No. 4. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

scholarly journals National trends and local delivery in old age mental health services: towards an evidence base. A mixed-methodology study of the balance of care approach, community mental health teams and specialist mental health outreach to care homes

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Challis ◽  
Sue Tucker ◽  
Mark Wilberforce ◽  
Christian Brand ◽  
Michele Abendstern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Community Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Research Programme ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Care Home Staff ◽  
Mental Health Outreach

BackgroundThe rising number of older people with mental health problems makes the effective use of mental health resources imperative. Little is known about the clinical effectiveness and/or cost-effectiveness of different service models.AimsThe programme aimed to (1) refine and apply an existing planning tool [‘balance of care’ (BoC)] to this client group; (2) identify whether, how and at what cost the mix of institutional and community services could be improved; (3) enable decision-makers to apply the BoC framework independently; (4) identify variation in the structure, organisation and processes of community mental health teams for older people (CMHTsOP); (5) examine whether or not different community mental health teams (CMHTs) models are associated with different costs/outcomes; (6) identify variation in mental health outreach services for older care home residents; (7) scope the evidence on the association between different outreach models and resident outcomes; and (8) disseminate the research findings to multiple stakeholder groups.MethodsThe programme employed a mixed-methods approach including three systematic literature reviews; a BoC study, which used a systematic framework for choosing between alternative patterns of support by identifying people whose needs could be met in more than one setting and comparing their costs/outcomes; a national survey of CMHTs’ organisation, structure and processes; a multiple case study of CMHTs exhibiting different levels of integration encompassing staff interviews, an observational study of user outcomes and a staff survey; national surveys of CMHTs’ outreach activities and care homes. A planned randomised trial of depression management in care homes was removed at the review stage by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) prior to funding award.ResultsBoC: Past studies exhibited several methodological limitations, and just two related to older people with mental health problems. The current study suggested that if enhanced community services were available, a substantial proportion of care home and inpatient admissions could be diverted, although only the latter would release significant monies. CMHTsOP: 60% of teams were considered multidisciplinary. Most were colocated, had a single point of access (SPA) and standardised assessment documentation. Evidence of the impact of particular CMHT features was limited. Although staff spoke positively about integration, no evidence was found that more integrated teams produced better user outcomes. Working in high-integration teams was associated with poor job outcomes, but other factors negated the statistical significance of this. Care home outreach: Typical services in the literature undertook some combination of screening (less common), assessment, medication review, behaviour management and training, and evidence suggested intervention can benefit depressed residents. Care home staff were perceived to lack necessary skills, but relatively few CMHTs provided formal training.LimitationsLimitations include a necessary reliance on observational rather than experimental methods, which were not feasible given the nature of the services explored.ConclusionsBoC: Shifting care towards the community would require the growth of support services; clarification of extra care housing’s (ECH) role; timely responses to people at risk of psychiatric admission; and improved hospital discharge planning. However, the promotion of care at home will not necessarily reduce public expenditure. CMHTsOP: Although practitioners favoured integration, its goals need clarification. Occupational therapists (OTs) and social workers faced difficulties identifying optimal roles, and support workers’ career structures needed delineating. Care home outreach: Further CMHT input to build care home staff skills and screen for depression may be beneficial. Priority areas for further study include the costs and benefits for older people of age inclusive mental health services and the relative cost-effectiveness of different models of mental health outreach for older care home residents.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

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