Welcome to the 'Understanding Research in Care Homes' course. This free, on-line education tool has been expertly planned by leaders from across the education, research and care home field. This course is provided by NIHR Clinical Research Network - Learn Online.
When considering getting involved in research it is important to find out as much as possible about the study, and those conducting it. This section of the toolkit provides care homes with guidance on the questions to ask to ensure the best possible outcomes.
There are several different ways to become involved in research. This section outlines who to contact and provides some thoughts on useful questions you should consider before getting involved in research.
Almost all research projects must gain ethics committee approval and meet the legal requirements outlined in the Mental Capacity Act to ensure they protect residents and staff. This is in addition to other criteria applied by the funding body to ensure the research is appropriate and necessary. These processes are designed to protect the dignity, rights, safety and wellbeing of care home residents and those participating in research.
Care home managers and staff are natural researchers. It may not be termed in that way, because they ‘think of something, try it out, and if it goes well they try it again, change it or forget it’, and in simple terms this is what research is all about - organised curiosity.
The professionals that carry out research in care homes and with residents are sometimes the same GPs, hospital doctors and health and care professionals who provide services in local health centres, local authority offices and hospitals. In other cases they will be academics based in universities or other research institutes who will be working in partnership with health and social care providers and professionals. The research they do aims to improve the quality of care and the quality of life for all people living and dying in care homes.