News


Academic research project cuts falls in care homes by 43 per cent


An extensive academic study has found care home resident falls can be slashed via a co- ordinated approach to prevention. A study led by the University of Nottingham saw a 43 per cent reduction in the rate of falls compared with residents who did not receive the intervention. The Falls in Care Homes study (FinCH)


tested a new approach called the Guide to Action to prevent Falls in Care Home (GtACH) programme, which was designed by a collaborative group including care home staff, and families. The study was conducted across 84 care homes in 11 different areas of England and included 1,657 residents over a three-year period. The programme includes one hour of


training for all care home staff, including gardeners, caretakers, cooks, cleaners, managers, in small groups, delivered by a falls specialist.


A manual summarising the GtACH


programme is left in the home after training and includes resources such as a falls incident chart to detect patterns and a medication falls risk chart. Once trained, staff are expected to use the


GtACH risk assessment and guide to action checklist with all residents. For example, the assessment might highlight that a resident is dehydrated and the


recommended action is to increase fluids. The manual and training enable the care home staff to achieve this by taking action such as introducing smoothies, having more fruit juice on offer, providing appropriate crockery, making soups, and making an event of coffee time. Overall, the training and resources increase both awareness and knowledge about the management of falls. The research found there was no adverse


effect on residents’ mobility or independence, and the treatment was found to be cost- effective and fell well within the cost- thresholds set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for treatments to be funded through the NHS.


“This research is the largest care home study completed in the UK and the team included academics, care home residents, families, care home staff, social care and NHS employees, a truly interdisciplinary UK trial,” said Professor Pip Logan from the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Rehabilitation and Ageing Research and was one of the lead authors of the study. “By preventing falls, the FinCH programme could improve quality of life and save lives, whilst also saving NHS and social care providers money, that can be reinvested into high quality care for older people,” she added.


University of Sheffield granted £10m for social care research centre


The University of Sheffield has been awarded £10m to fund a new Centre for Care to address the need for accessible research on social care. Fully operational from March 2022, the centre will provide an extensive array of evidence to address pressures and inequities in how people experience social care. The Centre for Care will investigate, for


example, the impact of policy changes on the care workforce and the impacts from changes in how care is provided, including the growing use of technology. Research will specifically focus on


efforts to raise the working conditions, profile and status of care workers. “The Centre for Care will be a pivotal hub for researchers and practitioners across the social care sector. Based in Sheffield, it will develop new evidence on providing and delivering the care needed by people of all ages who need support in daily life,” said Centre for Care Director Professor Sue Yeandle of University of Sheffield’s Faculty of Social Sciences. “It is vital that we understand how our society’s arrangements for care can provide the best support possible to all who need it as they negotiate changes and challenges in their lives,” she added. The collaboration includes the


Hallmark Care Homes taps £28m loan from Virgin Money for Bath, Eastbourne developments


Hallmark Care Homes has secured a £28m loan from Virgin Money to fund the development of two 80-bed care homes in Eastbourne and Bath.


The 60-month loan from the UK’s sixth largest bank will see Hallmark’s sister company, care home construction outfit Savista Developments, build the homes, which will feature several state-of-the art features including a hair salon, therapy room, café, cinema and ice cream parlour. “We are delighted to be have secured


10


this funding which will help us fulfil our aspirations of building exceptional living environments for older people,” said Hallmark chief operating officer Aneurin Brown. “We are excited to be able to create a luxurious care home for the Eastbourne and Bath community which will include the latest features in care and design and will support people to live an active and fulfilled life,” he added.


The developments will be Hallmark’s 20th and 21st care homes.


Universities of Birmingham, Kent and Oxford, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Office for National Statistics, and charities Carers UK, the National Children’s Bureau and the Social Care Institute for Excellence. The organisations will work together with academics, sector partners, agencies, public policy experts and people who need or provide care across the UK and internationally.


The centre will bring together some 50 scholars: leading experts on care in multiple disciplines; 12 new post-doctoral researchers, based in the five universities; a large group of PhD students, including six commencing new studies of care in autumn 2022. Advised by a board of leading and


diverse experts on care, the centre will produce major new studies of care and build a new generation of care specialists for the years ahead.


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com January 2022


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