Acute hospital care for frail older people
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Acute hospital care for frail older people
IRAS ID
165112
Contact name
Simon Conroy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
09/H0502/93, Introduction of mealtime assistance onto an acute medical ward for older people’ - linked study; 10/H0403/16, Evaluation of a medical and mental health unit (MMHU) compared with standard care for elderly people whose emergency admission to an acute general hospital is complicated by concurrent 'confusion'; 08/H0502/140, Care home outcome study; 08/H052/139, Acute medicine outcome study; 10/H0403/1, Acute medicine interface geriatrician outcome study; 06/Q0905/2, Newcastle 85+ study
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
The aim of this NIHR HSDR funded proposal is to inform NHS managers, clinicians, patients and the public about how best to organise hospital services for frail older people.
This application for ethics, Confidentiality Advisory Group (CAG) and R&D approvals covers the three-year entire project, and subsequent seven year archive period in the case of CAG. We have done this as there is significant overlap and interaction between the workstreams, such that a single application should make more sense than a series of smaller individual applications.
The research seeks to use existing available information by using bringing together research that has already been published and data that has already been collected, to find ways of identifying and managing frail older people who may be at high risk of adverse outcomes whilst in hospital. By using data from recently completed studies, and by working with experts in linking data, it will be possible to carry out this work relatively quickly and inexpensively.
Once it is possible to identify those frail older people at highest risk, we will then identify those service models that are most effective and efficient in improving outcomes. There is already a significant amount of knowledge about which services might be useful, namely those based on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). CGA involves a team working together in a coordinated manner, typically doctors, nurses, therapists and others as necessary. Informed by the literature review, we will undertake a survey of national practice. We will then bring this information together and create a set of toolkits for use by clinicians, managers and patients to promote best practice. We will evaluate the implementation of these toolkits.
The whole programme of work will be overseen by a senior Programme Management Board, consisting of clinical and research experts as well as patients. In turn, the board will be held to account by a team of international experts. We will also develop broad stakeholder and patient and public forums which will feedback on the research programme, as well as the individual workstreams.
We will work with the national Ageing research network and other national organisations (such as Age UK and the British Geriatrics Society) to ensure that the impact is UK wide.
REC name
East of England - Essex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0244
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jul 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion