EPIC

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Exploring frailty in older People living In the Community: a longitudinal registry study in a regional ambulance service

• IRAS ID

  349266

• Contact name

  Karl Charlton

• Contact email

  karl.charlton@neas.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  5 years, 0 months, 6 days

• Research summary

  Frailty is a term used to describe a common clinical condition in older people that carries an increased risk of poor health. This can often lead to increased risk of being admitted to hospital and an increased rate of death.
  
  The population is getting older across the world as well as in the United Kingdom. As more people live longer, there will be an increase in people living with frailty. Whilst it is known people with frailty are more likely to use health services, including the ambulance service, little is known about why people with frailty use the ambulance service, what their needs are, what happens to them when they are treated by a paramedic, and how this impacts the ambulance services ability to provide adequate care and services that people with frailty need.

  To better understand frailty and the needs of people with frailty, more research is needed so we understand the characteristics of people with frailty and how they use the ambulance service. This project will try to find out more about people living with frailty in north east England, how they use the ambulance service for care, and what their outcomes are.

  We will approach members of the public, aged 65 years or older, in community settings about taking part in this study. Those who agree to take part will provide written informed consent and then will complete a survey. We will contact each participant every 12 months for 5 years to make sure they wish to continue to take part and update their study information. We will also check how often each participant uses the ambulance service and their local hospital. The ambulance service will then use this information to make sure we provide care and services to better meet the needs of people with frailty.
  

• REC name

  South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/SC/0360

• Date of REC Opinion

  12 Nov 2024

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion