Errors in home care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An interview study exploring errors and risks for things to go wrong in home care: the perspectives of patients and unpaid carers
IRAS ID
365781
Contact name
Beth Fylan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 28 days
Research summary
Lay summary
More and more people are now receiving healthcare in their own homes instead of in hospitals. The NHS 10 Year Plan for England highlights a major shift in care — moving from hospitals into the community. As a result, patients and their family members or friends (often called unpaid carers) are taking on more complex healthcare tasks at home. These tasks can include giving medicines, managing oxygen or ventilators, changing dressings, and caring for catheters.
However, caring for someone at home is very different from care in a hospital. Homes are not designed for performing complex healthcare tasks and help from trained professionals is not always immediately available. Patients and carers do not have the same level of training or support that hospital staff receive. Because of this, mistakes and safety incidents can happen — just as they do in any healthcare setting. But as more care shifts into people’s homes, the risks and consequences of such errors could increase unless better systems of training and support are developed.
Currently, there is very little research that looks at safety and errors in home care. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring what kinds of mistakes occur when patients and unpaid carers carry out complex healthcare tasks at home, what factors lead to these errors, and what impact they have. The study will involve interviews with patients and carers to understand their experiences and identify ways to make home care safer for everyone.REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/NE/0049
Date of REC Opinion
30 Apr 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion