Handover in care homes: residents' and families' perspectives
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Handovers in care homes for older people: a study of residents' and families' perspectives
IRAS ID
238560
Contact name
Jill Manthorpe
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Handovers in care homes: a study of older residents’ and families’ perspectives
Handovers of information between staff going off duty and staff coming on duty have been identified as a key element influencing outcomes in clinical settings. However, handovers between shifts in care homes have received little attention. This study aims to investigate the views and experiences of older residents and their visiting relatives about handovers in care homes. It complements our previous study of the content, purpose and effectiveness of handovers in care homes from a staff perspective, helping to build an innovative, comprehensive picture of handovers in the UK care home sector. Without exploring residents’ and relatives' views about handovers and observing them from the residents’ ‘eyes’, a full picture of them cannot be built.
After updating our evidence review on the subject, managers of five care homes will be interviewed to understand their handover practice and policy. Twenty five interviews will be undertaken in these homes to explore residents’ views on the way staff communicate at the start and end of shifts, and whether they like what happens, and relatives’ awareness of handover practice, their views on shift handovers and how they think these affect their resident family members. Observations of ten residents during handovers will aim to discover what can be learnt from seeing their reactions and interactions, and what these add to the understandings of the home’s culture and working ethos. Thematic analysis of transcripts and observational notes will be undertaken to identify themes.
The findings will add to the knowledge about what makes for effective handovers in care homes. They may be useful to care homes, to older people and their families, to wider health and care practitioners and to the regulator.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
18/IEC08/0001
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion