Local authority reviews of double-handed homecare packages
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Co-production of best practice recommendations for local authority reviews of double-handed homecare packages
IRAS ID
260339
Contact name
Phillip J Whitehead
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Northumbria at Newcastle
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
When people cannot get from one place to another by themselves, such as moving from their bed into a chair, they need help from another person and/or equipment. If equipment such as a mobile hoist is used within the home, or the moving procedure is complicated, a ‘double-handed’ homecare package is usually provided with two care workers attending every visit. Such care packages may start after an event such as a crisis at home or a hospital discharge and often stay in place for the long-term. Some local authorities are conducting reviews of double-handed homecare packages, often led by social care occupational therapists. The aim is to assess whether two care workers are needed on a continuing basis or whether additional rehabilitation and/or specialist equipment might safely reduce the care package to a single worker.
There is no research on the experiences of people receiving double-handed homecare packages and reviews, or the outcomes that are important to service users, their families and homecare workers. There is also widespread variation in whether authorities are reviewing these homecare packages and how they are doing it.We want to develop recommendations for ‘best practice’ double-handed homecare reviews by local authorities. We will organise a working group of people with double-handed homecare packages, their family members, social care practitioners and homecare workers in order to guide the following three steps:
1. A survey of all local authorities with social care responsibilities in England. The survey will include areas such as time-points for reviewing, staff groups involved and review outcomes.
2. Interviews and focus groups with people delivering and receiving double-handed homecare packages and reviews. Interviews will explore experiences, processes, facilitators and barriers.
3. Produce ‘best practice’ recommendations for double-handed care reviews. We will use a technique with the working group to identify and rank key aspects of the review process based on the findings from steps one and two. We will produce our recommendations collaboratively and test whether they can be delivered by local authority reviewers. We will obtain two rounds of feedback from people receiving the new reviews and the staff who carried them out.
There are two possible outcomes for which we will seek further funding:1. A randomised controlled trial of the best practice review programme versus usual care
2. Implementation of the best-practice review recommendations across local authorities in England.
Using a range of traditional and innovative methods, we will share our findings with academic, practitioner and public audiences. Lay members of our research team and working group will collaborate at all stages from design through to presentation of findings and the next steps for the research. All outputs will be authored jointly by researchers, practitioners and lay members.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/WM/0224
Date of REC Opinion
5 Aug 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion