Researching Emergency Ambulance calls to Care Homes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Researching Emergency Ambulance calls to Care Homes: mixed methods study
IRAS ID
302213
Contact name
A. Niroshan Siriwardena
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Lincoln
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
The research is needed because we need to better understand how to improve the management, outcomes and experiences of residents and others involved in medical emergencies in care homes. There are at least 30 transfers for every 100 residents from residential care to Emergency Departments each year, of which around half result in admission to hospital. It is thought that over half of emergency transfers to hospital could be prevented with better ongoing care, access to primary care and training of staff. With the current COVID-19 pandemic there have been additional pressures which will have had further impact on this problem, and this also warrants investigation.
Academics from the Universities of Lincoln and Leicester are working with East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS), care homes and our patient group to develop and conduct this study. We will systematically review the literature on this topic and survey care homes to review their practices and policies for dealing with medical emergencies. In addition, we will analyse routine data from the regional ambulance service and care homes in the East Midlands. We will interview residents and/or relatives, care home and ambulance staff to find out about their experiences. This will enable us to develop recommendations for improvement and prioritise them according to which are most likely to be implemented. The findings will be available on completion of the study at the end of two years.
We will communicate the recommendations widely to care homes, ambulance services, commissioners, patient groups, public health departments, and the Care Quality Commission. We will provide recommendations to East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust and care homes through the East Midlands Network for Research in Care Homes (ENRICH).
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/WM/0229
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion