Dr Krystal Warmoth
University of Hertfordshire
Care homes and primary care: co-producing a sustainable relationship (Project complete)
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the complex relationship between care homes and primary care and inequalities in service access and quality of care. Studies and national guidance have identified new ways of working to enable GPs and others to work well with care homes. Care home staff and residents’ priorities, however, are not the basis for these recommendations. COVID-19 demonstrated the essential work of care homes but the minimal opportunities to influence and access support. There is a need to co-produce ways of working with GP-led services that ensure people working and living in care homes are equal and valued partners.
Approach
This fellowship will use a co-production approach (Appreciative Inquiry) working with care home staff, residents and their families, GPs, and community specialists to develop and improve services provided to care homes. Drawing on recent experiences from the pandemic, the project will involve group discussions and interviews to take learning from what works well. The learning will be used to identify key principles of working together and what needs to be in place to achieve sustainable change so there is improvement to care home residents and staff access to healthcare.
Krystal gave a lightning talk about her research project at our 2022 annual event, THIS Space.
Research articles
Warmoth, K. and Goodman, C. (2022) Models of Care and Relationships with Care Homes: Cross-Sectional Survey of English General Practices. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health