B&NES qualitative care home evaluation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding deaths in care homes during the COVID pandemic: a qualitative evaluation of the experiences of care home residents and staff in Bath and North East Somerset.
IRAS ID
316266
Contact name
Jonathan Banks
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
Care homes for older adults (including nursing and residential homes) have experienced high rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality among residents and staff. Care home death rates in the Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) area were higher compared to other local authorities in the country in despite overall Covid death rates in B&NES and hospital Covid death rates in B&NES both being well below national average. The risk factors for Covid infections and deaths in care homes in B&NES were not known.
Following a separate quantitative study that will determine the risk factors associated with COVID-19 infections and deaths in care-homes in B&NES this qualitative study will explore the organisational and behavioural aspects of care home staff and residents throughout the COVID pandemic. In turn, this will facilitate understanding of why specific risk factors have arisen to the extent that the rates of care home infections and deaths in B&NES differs from comparable areas of the UK.
We will include a sample of care homes with a range of characteristics such as: size of care home; ownership status of care home; type of care home and resident profile; proportion of agency staff employed.
Within each care home we will invite a sample of staff and residents and residents’ families to participate in a semi-structured interview lasting between 20-30 minutes. Interviews will be conducted either by telephone, a secure video conferencing platform or face to face depending on interviewee preference and COVID risk and/or restrictions.
The aim of this study is to understand the infection and death rates in care homes in the B&NES area during the COVID pandemic.REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
22/IEC08/0019
Date of REC Opinion
3 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion