Covid-19: Improving strategies for ancillary staff in care homes [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The other keyworkers in care homes: implications of including ancillary staff in social care workforce strategies and practices relating to COVID-19 recovery
IRAS ID
296050
Contact name
Kritika Samsi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
Ancillary staff in care homes – cleaners, those working in kitchens, laundries, maintenance – are often forgotten but are the backbone of many care homes. What happened to them during the coronavirus pandemic is the subject of this study. We will investigate the experiences and challenges of these care home workers during COVID-19.
Housekeeping and catering staff have been crucial during the coronavirus crisis given their role in infection control, food preparation, and help with social distancing. But they tend to be overlooked. What they have done and the challenges they faced during the crisis are often hidden. Many are women with families, work part-time, and on shifts, and often are from migrant or minority ethnic backgrounds. We know they are not well paid. Some sadly died from the virus. We want to find out whether and to what extent these workers were prepared and supported in their roles during the pandemic. This will help meet a gap in knowledge – how to better support this staff group work to prevent coronavirus, help those with it, and with service recovery.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
21/IEC08/0011
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion