HomeHealth RCT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of an in-home personalised health promotion intervention enabling independence in older people with mild frailty (‘HomeHealth’): A Randomised Controlled Trial
IRAS ID
275026
Contact name
Kate Walters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London (UCL)
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN54268283
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Data protection number, Z6364106/2020/01/44
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
As we get older, we may develop a number of health conditions that affect how we feel and our ability to manage without help. For some of us it can mean we start to become frail, with less energy, appetite and muscle strength and find it harder to do household tasks such as shopping or cooking. Few health services exist to help prevent things getting worse.
We designed a new service ‘HomeHealth’ with older people, health/social care workers, voluntary sector, policy-makers and experts. 'HomeHealth' supports older people to maintain their current lifestyle and activities they enjoy. Over six visits a support worker helps people find ways to reduce the impact of feeling tired, low/anxious, poor appetite, memory concerns or low muscle strength. We tested the service with 51 older people, and found that it was liked, showed potential to help people stay independent and feel better, was of modest cost and merited a larger study (trial). We now aim to test if HomeHealth helps older people who are becoming frail stay independent for longer and provides value for money if offered as part of standard NHS care.
We will test the service with 378 people aged 65 or over, registered with General Practices in London, Yorkshire and Hertfordshire, who are finding everyday tasks more difficult. Participants will be allocated to one of two groups randomly; a group that receives HomeHealth plus any existing support, or a group that continues to get existing support only. We will follow up participants for a year, to see if they are able to look after themselves without further help, measure their health and wellbeing and what services they use. We will then compare the two groups to see if HomeHealth helps people stay independent and well, and if the benefits outweigh its costs.REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
20/IEC08/0013
Date of REC Opinion
2 Jul 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion