SUPPORTED: a study of the role of homecare workers in delivering EOLC

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  SUPPORTED: Supporting, enabling and sustaining homecare workers to deliver end-of-life care: a multiple-methods community-based case study

• IRAS ID

  321292

• Contact name

  Liz Walker

• Contact email

  e.walker@hull.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Hull

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  What is the problem?: Homecare workers (HCWs) provide key care for people in their own homes at end-of-life, but little is known about the training and support they need.
  
  What will we do?: We aim to better understand the experiences of HCWs by talking to HCWs themselves, homecare clients and their family and friends providing care (‘carers’), health and social care staff. We aim to identify good practice, training gaps and needs for HCWs, and ways to include and support HCWs within the wider care team.
  
  The study will take place in Hull, Bradford and Bromley, and we will speak to 30 service users, 45 HCWs, and 15 carers. We will also recruit 30 community nurses/GPs; 15 care agency managers and 15 service funders. We will recruit different people (age, gender, ethnicity etc.) to make sure we hear a range of views on the care needed and provided by HCWs at this important time of people’s lives, and how best to support members of this important, but neglected, workforce.
  
  Participants will be invited to participate in a Pictor-guided interview; that is to make a diagrammatic representation of an episode of care provided (staff) or of their care (clients and carers) and support network, and to ‘tell the story’ behind their diagram. All participants can also participate in a conventional interview if preferred. Interviews will be face-to-face where possible, but can be conducted remotely if necessary.
  
  How will we use the information?: We will analyse the anonymised interview data to help us see what education, training and support is needed by HCWs to provide best care, and have the satisfaction of a job well done. We will then develop a training course for HCWs and make recommendations for managers and service funders.

• REC name

  West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/WM/0030

• Date of REC Opinion

  31 Mar 2023

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion