Enhancing health in care homes and communities during the pandemic

The work of an expert team of researchers from the University of Hertfordshire has been used to fundamentally improve how care homes and the NHS work together. By the end of 2020, the national Framework for Enhanced Health in Care Homes had been rolled out nationally to cover around 11,300 care homes and 410,000 care home residents.

The importance of this work was brought to the fore at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2020, the research team worked quickly and collaboratively with care home managers to address the lack of evidence-based guidance to support care home staff. They produced a series of research-based ‘Top Tips’ to complement emerging COVID-19 policy and practice guidelines. The resources have been downloaded hundreds of times and have been promoted by the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the End-of-Life Care Partnership, Association of Directors of Public Health, and the National Care Forum. Lead academic Professor Claire Goodman also briefed the Cabinet Office on care home data and evidence of what supports improvement, and briefed members of the SAGE Social Care Working Group on visiting in care homes.