What is the positive change that has emerged through new collaborations or partnerships during Covid-19 that your project is going to embed?

NHS Forth Valley collaborated with 2 HSCP to support care homes during Covid-19 by providing clinical advice and resources, education around prevention of infection and provided resilience nursing support. We developed a care assurance framework which was used to assure fundamental care of residents while quickly identifying areas where support was required. This then mobilised specialist teams to provide the level of support required. We have data to support the improvements within care homes and plan to collect feedback from care home staff.

What does your project aim to achieve?

To develop a robust and permanent care assurance system within care homes that will assure the care of residents, while supporting the care home staff to continually improve the residents experience, to care for residents and families within the care home where possible, and where appropriate prevent admission to hospital. We have a vision that this will bring care homes more closely aligned with NHS and HSCP clinical settings.

How will the project be delivered?

The project will be delivered collaboratively with the 2 HSCP within Forth Valley. The relevant people will include social work, NHS nurses, care home liaison nurses, specialist clinical staff. We would develop a suite of quality measures relevant to care homes that they will use to improve the care of residents, alongside further developing the care assurance framework and process to provide assurance to HSCP around the standards of care in care homes. We also hope that this will make care homes more attractive as a career choice.

How is your project going to share learning?

There is huge potential to share learning from this project. Care Homes exist across UK and Ireland and will have all faced the same challenges as we have. The data that we will have access to in terms of quality measures and care assurance will be invaluable in supporting the development of care home and care home staff.