Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on care homes explored in new research

Researchers at the University of Chester are urging nurses and health and social care workers to take part in a survey looking at the impact of the COVID-19 on the sector.

The research aims to capture the experiences of nurses and health and social care workers working in care homes over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also explores the challenges faced by care home staff during the pandemic and how these were addressed. This is important in order to identify learning to safeguard and protect older adults, nurses, and health and social care workers in the future. Findings from the survey will be used to produce a Toolkit (PROTECToolkit), which is intended to support professional staff working in care homes.

The consequences of the pandemic on health, wellbeing and care systems have been devastating, as demonstrated by the mortality, morbidity and recovery rates. Evidence indicates that older people and staff living and working within the care home sector were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. It is imperative, therefore, that the consequences for older people and staff affected are investigated, with learning used to inform strategy and policy locally and nationally, to put systems and processes in place and offer key messages to professional and regulatory bodies. 

The research is funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing and is being led by Professor Robert McSherry, Dr Elizabeth Kumah, and Dr Jan Bailey at the Centre for Ageing and Mental Health within the University’s:

Faculty of Health and Social Care.

Dr Robert McSherry, Professor of Nursing and Practice Development, said: “The pandemic has created so many challenges for nurses, and health and social care staff, as such, it is vital that learning from this catastrophic situation is explored to help guide any potential outbreaks in the future. We would be keen to hear from individuals working in the care sector to know their views and experiences, which will help shape care delivery in the future.”

For more information, visit:

https://chester.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/information-sheet

To take part in the survey, visit:

https://chester.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/care-home-staff-survey