ENRICH Cymru launch resources to improve care home research
11 June
Research resources for care home managers and researchers were launched at an ENabling Research In Care Homes (ENRICH) Cymru event at the Senedd earlier this year, to help overcome the barriers to care home research and make it more accessible.
For researchers, the top tips encourage engagement in relationship-centred research within care homes, building positive relationships and maintaining respect and effective communication. The principles include co-producing the research as early as possible, making it easy for the care home to be involved and have a voice in the design and delivery of the study.
The resources for care home managers support them to ensure that any research activities are tailored to the needs of the care home’s residents and staff, helping studies become beneficial and enjoyable for those taking part.
Stephanie Green, ENRICH Cymru’s Research Development Co-ordinator, approached Dr Laura Brown, Senior Lecturer in Psychology from the University of Manchester , when she heard her speak about the barriers in care home research at the British Society of Gerontology conference and invited her to work with the network on the resources to pave the way for more effective research in care homes.
This resulted in ENRICH Cymru holding a workshop with Dr Brown, in December 2024, which included care home managers and staff from Pilipala Care Ltd, Swn-y-Mor Care Centre, the Hafod Care group as well as care home researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University and Swansea University, to co-produce the top tips.
Dr Brown said: “Getting research set up and running, in a way care homes and researchers feel comfortable with has always been a challenge. We want to make it as easy as possible to bridge the gap for care homes and researchers and we hope these Top Tips will help.
“I hope these are a starting point for research, which we’ll review and revise in the future years. If people have different ideas or are finding things aren't working or situations change, we’d love for people to let us know what is and what isn't working for them.”
Stephanie said:
We’re really proud to have worked with Laura and all those involved in the creation of these resources. We hope they will encourage more researchers to consider care homes in their research and for care homes to join the network and take part in life-changing research.”
View the top tips:
If you’d like to learn more about the ENRICH Cymru network and how it can help you as a researcher or a care home, read about how they can help you.