“The pandemic proved, beyond doubt, the need to capture data on the effectiveness of preventing or containing infection outbreaks in care settings whilst also maintaining the highest standards of care across the piece. Collecting and analysing this information not only enhances best practice but supports improved quality of life for residents and care colleagues. Vivaldi’s work in this area has been invaluable. Now, with the launch of this pilot involving 500 care homes, we’ll be able to gather even more comprehensive data to inform our learning, practice and the improvement of care.”
"The UKHSA’s collaboration with UCL on the VIVALDI study helped us understand the impact COVID-19 had in care homes and fed directly into important policy making decisions, helping to protect those living and working in adult social care settings during the pandemic. We are delighted to be able to continue this work by funding the VIVALDI Social Care pilot which will improve our understanding of infections in care homes and similar environments beyond COVID-19 and will provide valuable data that will contribute to our mission to prepare for, prevent and respond to health threats, protect livelihoods and, most importantly, save lives.”
“It’s fantastic to see this important study receiving investment for the next stage of work. Alongside the impact for those living and working in residential care, it will also provide opportunities for staff to experience the benefits of being involved in research and generating evidence for practice.”
“The VIVALDI Social Care project is a fantastic opportunity for researchers, residents, relatives, staff and care providers to work together to tackle the problem of infections and outbreaks in care homes. By learning lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, we aim to find new, better ways to protect residents that do not impact negatively on their quality of life.”
“The funding that Vivaldi Social Care has received is a recognition of the necessary work the project is looking to conduct. It will enable residents, families, care workers, providers, and wider stakeholders to work together and develop our understanding of how to reduce the impact of infections and outbreaks in care homes. Research in our sector is vital to help influence government policy and deliver improved outcomes for people who live in, work in, and visit social care. Vivaldi Social Care brings the sector together to improve learning and lays a strong foundation for other studies to shape social care through research going forward.”
The Board of Directors at the Outstanding Society is thrilled to announce following 18 months of collaborative working, VIVALDI Social Care has secured national funding to support the pilot. This programme will work to enhance the well-being of individuals residing or working in, care homes for older people throughout England as well as supporting the wellbeing of visitors to the homes. This initiative seeks to investigate strategies for minimising infections and enhancing the overall quality of life within these care settings. The collection of data plays a pivotal role in driving positive transformation within the sector, reflecting our commitment to research led by social care, for social care.
There are so many great reasons why adult social care providers should get involved in research, not least because it so often leads to better care. Delivering evidence-based care and support is a key component of good quality care, but to be at the forefront of new research is a key contributing factor to delivering outstanding care. What Vivaldi has achieved already should not be underestimated, what is possible as this expands further is an exciting and much needed next step for our sector.”
When care homes close due to infection and outbreaks, close relatives and friends are denied access, which in turn deprives residents of their right to be supported by the person they love most. During the pandemic many residents felt completely abandoned and gave up the will to live, as without this love and support, life was simply not worth living. Thousands of relatives experienced untold trauma after witnessing the huge deterioration in their loved ones physical and mental health, powerless to act. Rights for Residents are proud to be involved in this vital research to ensure we understand how to prevent the spread of infections that lead to outbreaks and closures of care homes. The NHS already have records of all our data, care homes must have this too. Residents and relatives have nothing to fear and everything to gain. Their data will be ‘de-identified’ and kept securely and they will have played their part in understanding how we prevent the spread of infections that lead to outbreaks and closures. It really is a win win.
The Vivaldi Social Care study is an amazing example of how high quality research, developed in partnership with residents, families, care professionals and academia, can achieve positive outcomes for everyone involved in the social care sector. The project’s strong approach to governance and transparency in how people’s data will be used is a blueprint for how sector-led research will be conducted in the future.
A grassroots organisation run for and by its members, use MY data is the only independent movement of patients, relatives and carers in the UK focused on the responsible and accountable use of patient data to save lives, improve healthcare and advance health research. Chris Carrigan, our Data Advisor, represents use MY data on the Vivaldi’s Social Care Stakeholder Oversight & Governance Group. We are really pleased to see the importance of patient data recognised in Vivaldi’s work and the involvement of patient and carer voices throughout the project. We are delighted that Vivaldi has adopted use MY data’s standards for engagement which include our principles of transparency.
"Vivaldi represents the social care sector having a voice, having a say in the outcomes of research that affect all those drawing on social care as well as working in it. The lack of in-depth social care focussed research was significant and as someone who has worked within the NHS and then within the social care sector, I was always concerned we were missing the opportunity to share best practise and learn from other care providers experiences. Through Vivaldi’s research, which included 50,000 care home staff and the residents of over 300 care homes, we were able to develop much needed information about how covid-19 was impacting residential care. This vital information can help shape best practise in care settings, as well as providing concrete evidence we can use to influence policy decisions in government. At Nourish we are proud of our involvement in Vivaldi and we remain very enthusiastic about future findings we can develop by working collaboratively with care providers across the UK."
"We are delighted to work with VIVALDI Social Care by supporting their goal to reduce infections, their mission to improve the lives of people living and working in care closely aligns with our mission here at Person Centred Software, we appreciate it is essential to better understand the risks and impact of infections in care homes, and the positive impact this knowledge can have across social care".
"We’re delighted to be involved in the VIVALDI Social Care programme. At Camascope, we aim to make healthcare information more accessible to improve the outcomes for people receiving care. We see first-hand the challenges caused by a lack of interoperability between healthcare systems, and this study will play a pivotal role in breaking down those barriers. Contributing to this initiative aligns well with our core values and commitment to enhancing care for those in need."
Understanding Research in Care Homes – Online Training Opportunity
A short course for anyone wishing to know more about research in care homes.
Social care research is all about improving the well-being of people who receive care and support from the social care sector.
This course is aimed at people who are new to care home research. This could include staff working in care homes or anyone interested in learning more about research in care homes.
This course will help you to understand the importance of why we need research in care homes, who is involved in the planning and running of research studies and how we can ensure that each research study is conducted in a way that is ethical.
Please Click Here to access the course
