Launched in June 2020 at the height of the Covid‑19 pandemic, Vivaldi Social Care has become a groundbreaking research programme that continues to transform our understanding of infections and outbreaks in care homes.
Its first report was launched at a packed Parliamentary Reception that showcased its innovative data collection and demonstrated how evidence can reduce the impact of infections and outbreaks in care homes.
Vivaldi has established the first large-scale, safe and efficient data pipeline for care home research. This is done by linking routinely collected digital care records with health data. Nearly 700 care homes are signed up, representing around 28,000 residents, creating a growing evidence base that is transforming how infections are understood, prevented and managed in social care. This work has significant implications for adult social care delivery, outcomes and evidence-led national policy making, aligning effectively with the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan.
The Parliamentary Reception brought together care sector leaders, parliamentarians, regulators, policy makers and those with lived experience of care to hear about Vivaldi’s progress, impact and future ambitions. Guest speaker Neil O’Connor, Deputy Director of Baroness Casey’s Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, shared insights into the potential direction of social care policy. By engaging directly with Parliamentarians, the event aimed to inform debate and shape future policy discussions to further the health of care home residents through applying a health and social care approach.
QUOTES
I was delighted to host this event which showed exactly how the transformation of social care is connected to our ability to learn systematically from people’s real experiences. Initiatives like Vivaldi, which link high‑quality data with the everyday realities of care homes, help shift the system towards transparency, dignity and evidence‑driven improvement. This kind of work strengthens the foundations of social care, ensuring decisions are shaped by what truly matters - the wellbeing of those who live and work in care settings.
VIVALDI Social Care demonstrates how linked, high-quality social care data can be used to make real-world impacts for those living and working in care settings. This is the beginning of a structural change in social care where data is shared and analysed on a large scale to improve outcomes. With the NHS 10 Year Plan having been launched, Vivaldi offers to tick all three boxes regarding prevention, community and digitalisation, a matter close to our hearts and the Government’s.
Vivaldi’s data pipeline is a critical step forward for the sector. I encourage care providers to sign up and start contributing to the data that will improve outcomes for residents, families and staff across the sector, while informing policy decisions at regional and national levels.
Vivaldi Social Care is unique – it really is research-led by social care, for social care. By strengthening the role of data and evidence, it helps place social care on a more equal footing with the NHS, which is exciting and important for the whole health and social care system.
The Vivaldi project is a groundbreaking study to help better track and understand how and why people move through the health and care system. As the regulator of health and care services CQC sees first-hand the importance of joining up how people access health and care services. We believe by better understanding how and why people move between services we can drive change that improves the care people receive.
The Vivaldi team look forward to the expansion of the data pipeline and encourage further care provider participation.
The team are also grateful to digital partners – Person Centred Software, Camascope eMAR and Nourish Care – and to Care Vision, who will collaborate with the team in 2026 as this work continues to grow.
Care providers looking to join this exciting project should contact the Vivaldi team at info@vivaldisocialcare.co.uk
It was a pleasure to attend the VIVALDI social care Parliamentary reception. We are delighted to be supporting this groundbreaking collaborative initiative through the NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, building research awareness and capability within the care homes sector and building data pipelines. The scale of the event and the palpable sense of energy and enthusiasm in the room all add to the sense that the head of steam that VIVALDI is building is an excellent opportunity to make a tangible difference for care home residents, visitors and staff across the country by embedding research and innovation in the sector."
We are very proud to have been involved in this initiative since its inception in the dark days of COVID. Laura and the broader team have really been able to shine a light on the unmet needs of this vulnerable and increasingly sizeable population. The event brought these issues to life with a very moving contribution from one care home resident reflecting the impact that hospital admissions have on fellow residents, highlighting the critical need to proactively extend the reach of VIVALDI and to focus on prospective interventions that could address some of the issues associated with infectious diseases in particular.
I had the pleasure of attending the Vivaldi Research Project event to support Zoe and the team, as I truly believe in the important work they do. I share their passion for using data to improve the lives of care home residents.The event was wonderful and inspiring, and I had the opportunity to meet so many passionate and dedicated people. I was completely taken by surprise when Professor Deborah Sturdy OBE called my name for the Outstanding Contribution to Social Care Award! I felt incredibly honoured and deeply moved by the recognition.It was a truly special day, one I will treasure for a very long time.
At Care Vision AI, we are delighted to be partnering with VIVALDI and to be part of an initiative that supports decision-makers and the NHS in making better, more informed decisions around social care. This partnership represents an important milestone for our community of clients and the incredible people they support daily.
The Parliamentary Reception was a successful and enjoyable event for the Camascope Team, bringing together a diverse mix of people and creating space for meaningful conversations about the VIVALDI study. It was great to catch up with familiar faces & meet new ones, and especially encouraging to hear that care providers who were new to the study could clearly see its value and impact across social care and beyond.
We are incredibly proud to work with Vivaldi as they continue to pioneer vital research in the social care sector. We know the potential of data, and we love working with our passionate users and The Outstanding Society to turn that potential into actionable insights and improved outcomes for the people utilising support, and the people providing it.
At Person Centred Software Ltd we've teamed up with Vivaldi to help our care home partners share their valuable data directly and securely with researchers. The patterns Vivaldi uncover today will shape smarter prevention tomorrow and in future, support breakthroughs in other areas of care.
