Developing an Easy Read Version of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT).

BACKGROUND: This study reports the experiences of developing and pre-testing an Easy Read version of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) for self-report by people with intellectual disabilities. METHODS: The study has combined survey development and pre-testing methods with approaches to create accessible information for people with intellectual disabilities. A working group assisted researchers in identifying appropriate question formats, pictures and wording. Focus groups and cognitive interviews were conducted to test various iterations of the instrument. RESULTS: Substantial changes were made to the questionnaire, which included changes to illustrations, the wording of question stems and response options. CONCLUSIONS: The process demonstrated the benefits of involving people with intellectual disabilities in the design and testing of data collection instruments. Adequately adapted questionnaires can be useful tools to collect information from people with intellectual disabilities in survey research; however, its limitations must be recognized.

Migrant Home Care Workers in the UK: a Scoping Review of Outcomes and Sustainability and Implications in the Context of Brexit.

Migrant care workers play a significant role in meeting the escalating demand for social care in the UK. Workforce shortages create opportunities for new migrants to enter the social care workforce. This scoping review aims to identify and synthesise available evidence on the contribution of migrant workers to the provision of home care in the UK focusing on care worker and service outcomes as well as sustainability, and identify challenges and gaps in the context of Brexit and changing immigration policies. Twenty-two articles were identified for inclusion in the review and extracted using a structured format. The analysis presents a narrative description and synthesis of the research. Findings from the reviewed articles were grouped into five main themes: migrant, user and employer outcomes, effect on workforce, and sustainability-and 15 sub-themes that were described in detail. Much of the existing research on migrant care work is qualitative and focuses on migrant outcomes. The review identified some important gaps in research, namely, the impact of immigration status on migrant care worker outcomes, the cultural and psychological adaptation of migrant care workers to care practices, and the emerging UK live-in care market. Implications of findings are discussed in the context of post-Brexit immigration system.

Use of quality information in decision-making about health and social care services--a systematic review.

User choice and personalisation have been at the centre of health and social care policies in many countries. Exercising choice can be especially challenging for people with long-term conditions (LTC) or disabilities. Information about the quality, cost and availability of services is central to user choice. This study used systematic review methods to synthesise evidence in three main areas: (i) how people with LTC or disabilities and their family carers find and access information about the quality of services; (ii) how quality information is used in decision-making; and (iii) what type of quality information is most useful. Quality information was defined broadly and could include formal quality reports (e.g. inspection reports, report cards, etc.), information about the characteristics of a service or provider (e.g. number and qualifications of staff, facilities, etc.) and informal reports about quality (e.g. personal experience, etc.). Literature searches were carried out using electronic databases in January 2012. Thirteen papers reporting findings from empirical studies published between 2001 and 2012 were included in the review. The majority of papers (n = 9) had a qualitative design. The analysis highlighted the use of multiple sources of information in decision-making about services and in particular the importance of informal sources and extended social networks in accessing information. There is limited awareness and use of 'official' and online information sources. Service users or family carers place greater emphasis on general information and structural indicators. Clinical or quality-of-life outcomes are often difficult to interpret and apply. Trust emerged a key issue in relation to quality information. Experiential and subjective information is highly valued and trusted. Various barriers to the effective use of quality information in making choices about services are identified. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.