Digital Adoption by an Organization Supporting Informal Caregivers During COVID-19 Pandemic Showing Impact on Service Use, Organizational Performance, and Carers' Well-Being: Retrospective Population-Based Database Study With Embedded User Survey.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed a move from face-to-face to digital delivery of services by hospitals and primary care. However, little is known about the impact of digital transformation on organizations supporting unpaid caregivers. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of care provided by such informal caregivers is estimated to be £111 billion (US$ 152.7 billion) in England. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze service uptake patterns (including digital service options) over the pandemic period in an English caregivers' support organization covering a population of 0.98 million; measure changes in organizational performance, service efficiency, and quality; and identify the views of caregivers on service provision and future digital delivery. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of the use of digital versus nondigital support services (January 2019 to June 2021) by caregivers in city and rural geographic areas. We compared organizational performance and service quality indicators for 2 financial years (2019-2020 and 2020-2021). A survey was conducted to identify barriers and facilitators to digital service uptake, the computer proficiency of caregivers (the Computer Proficiency Questionnaire, 12-item version), and preferences for future digital service provision. Quantitative data were analyzed using Stata 13 (StataCorp LLC). Thematic analysis was used for open-text survey responses. RESULTS: The number of caregivers registered with the organization rose from 14,817 in 2019 to 20,237 in 2021. Monthly contacts rose from 1929 to 6741, with remote contacts increasing from 48.89% (943/1929) to 86.68% (5843/6741); distinctive patterns were observed for city versus rural caregivers. There was an increase in one-to-one contacts (88.8%) and caregiver assessments (20.9%), with no expansion in staffing. Service quality indicators showed an improvement in 5 of 8 variables (all P<.05). The 152 carers completing the survey had similar demographics to all registered caregivers. The Computer Proficiency Questionnaire, 12-item version, mean score of 25.61 (SD 4.40) indicated relatively high computer proficiency. The analysis of open-text responses identified a preference for the organization to continue to offer face-to-face services as well as web-based options. The digital services that were the most highly rated were carers' well-being assessments, support needs checks, and peer support groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that staff in the caregiver support organization were agile in adapting their services to digital delivery while dealing with increased numbers of registered clients and higher monthly contacts, all without obvious detriment to service quality. Caregivers indicated a preference for blended services, even while recording high computer proficiency. Considering the economic importance of unpaid caregivers, more attention should be given to organizations funded to provide support for them and to the potential for technology to enhance caregivers' access to, and engagement with, such services.

Integrated Long-Term Care 'Neighbourhoods' to Support Older Populations: Evolving Strategies in Japan and England.

Western countries are currently facing the public health challenge of a rapidly aging population and the associated challenge of providing long-term care services to meet its needs with a reduced working age population. As people age, they will increasingly require both health and social care services to maintain their quality of life and these will need to be integrated to provide cost-effective long-term care. The World Health Organization recommended in 2020 that all countries should have integrated long-term care strategies to better support their older populations. Japan, with the most rapidly ageing society in the world, started to address this challenge in the 1990s. In 2017, it introduced a national policy for integrated long-term health and social care services at a local geographical level for older people. England has recently embarked on its first plan aiming for the integration of services for older people. In this article, we compare these approaches to the integration of long-term care systems, including the strengths of each. The paper also considers the effects of historical, cultural and organizational factors and the emerging role of technology. Finally, we identify critical lessons that can inform strategy development in other countries, and highlight the need to provide more international comparisons.

Reimagining care homes: can the COVID-19 pandemic act as a catalyst for enhancing staff status and education?

During the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, older people were discharged from hospitals to care homes to release NHS beds. This influx of new residents whose COVID-19 status was largely unknown added to the many challenges already experienced by care homes, with serious consequences including an increased number of deaths among residents. The social care sector has been fragile for several years and the pandemic has brought the challenges experienced by care homes to the forefront, prompting renewed calls for improved funding and reform. This article describes the ongoing challenges and additional challenges caused by the pandemic in the care home sector. The authors argue for urgent reform to enhance the status and education of care home staff, move towards registration of the social care workforce in England, and achieve integration of health and social care services for older people.

Antipsychotic prescribing in care homes before and after launch of a national dementia strategy: an observational study in English institutions over a 4-year period.

OBJECTIVES: To assess associations between the launch of the National Dementia Strategy (NDS) and antipsychotic prescribing in long-term residential care (LTC) in England. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective analysis of prescribing patterns in 616 LTC institutions (31 619 residents) following launch of the NDS, using information from electronic medicines management system. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Antipsychotic prescribing point prevalence (PP) for all residents in a cross section of LTC settings over a 4-year period following NDS launch. Secondary outcomes included dosages, length of treatment and use of recommended second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) versus first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs). Associations between facility-level PP values and institutional characteristics, resident demographics were explored. Variations across geographical areas examined. Prescription net ingredient costs calculated. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was observed in overall prescribing rates over the 4-year period (Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test p=0.60), and there was no significant shift towards newer SGAs (KS test p=0.32). Dosages were above the maximum indicated in only 1.3% of cases, but duration of prescribing was excessive in 69.7% of cases. Care homes in the highest prescribing quintile were more likely to be located in a deprived area (rate ratio (Q5/Q1) RR=5.89, 95% CI 4.35 to 7.99), registered for dementia (RR=3.38, 95% CI 3.06 to 3.73) and those in the lowest quintile were more likely to be served by a single general practitioner (GP) practice (RR=0.48; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.63); p<0.001 all. A sixfold variation in PP levels was observed between geographical areas. The average annual expenditure on antipsychotics was £65.6 per person resident (2012 prices). CONCLUSIONS: The NDS in England was not associated with reduced PP levels or the types of antipsychotic prescribing in care homes. Further research is needed to explore why. Clear standards specifying recommended agents, dosages and length of treatment, together with routine monitoring and greater accountability for antipsychotic prescribing, may be required.

Culture change in care homes: development and facilitation.

This article is the second of a two-part series that explores a programme of culture change in care homes. In this article, the authors describe their independent development and facilitation of a flexible learning programme for care homes, designed to meet a quality improvement request made by a care home company. The two selected care homes' staff conducted a review of their care culture, as a precursor to their creation of a new care philosophy. These activities provided a firm foundation from which the homes could, in theory, become a Remedial Enterprise Active Learning care home. Although the learning programme was not completed due to unavoidable circumstances, the staff's experiences highlight some of the challenges and successes that may be experienced when seeking to improve care homes' learning culture and practice.

Digital skills training in care homes: achievement.

This article describes digital skills training (DST) for staff and later, residents, as part of a programme of culture change in a large care home with nursing in Glasgow. It presents the successes and challenges arising from DST from the perspectives of the two volunteer information technology (IT) champions (Thomas Sloan and John Thomson), who were also staff members. Using their written reports, questionnaires and subsequent conversations, the IT champions recall the challenges and gains for staff and residents as a result of their initial training. This is supplemented by a follow-up on IT activities in the 18 months after the introduction period.

Implementing digital skills training in care homes: a literature review.

This article is the first of a two-part series that informs and describes digital skills training using a dedicated console computer provided for staff and residents in a care home setting. This was part of a programme of culture change in a large care home with nursing in Glasgow, Scotland. The literature review shows that over the past decade there has been a gradual increase in the use of digital technology by staff and older people in community settings including care homes. Policy from the European Commission presents a persuasive argument for the advancement of technology-enabled care to counter the future impact of an increased number of people of advanced age on finite health and social care resources. The psychosocial and environmental issues that inhibit or enhance the acquisition of digital skills in care homes are considered and include the identification of exemplar schemes and the support involved.

Attitudes towards caring for older people: findings and recommendations for practice.

AIM: To investigate the attitudes of healthcare professionals towards working with older people, including their perception of how other professionals perceived their work in gerontology. METHOD: Data were collected using a 20-item Multifactorial Attitudes Questionnaire (MAQ) in the West of Scotland with a five-point Likert scale for responses ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Questionnaires were distributed to hospitals and community settings by post and by hand in 1999 and 2009, and also by email in 2009. RESULTS: In total, 376 healthcare staff working in primary and secondary services not exclusive to older people completed the MAQ in 1999, and 546 staff responded in 2009. The results showed that, although the respondents in 1999 and 2009 were enthusiastic and positive in their approach towards caring for older people, their work carried little professional kudos. Working conditions and the working environment were regarded as detrimental to recruitment of staff in gerontology, and respondents did not think that other health professionals valued their gerontological expertise. CONCLUSION: The use of the MAQ in 1999 and 2009 enabled a comparative analysis of two studies completed a decade apart. Comparison of the MAQ results from 1999 and 2009 show that attitudes towards the care of older people as a recognised specialism have remained largely unchanged, despite a decade of major policy changes to include gerontology in pre- and post-registration nurse training. This finding does not bode well for attracting nurses into a career in gerontology. As a consequence, with increasing numbers of older people living in Scotland, and worldwide, the care and wellbeing of this group may be compromised at a time when it is most needed. The lead author (AK) has used the MAQ for an international study with colleagues from Germany, Sweden, Japan, Slovenia and the US, the results of which will be available shortly.

Attitudes towards caring for older people: literature review and methodology.

Care of older people is often referred to as a 'Cinderella' service and is not seen as an attractive career option in health care, but with the global population continuing to age, caring for this group will become increasingly important. This article outlines the literature that formed the basis for two studies investigating the attitudes of healthcare staff towards working with older people, including respondents' perceptions of other healthcare professionals' attitudes toward this important area of work. The Multifactorial Attitudes Questionnaire was designed to examine five major themes identified from the literature: ageism; learning environment; working environment; professional esteem; and specialist status. This study is presented in two parts: this article discusses the literature and the design of the questionnaire. The second article, to be published in a subsequent issue of the journal, presents the results from two studies done in Scotland, the first in 1999, with a replication study in 2009.

A new model of care for the older person.

This first in a three-part series explores the nature of the caring relationship between caregivers and older people in nursing and residential homes. It proposes a revision of the Caring For and Caring About model. Using this model, where appropriate, staff move their care approach from a protective focus of "caring for" residents to a remedial focus of "caring about" them; the latter aims to promote self-help and autonomy as much as possible.

Implementing a care model for the older person.

This second in a three-part series shows how to use the Caring For and Caring About model in practice. Part 1, published last week, described the model; part 3, to be published online on 10 April, shows how to manage care using existing resources.

Medication administration errors for older people in long-term residential care.

BACKGROUND: Older people in long-term residential care are at increased risk of medication prescribing and administration errors. The main aim of this study was to measure the incidence of medication administration errors in nursing and residential homes using a barcode medication administration (BCMA) system. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in 13 care homes (9 residential and 4 nursing). Data on all medication administrations for a cohort of 345 older residents were recorded in real-time using a disguised observation technique. Every attempt by social care and nursing staff to administer medication over a 3-month observation period was analysed using BCMA records to determine the incidence and types of potential medication administration errors (MAEs) and whether errors were averted. Error classifications included attempts to administer medication at the wrong time, to the wrong person or discontinued medication. Further analysis compared data for residential and nursing homes. In addition, staff were surveyed prior to BCMA system implementation to assess their awareness of administration errors. RESULTS: A total of 188,249 medication administration attempts were analysed using BCMA data. Typically each resident was receiving nine different drugs and was exposed to 206 medication administration episodes every month. During the observation period, 2,289 potential MAEs were recorded for the 345 residents; 90% of residents were exposed to at least one error. The most common (n = 1,021, 45% of errors) was attempting to give medication at the wrong time. Over the 3-month observation period, half (52%) of residents were exposed to a serious error such as attempting to give medication to the wrong resident. Error incidence rates were 1.43 as high (95% CI 1.32-1.56 p < 0.001) in nursing homes as in residential homes. The level of non-compliance with system alerts was very low in both settings (0.075% of administrations). The pre-study survey revealed that only 12/41 staff administering drugs reported they were aware of potential administration errors in their care home. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of medication administration errors is high in long-term residential care. A barcode medication administration system can capture medication administration errors and prevent these from occurring.

How social care staff working in residential homes perceive their professional status.

AIM: The aim of the study was to explore how 'new role' and other social carers and stakeholders involved in providing enhanced health and social care for older people perceive the social care support worker's professional status. METHOD: Three different enhanced care approaches, of which two trained social care support workers to undertake new clinical support roles were studied in three residential homes: a local authority home, a voluntary sector home and a 'not for profit' independent sector home for older people. Participants were staff with national vocational qualifications at level 3 as new role carers with and without additional basic health skills awards. Other participant groups included care staff of other grades, care home managers, their parent organisation managers, and local and national stakeholders. RESULTS: Staff in all three care settings believed themselves to be professionals in the homes in which they worked but were less sure of their status in the wider health and care landscape. CONCLUSION: If the social carer workforce is to be considered a profession, it requires a professional framework in the form of a representative organisation, a code of conduct for practice and clarity as to how its new role activities interact with those of other established health professionals.

New barcode checks help reduce drug round errors in care homes.

A study undertaken between January 2008 and December 2010 evaluated the effects of a pharmacy-led barcode medication system in care homes (with or without on-site registered nursing staff). The findings show that the system raised awareness of 'near miss' errors, particularly among nurses, and reduced stress and the pressure of medication rounds. Care staff in nursing homes, in particular, could administer selected medications using this system, but the development of a wider professional framework is recommended by the researchers at the University of the West of England and Warwick Medical School.

In-reach specialist nursing teams for residential care homes: uptake of services, impact on care provision and cost-effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: A joint NHS-Local Authority initiative in England designed to provide a dedicated nursing and physiotherapy in-reach team (IRT) to four residential care homes has been evaluated. The IRT supported 131 residents and maintained 15 'virtual' beds for specialist nursing in these care homes. METHODS: Data captured prospectively (July 2005 to June 2007) included: numbers of referrals; reason for referral; outcome (e.g. admission to IRT bed, short-term IRT support); length of stay in IRT; prevented hospital admissions; early hospital discharges; avoided nursing home transfers; and detection of unrecognised illnesses. An economic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: 733 referrals were made during the 2 years (range 0.5 to 13.0 per resident per annum) resulting in a total of 6,528 visits. Two thirds of referrals aimed at maintaining the resident's independence in the care home. According to expert panel assessment, 197 hospital admissions were averted over the period; 20 early discharges facilitated; and 28 resident transfers to a nursing home prevented. Detection of previously unrecognised illnesses accounted for a high number of visits. Investment in IRT equalled 44.38 pounds per resident per week. Savings through reduced hospital admissions, early discharges, delayed transfers to nursing homes, and identification of previously unrecognised illnesses are conservatively estimated to produce a final reduction in care cost of 6.33 pounds per resident per week. A sensitivity analysis indicates this figure might range from a weekly overall saving of 36.90 pounds per resident to a 'worst case' estimate of 2.70 pounds extra expenditure per resident per week.Evaluation early in implementation may underestimate some cost-saving activities and greater savings may emerge over a longer time period. Similarly, IRT costs may reduce over time due to the potential for refinement of team without major loss in effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Introduction of a specialist nursing in-reach team for residential homes is at least cost neutral and, in all probability, cost saving. Further benefits include development of new skills in the care home workforce and enhanced quality of care. Residents are enabled to stay in familiar surroundings rather than unnecessarily spending time in hospital or being transferred to a higher dependency nursing home setting.

In response.

I think the paper that cites our research provides a useful introduction to the issues around end-of-life care, but the research has been presented as a 'bad story' to which solutions are offered through the Gold Standards Framework, which is to the detriment of the research. In particular, we feel that the language used for reporting our research has obscured some important messages and upset some of the audience we wanted to engage with this issue. We would make the following points about your article.