Care practices and experiences

Project team: Caroline White and Dave Marsland

Abuse and neglect have been widely reported within care homes, and the need for approaches which prevent the onset of abuse has been widely called for. Our Abuse in Care studies worked to identify early indicators of abuse which can assist practitioners in recognising services in which residents are at high risk of abuse or neglect. We developed guidance to enable practitioners who visit care homes to identify and record concerns and to take action to help prevent the onset of abuse, both in care homes for people with learning disabilities and for older people.

More recently we have carried out research which focuses on the experiences of GPs when working in care homes for older people, exploring both the challenges of working in these environments and their experiences of safeguarding in these settings.

Our current work is an evaluation of the a pilot project which provides forensic examinations by a trained clinician where there is a suspicion that an adult may have been injured non-accidentally (by physical abuse or neglect). This includes an exploration of how this additional information contributes to adult safeguarding decisions and practice.

Outputs

Marsland, D., Oakes, P. and White, C. (2012) Early Indicators of Concern in Residential Support Services for People with Learning Disabilities - report | guide

Marsland, D., Oakes, P. and White, C. (2012) Early Indicators of Concern in Residential Support Services for Older People - report | guide

Marsland, D., Oakes, P. and White, C. (2007), "Abuse in care? The identification of early indicators of the abuse of people with learning disabilities in residential settings", The Journal of Adult Protection

Marsland, D., Oakes, P. and White, C. (2015) Abuse in care? A research project to identify early indicators of concern in residential and nursing homes for older people. Journal of Adult Protection DOI 10.1108/JAP-08-2014-0027

White, C., and Alton, E. (2022). The interface between primary care and care homes: General Practitioner experiences of working in care homes for older people. Health and Social Care in the Community. 30(5), e2896-e2904.

White, C. and Marsland, D. (2023) Establishing the Evidence Base for a Pilot Project Developing a Forensic Service in Safeguarding Adults. Forensic-Pilot-Evaluation-final-evaluation-report-for-NHSE-March-31st-2023.pdf (mentalcapacitylawandpolicy.org.uk)

White, C. and Alton, E. (2024) ‘It’s that gut feeling isn’t it’: GP experiences of safeguarding in care homes for older people. The Journal of Adult Protection

Project team: Caroline White, Dr Jane Wray, Dr Clare Whitfield and Emma Wolverson

These studies explored the experiences of a previously neglected carer group – families and friends who provide help, care and support from a distance. An initial scoping study explored the specific challenges for carers who have to navigate distance while caring. It highlighted the multitude of roles carried out by distance carers, the challenges for people who can’t ‘just pop in’ and some of the strategies used to ‘bridge the distance gap’.

A second study conducted during the COVID-19 care home closures explored how carers stay in touch with care home residents when they are unable to visit or between visits. This focused both on their use of technologies and other ‘low tech’ ways of staying in touch. The findings have resonance beyond the pandemic, as many carers (for example those living at a distance, those who are themselves ill, or who have multiple caring responsibilities) may benefit from good support to keep in touch with their relative or friend in a care home outside of visits.

Outputs

White, C., Wray, J. and Whitfield, C. (2020) 'A fifty mile round trip to change a lightbulb’: An exploratory study of carers’ experiences of providing help, care and support to families and friends from a distance. Health and Social Care in the Community

White, C., Whitfield, C., Wolverson, E. and Wray, J. (2024) Caring from a distance: carers’ experiences of keeping in touch with care home residents during COVID-19 closures. International Journal of Care and Caring. 

Project team:  Dr Jo Bell, Caroline White, Prof Liz Walker, Dr Liz Price and Dr Lisa Revell

SPARC research has focused on social prescribing, an emerging approach to addressing health inequalities, improving mental and physical well-being, reducing isolation, and easing pressure on primary care. Our evaluation of a Hull-based service highlighted the complexity of the Link Worker role and the importance of personalized support. While social prescribing is typically linked to general practice, the study found more referrals came from social workers. A second study explores the relationship between social work and social prescribing, offering critical insights from UK social workers.

Outputs

White, C., Bell, J., Reid, M. and Dyson, J. (2022) More than signposting: Findings from an evaluation of a social prescribing service. Health and Social Care in the Community https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35915879/