Making care homes part of the community? An evaluation of the Gloucestershire Partnerships for Older People Project

Abstract

Purpose

This paper report on the evaluation of a project that aimed to improve the integration of care homes with health and social care services and with the wider community.

Design/methodology/approach

The evaluation adopted a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative performance data with semi‐structured stakeholder interviews and emergency bed use costings.

Findings

The evaluation suggests that the project made significant steps towards integrating care homes with the health and social care community and demonstrated cost savings through reduced hospital bed use.

Practical implications

Health and social care interventions aimed at upskilling care home staff can increase standards of care and quality of life for residents; they are also likely to highlight unmet needs.

Originality/value

The project demonstrated the need for better integration of health and social care services with care homes in order to improve quality of life for residents.

Citation

Evans, S., Means, R. and Powell, J. (2013), "Making care homes part of the community? An evaluation of the Gloucestershire Partnerships for Older People Project", Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 66-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/14717791311311120