Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH)

The contract for the Office of the National Director for Dementia Research ended on 30 September 2021.

The ENRICH initiative and Research Ready Care Home Network aim to improve the lives and health of older people living in care homes and improve the consistency of support for research outside the NHS.

Improving the lives and health of older people living in care homes is a major UK government priority. This objective was listed in the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia 2020, for more research to be conducted in, and dissemninated through, care homes. The Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH) initiative aims to help make this happen, and to improve the consistency of support for research outside the NHS. The majority of care homes have since signed up to the NIHR ENRICH 'Research Ready Care Home Network'.

The network brings together care home staff, residents and researchers to facilitate the design and delivery of research, with the aim of improving quality of life, treatments and care for all residents. The network provides more opportunities for care homes and residents to become involved in local and national research studies. It also endeavours to help researchers understand the challenges and solutions around increasing research activity in care homes and identify better ways of working with existing care home systems to ease study delivery.

Getting involved can potentially lead to benefits for residents, staff and care homes. For example it can:

• provide stimulation as residents take part in new activities or have someone new to talk to
• give back control to residents, allowing them to feel like they are contributing to the future
• stimulate residents to take an increased interest in their own health and wellbeing
• lead to professional development opportunities for staff
• enable care home staff to learn of new developments, which can contribute to the home’s business and marketing plans
• encourage researchers and funders to address issues that are of interest to care homes such as symptom management, or end-of-life care
• improve contact between care homes and other local health and care services
• provide an effective voice for residents, families and staff whose views may have been previously unheard.