“We are interested in the experiences and opinions of people in direct care positions, such as Care Worker or Care Support Worker or Care Assistant.  If this is the work you do, we would love to hear from you.  If this does not apply to you, but you know people who work in these roles, we would be grateful if you could make them aware of this questionnaire, and share the link given below with your networks.  The questionnaire does not ask for identifiable details such as place of work or name of employer, and if participants leave personal details these will be kept confidential and not used to identify them at any stage of the study.

The purpose of this study is to learn about the experiences of care home workers in England, with a focus on their work motivations and what connects them to the work.  This questionnaire asks about working conditions (including how the pandemic has affected them), and how workers feel about certain aspects their jobs.  The study’s researchers will also interview some care home workers at a later stage. The aim of the study is to improve understanding of why care home workers do what they do, what keeps them in their jobs, and what makes them leave or consider leaving.  These are issues of great importance with serious, ongoing problems in the sector recruiting and retaining staff, and the findings of the study will shape policy recommendations.  As our societies learn to live with COVID-19, we have to find new ways to organise care for our most vulnerable members,  and to think more creatively about the elements of a sustainable care infrastructure.  The information we gather will be used to develop policy insights and practical guidelines aimed at expanding the capacities, resources and sustainability of the care home workforce.

The link below leads to the questionnaire, which has an initial information and consent page:

https://unioxsocpol.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6fZl3G3O34bBNiK

If you have any questions about the study, please contact the study’s research team: Dr Duncan Fisher (Researcher): duncan.fisher@spi.ox.ac.uk.  Professor Mary Daly: mary.daly@spi.ox.ac.uk”