I have been working on ENRICH since November 2014 – the ENRICH Project was launched nationally in 2012 but the initiative was not taken up in the West Midlands until late 2014, when we had 1 care home signed up and little research activity. CRN West Midlands is the second largest Network with a population of 5.7 million (the size of Denmark), and houses over 800 care homes.

Many studies have considered handovers between shifts in hospital settings, but handovers have yet to be explored in care homes. 

‘Thinking about Drinking’ has been at the forefront of my mind for nearly four years now, but it emerged as the title of my study much more recently, when I was trying to think of something that would describe what I was trying to do. 

Bernadette Mossman is Healthcare Director and Registered Manager for Vida Healthcare a 70 bed specialist dementia care home, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire rated as excellent by the CQC. In this blog Bernadette expalins what drove her to become involved in research.

The benefits of Care Home research for care homes, residents and families.

My interest in health research began in 1998 when I decided to take a long awaited leap into the nursing profession.

We care home managers are really keen to work with and develop research. So why don’t we?

Opening the EnRICH doors to Care Homes across the East Midlands has been a quiet revolution.

My grandmother died when I was eighteen years old, having been diagnosed with Alzehimer’s Disease several years beforehand. I did not see her much as her dementia started to progress; I believe it would have been a landmine of confusion for both of us.

Improving care in care homes is a national and international priority. I truly believe that a good quality evidence base is key to advocating change, and this isn’t going to happen without care homes being involved in research.