Following the launch of ENRICH in Kent in September 2013, one year on Kent’s Clinical Research Team for Dementia have successfully signed up 23 care homes to the care home research network.

The benefits of having launched ENRICH in Kent are already visible.  Amy Hammond, Clinical Research Team Leader for Dementia describes “Having local care homes sign up to the ENRICH network has meant we have been able to quickly and easily identify local care homes that are suitable and willing to be approached for involvement in new NIHR portfolio studies, something I feel that previously just wouldn’t have been possible without ENRICH in place.”

The launch of ENRICH locally has enabled or research team to approach three suitable care homes from our ENRICH database for their involvement in the MARQUE study (Managing Agitation and Raising Quality of Life in dementia).  As each care home had previously signed up to ENRICH, were aware of the local research team who and had a keen interest in the MARQUE study, that all three care homes that were approached agreed for their care home to be part of the study which is currently open and recruiting in Kent at Amherst Court (Chatham), Ashley Gardens Care Centre (Maidstone) and Hawkinge House (Folkestone).

Equally since the launch of ENRICH, our first care home to sign up to ENRICH, Ashcroft House Nursing Home in Margate agreed to be involved in a new Industry clinical trial that is currently in set-up.  In preparation for this study both the Care Home Manager, Jacqui Gregg and the Deputy Care Home Manager, Teresa Taylor undertook face to face training in the NIHR Introduction to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) which was run by Clinical Research Network, Kent, Surrey and Sussex staff in Kent.  Both Jacqui and Teresa found the training very valuable and informative.

The local Clinical Research Teams are looking forward to enabling more care homes sign up to ENRICH  an access to being involved in leading dementia research and expanding the care home research network across the region.