ENRICH Cymru

ENabling Research In Care Homes (ENRICH) Cymru is co-hosted by Health and Care Research Wales Support and Delivery Centre and the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research, and is a pan-Wales research network of care homes supporting the delivery and facilitation of high-quality research tackling current issues in the care home sector.

The network promotes the exchange of ideas and knowledge and fosters the co-creation of research across the country by bringing together care home staff, residents and their families with researchers.

There is a place in the network for all interested care homes to join, whether you just want to be kept up to date with the latest developments in research or if you are ready to help in delivering research in your home.

Members of ENRICH Cymru network receive:

Regular updates about upcoming research opportunities in Wales and the latest developments in care home research and development across the UK
Access to free online training
Advice and support on overcoming the challenges in delivering research in care homes
Support with identification of care homes and residents to support studies

For further information email a member of the team or to join the ENRICH Cymru network, please complete the research ready care home network membership form.

The ENRICH Cymru network is affiliated with the national ENRICH regional networks across England and Scotland. For more information please visit the ENRICH website.

Care home staff

Research is improved when care home staff are involved in setting questions, deciding how to collect information and making choices about what information to circulate from the results.

Participating in research can range from distributing leaflets about research to residents to helping conduct studies such as Hiraeth. The aim of supporting research is to help improve the quality of life for residents and other people living in care homes.

The benefits of taking part in research are:

better links with community services and other local care home networks
new developments that are useful to everyday practice
promoting your care home as being actively involved in providing evidence-based practice

Researchers

ENRICH Cymru aims to increase the amount of research conducted in the care sector. The network can offer support and guidance to help overcome the challenges and with the identification of care homes and residents to support studies.

There are some key reasons why carrying out research in care homes is vital:

Improving lives of residents

Real change in policy and care, comes from the evidence found from research. The more research conducted the better quality of care is undertaken across the country.

Improving access to research

Care home residents are under-represented in clinical research, opening access to these studies can improve recruitment in the limited studies currently active.

Helps develop best practice

Because residents are under-represented in research, there are some areas where the evidence to support best practice is weak. This lack of evidence provides opportunities to develop new research.

Raises the standards

Research evidence is instrumental in helping raise the standards of care in care homes. For example, one study provided training and support for care home staff and as a result it reduced neuroleptic use in residents with dementia by 50% without worsening behavioural symptoms.

Care homes in the network