Summary:

Aim: To capture the experiences of frontline care home and NHS staff caring for older people with COVID-19 and to share the lessons learnt about the presentation, trajectories, and management of the infection with care homes that have and have not yet experienced the virus. We addressed this overall aim through the following objectives: To understand the clinical presentation and illness trajectories of COVID-19 for older people (aged over 65 years) being cared for in hospital and care homes; To describe what worked well and what more is needed for care and treatment of older people with COVID-19; To identify key lessons for supporting infected older people to recover well or, if that is not possible, to die well; To share findings and lessons learnt (objectives 1 to 3) with care home senior staff to explore useful strategies for managing the infection at an individual and organisational level within the home for the mutual benefit of residents, relatives and staff; and To explore the resonance and relevance of lessons learnt (objectives 1 to 4) with care home providers and to identify any gaps. Method: We used an appreciative approach, working across disciplinary boundaries and care settings.  In phase 1 (June and July 2020) we interviewed 35 frontline staff (18 care home and 17 NHS staff) to address objectives 1 to 3 and gather in-depth understanding. In phase 2 (September 2020) we hosted a consultation event with 11 senior operational and quality managers in care homes to establish the resonance, relevance, and any gaps in relation to Phase 1 findings  and strategies for managing COVID-19 at an organisational level within the home for the mutual benefit of residents, relatives and staff. All data collection was conducted remotely by video or telephone call.

Outputs: We have presented the findings to colleagues working in the care home sector. The report can be accessed https://niche.leeds.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2020/10/LESS-COVID-19-SPILSBURY-ET-AL-2020.pdf or https://www.nationalcareforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/LESS-COVID-19-v2.pdf.

Our intention is for the report to remain ‘active’ with opportunities to continue learning lessons and sharing strategies for the benefit of those living and working in care homes. We invite care providers to comment on resonance, relevance and gaps via an online survey (https://leeds.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/less-covid-report-feedback). We will review the report in January 2021. Beyond the funded work, we plan to co-create, with the care home sector, a range of resources to share the overall lessons learnt with frontline staff and provider organisations.