On behalf of the Care Association Alliance, we are sharing a link to a project being undertaken by the University of Birmingham and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) looking at ‘Achieving closure’ – improving outcomes when care homes close.

Care homes for older people are a crucial service, supporting some 400,000 people 24 hours a day/365 days a year. In an era of austerity, care markets are increasingly fragile, and the very logic of a ‘market’ implies that the risk of failure has to be real for there to be sufficient incentives for providers to deliver appropriate care at the right price. However, when care homes close – whether through financial problems, care failings or other factors – the received wisdom is that subsequent relocation can be detrimental to the well-being of older residents.

Despite this, there is little formal evidence to guide services when undertaking such sensitive work, with local areas ‘reinventing the wheel’ each time a closure takes place/failing to share learning externally. Building on a previous pilot in Birmingham (believed to be the largest closure programme in the UK), this study explores what happens to older people and care staff when homes close, how best to manage closures in a way that minimises negative outcomes for older people and families, and key lessons for Councils as they manage future closures.

You can find details about this project here.