Is it time for job quality? Conceptualising temporal arrangements in new models of homecare.

Time is a key organising principle in the formal provision of care to older people in their own homes. It is used when delivering homecare services, calculating fees and care staff's pay entitlement. Research in the UK highlights how the predominant service model of compartmentalising care into pre-defined tasks, delivered in strictly scheduled time-based units, offers poor quality jobs, characterised by low pay, insecure and tightly controlled work.

Innovation in UK independent homecare services: A thematic narrative review.

This paper reports the findings of a thematic narrative review of peer-reviewed articles exploring innovation in UK independent homecare services published between January 2009-August 2021. Our analysis of 15 papers reveals four broad innovation types: personalised funding, operational models, workforce development and assistive technology. We conclude that research focused on innovation in independent homecare offers important insights into the positive and negative outcomes of different types of innovation for providers, care workers and people receiving care.

Adolescents and Young Adults With Spina Bifida Transitioning to Adulthood: A Comprehensive Community-Based Needs Assessment.

Objective: Developing effective interventions to promote successful transition to adulthood for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with spina bifida (SB) requires input from SB community stakeholders, particularly AYA themselves. The goal of this study was to identify and prioritize facilitators and barriers of successful transition to a healthy adult life for AYA with SB.

Methods: We utilized concept mapping, a community-engaged research methodology.

From Measurement to Improvement in Ontario's Cancer System: Analyzing the Performance of 28 Provincial Indicators over 15 Years.

Over the past 15 years, Cancer Care Ontario has used a robust performance management approach to drive improvements in care. Each year, priority indicators and targets are selected or retained, and performance is reviewed quarterly with each of Ontario's Regional Cancer Programs. Improvement support and encouragement are provided, such as data analysis, program ranking, communities of practice, consultations, action plan requests and certificates.

Negotiating and valuing spaces: The discourse of space and 'home' in care homes.

This paper examines how space in care homes is experienced and negotiated by people who live and work in them. The analysis of qualitative data of five in-depth case studies of care homes in England revealed three key ways in which space is negotiated: a) the way in which values affect interactions inside versus outside the care home environment, b) the negotiation of boundaries and domains within the homes, and c) the sense of being at 'home'. The paper illuminates how the design of the buildings and organisational factors can reinforce or bridge dichotomies between inside and outside spaces.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and their management in care homes within the East of England: a postal survey.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of antipsychotic use in care homes. To explore which behaviours care home staff can find difficult to manage and which non-pharmacological interventions are currently used within care homes to help cope with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

Method: A postal survey sent to all care homes registered as specialising in the care of older people or/and older people with dementia within four counties in the East of England (n = 747).

How organizational factors interact to influence the quality of care of older people in the care home sector.

Objectives: To examine how organizational factors affect good care and mistreatment of older people in care homes.

Methods: Eight residential care homes for older people (including private sector, local authority and NHS providers) took part in a participatory observation-based study of organizational factors affecting care quality.

Results: Grouping organizational factors into infrastructure, management and procedures, staffing, resident population characteristics and culture, we show the context-sensitive nature of interactions between these factors.

Wicked problems or wicked people? Reconceptualising institutional abuse.

Institutional abuse is a global issue, sometimes ascribed to the behaviour of a few wicked people. It persists despite regulatory measures, interventions from enforcement and protection agencies, organisational policies and procedures. Therefore, the accurate recognition and early detection of abuse and taking corresponding steps to deal with perpetrators are critical elements in protecting vulnerable people who live in institutions.

A project to promote health awareness among firefighters.

Fighting Fit is a collaborative health promotion endeavour run by the Cheshire Fire Service, Warrington Primary Care Trust, Cheshire Fire Service Occupational Health and the firefighters themselves. This article describes the project and its evaluation.