Understanding the role of allied health professional support workers with exercise qualifications in the delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan within allied health professional services in England.

Demand modelling for the allied health professionals (AHPs) workforce showed that significant expansion would be needed to successfully deliver on the National Health Service (NHS) Long Term Plan. The aim was to explore the use of AHP support workers with exercise qualifications in AHP services and to understand their current and potential role in NHS commissioned AHP services in England. The project had two phases and took place between October 2020 and January 2021.

Hospital practitioner views on the benefits of continence education and best ways to provide training.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore practitioners' experiences and perspectives on continence training, in order to understand its relevance to practice and how take-up of, and engagement with, such training may be improved.

Design: 27 qualitative interviews were conducted with nursing, medical and allied health practitioners in three hospitals.

Methods: We analysed data thematically, both manually and with the aid of NVivo software.

'We tend to get pad happy': a qualitative study of health practitioners' perspectives on the quality of continence care for older people in hospital.

Background: Bladder and bowel control difficulties affect 20% and 10% of the UK population, respectively, touch all age groups and are particularly prevalent in the older (65+ years) population. However, the quality of continence care is often poor, compromising patient health and well-being, increasing the risk of infection, and is a predisposing factor to nursing and residential home placement.

Objective: To identify factors that help or hinder good continence care for patients aged 65 years and over in hospital medical ward settings.

Synthesizing Qualitative Data Sets to Improve the Design of Trials and Complex Health Interventions: A Worked Example.

Qualitative researchers are increasingly reanalyzing and synthesizing data sets from different studies, and this method has now been used across trials to inform trial methodology and delivery. Despite this work, however, limited guidance exists about how this method should be employed. This article details an example in which interview data collected during three primary care depression trials were brought together to explore trial participants' study and treatment journeys.

Exploring patients' treatment journeys following randomisation in mental health trials to improve future trial conduct: a synthesis of multiple qualitative data sets.

Background: The way in which pragmatic trials are designed suggests that there are differences between the experiences of participants randomised to usual care and intervention arms. These potential differences relate not only to which treatment participants receive but also how they access and engage with their allocated treatment. Such differences could affect trial results.

'She believed in me'. What patients with depression value in their relationship with practitioners. A secondary analysis of multiple qualitative data sets.

Background: Clinical guidance promotes the practitioner-patient relationship as integral to good quality person-centred care for patients with depression. However, patients can struggle to engage with practitioners and practitioners have indicated that they want more guidance on how to establish effective relationships with their patients.

Objective: To identify what practitioner attributes patients with depression particularly value or find problematic.

What works in 'real life' to facilitate home deaths and fewer hospital admissions for those at end of life?: results from a realist evaluation of new palliative care services in two English counties.

Background: WE EVALUATED END OF LIFE CARE SERVICES IN TWO ENGLISH COUNTIES INCLUDING: coordination centres, telephone advice line, 'Discharge in Reach' nurses, a specialist community personal care team and community nurse educators. Elsewhere, we published findings detailing high family carer satisfaction and fewer hospital admissions, Accident and Emergency attendances and hospital deaths for service users compared to controls. The aim of this paper is to discuss what contributed to those outcomes.

"Earthly Angels"? A qualitative study of the domiciliary care worker role in meeting the needs of families caring for those dying at home.

Objective: Relatively little attention has been paid to optimum ways in which community-based care services can support family caregivers in the context of end-of-life care at home. This paper addresses such concerns by focusing on the services provided by domiciliary care workers.

Method: We draw on qualitative formal interviews with 42 family members, 1 patient, and 6 staff, as well as observation sessions and informal interviews with additional family caregivers and staff, to examine the aspects of domiciliary care perceived to be of most value.

End-of-life care in nursing and care homes.

Background: More than 70,000 people die each year in nursing and residential care homes, yet comparatively little attention has been paid to end-of-life care practice and its challenges in this setting.

Method And Results: We conducted interviews and group discussions in 12 homes, involving 73 residents, 97 members of staff and 16 relatives. These revealed that personalised care, dignity and respect, making time, talking about death, relatives' roles, and staff support were priorities for all concerned.

Sight loss in later life: a vision for health service intervention.

The care and support of older people with visual impairment is a neglected public policy issue, despite the growing numbers affected by sight loss in later life. A recent study of 400 people aged above 55 has identified problem areas and ways to improve practice and service delivery. Improvements will depend on better patient care at the time of diagnosis and more effective follow-up, with implications for closer liaison between health and social care practitioners.