Supporting the Sustainability of Long-Term Residential Care in a COVID-19 Environment and in the Future

This research will provide evidence on long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic and inform how best to ensure the sustainability of long-term care homes in the longer term. The project is funded by a Research Collaborative in Quality and Patient Safety (RCQPS) COVID-19 Pandemic Award. The project will examine if particular types of long-term care homes were more likely to experience higher COVID-19 infections and deaths. Findings will provide evidence on which homes may require additional support during the pandemic and beyond. The project will also review some of the temporary measures introduced during COVID-19 to support the sector, and assess if, and to what extent, these measures may be necessary in the future to maximise the safety of residents and the sustainability of long-term care homes. A key component of the project is to work closely with knowledge users in the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure findings from the project can be used to inform policy in practice. Reports are due for publication in the first 6 months of 2022. 

In collaboration with Kathleen MacLellan (Department of Health), Siobhán Kennelly (HSE), Eamon O’Shea (NUI Galway), Anita Charlesworth (The Health Foundation, London), and Adelina Comas-Herrera (London School of Economics).