RCN Foundation award funding to the University of York to research nursing in care and nursing homes
Posted on 13 May 2014
Following a successful bid, nursing charity, the RCN Foundation has awarded the University of York a grant of £20,000 to carry out research into care and nursing homes.
This important baseline work will help ensure that the Foundation’s future project grants programmes are well targeted in order to achieve the best possible outcome for patients.
Emeritus Professor Tony Butterworth, Trustee of the Foundation said: “The nursing workforce in this setting has been professionally prepared to work in hospital or community, and formal nursing education has not always recognised this sector as a career option. The absence of a defined career pathway for care home nurses and the increasing complexity of their work gives some urgency to the need for research in this area.”
The following key questions will be explored in the research:
- what are the key issues in relation to patient care and professional development for nursing staff in care and nursing homes?
- where and how could future Project Grants from the RCN Foundation have the most impact on the key issues identified?
Professor Karen Spilsbury, who will lead the research team in the Department of Health Sciences at York said: “We plan to investigate the extent to which nursing education programmes prepare registered nurses for a role in care home environments.
“We also aim to review innovations or developments (including new nursing roles) to support care for older people in care homes.” In the UK, approximately half a million older people live in nursing and care homes. The sector now provides more beds than NHS hospitals, for a predominantly older population, with increasingly complex healthcare needs. Ensuring older people can access ‘good’ nursing care in care homes is crucial.
Further information about the work will be available at http://tinyurl.com/carehomeproject. This work is due to report towards the end of 2014.
Notes to editors:
The RCN Foundation is an independent charity supporting nursing to improve the health and well-being of the public. It provides funding for nurses in need and for bursaries for study as well as grants for clinical research and innovative projects which make a difference to service development and the safety, quality and dignity of patient care. For further information on RCN Foundation visit: www.rcnfoundation.org.uk
For more information on the University of York's Department of Health Sciences visit: www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences