ARC EM researcher part of award-winning team

The ARC East Midlands Theme lead for Building Community Resilience and Enabling Independence is playing a crucial role in the CONDOR study, a £1.3 million national research programme to evaluate coronavirus tests in hospitals, general practices and care homes.

The team were recognised for their work in setting up a pioneering online community of support to help care home staff through the COVID-19 pandemic by giving them access to clinical expertise and a network of peer advisors on demand. The group has supported over 200 care home staff through the pandemic and, although it has national coverage, has been used as a template for multiple regional groups set up during the pandemic.  

Professor Gordon was a founding member of the group and has been providing clinical advice on how to manage COVID in older people living in care homes through the group for the last eight months. The work of the group has been the focus of a Kings Fund seminar and a research paper published in the Age and Ageing journal. One group member described the group as “their lifeline in a time of need”, indicating how valuable the initiative has been during a very difficult time for the care home sector.