Informative event puts spotlight on embedding research in care homes

On Friday, March 27, the project team shared the findings of LiLaC (Living Labs for Care) – a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands initiative designed to support research in care home and domiciliary care settings.

The event was chaired by Professor Adam Gordon MBE, the Principal Investigator of LiLaC and Professor of the Care of Older People at the Academic Centre of Healthy Ageing (ACHA), Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University of London, and Dr Natalie Richardson, a Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham.

The group explored the achievements and challenges of the project, which has involved supporting four care homes across the region to become more research active.

A video highlighting the experiences of two Nottinghamshire nursing homes involved in LiLaC was premiered at the event. The event also saw Leicester’s first poet laureate, Akshay Sharma, known professionally as Mr Shay, perform a poem reflecting on the project’s key themes: care, community, culture and creativity.

According to the LiLaC team, older people receiving social care are an underserved community and whilst NIHR efforts have expanded care home research, this sector lags behind acute care in terms of research investment and engagement. The event was a celebration of what the project has achieved in bridging the gap between research and practice.

It was an opportunity to hear presentations from two of the care homes involved and discuss future research priorities. It also embraced creative approaches to supporting stakeholder engagement through activities and lively discussion led by Anita Barrand, the project’s community engagement officer.

Professor Gordon MBE said: “It was inspiring to see care home staff, managers and researchers come together to share real examples of care-led and care-informed research.

“The presentations, videos and displays really brought the work of LiLaC to life and highlighted both the successes and the challenges of embedding research into everyday care.”

Professor Kamlesh Khunti, Co-Director of the NIHR ARC East Midlands, said: “Events like this not only celebrate what has been achieved but also help shape the future research priorities that can make a tangible difference for residents and staff alike.”

The newly launched video on the LiLaC project can be watched below. 

The poem is also available here. 

Live scribed illustrations by Nifty Fox captured key discussions from the event, highlighting themes including time pressures, information sharing and recognition of staff involvement in research.

For further details about the LiLaC project, please contact the project's lead researcher: natalie.richardson@nottingham.ac.uk.