New resources to strengthen data use in care homes

Funded by the NIHR ARC East Midlands, the new resources aim to empower care providers to use resident data as a practical tool for delivering more person-centred care and improving outcomes. 

Consistent collection and use of resident information across care homes is a vital policy priority for enhancing care quality and service delivery.

By understanding how staff interact with this data, care homes can ensure it remains meaningful and directly supports personalised care planning and review.

The free materials are accessible for all care home staff. The resources cover the following topics:

• Using data and communication to improve care
• Promoting purposeful activity through better data use
• Behaviour, wellbeing and data in care homes
• Reviewing data to improve residents’ quality of life. 

These resources are based on findings from the recent DACHA-DASH study, which demonstrated that it is possible to link information held in care homes with data about residents in NHS datasets. 

The study highlighted the need to better integrate a minimum set of relevant information – known as the Minimum Data Set (MDS) – to support more efficient care delivery and reduce the repetition or duplication of information. A MDS typically includes details about residents’ characteristics, medical conditions, medications, quality of life and care needs. 

Rachael Carroll, Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham, said: “These resources give care home staff practical ways to translate data into everyday decisions, helping teams anticipate residents’ needs and tailor support more effectively. 

“By making data more visible and usable, we can foster a culture where information directly informs compassionate, personalised care.”

For more information, visit the resource page.