Meet with providers to discuss innovation, research evidence and learning, introduce studies, and invite to participate. Send Newsletters outlining the latest research recommendations and guidelines from NICE, SCIE, Skills for Care & NIHR evidence sites (please see links at the end of this workbook).

Build on this with training opportunities and/or attend county wide social care provider meetings like Skills for Care events, local Registered Manager networks & Care Association networks and forums like EnRICH & RELEC to present studies and make contacts. Providers often read Newsletters rather than attend meetings. 

Other ways to promote open communication with providers is to:-

• Offer research training for staff & involve people receiving care and their loved ones. 

• Record presentations from study teams to distribute to Providers.

• Include real case studies and recommendations from care managers and care staff talking about their experience of being involved in research.

• Attend voluntary group meetings, social activities and be a regular presence.  

• Put together meetings via zoom or Teams so that study teams can speak directly to social care staff, people using services and their loved ones. 

• It doesn’t have to be a formal regular group, just a one-off meeting for anyone interested. 

• Ask for a ‘table’ at social care provider premises to promote research studies. 

• Offer a Dementia Friends session or a Join Dementia Research (JDR) event.

• Attend meetings for family and friends who use services /team meetings and events.

• Offer to speak at local events or conferences about social care research. 

• Engage with shopping centres/local gyms/colleges/Dementia Friends Community meetings and request promotional opportunities.

Maintain transparency around the realities and challenges likely to be faced while engaging this sector in research.  Go through protocols and clarify and simplify the aims of the study and the benefits of participation. Be honest about the time commitment involved for Providers. Make your message clear and precise. If appropriate, clarify with Social Care researchers (study team) about portfolio adoption and HRA.

• Create posters and flyers and distribute to providers to use to promote the idea that they are a research active organisation. 

• Providers appreciate evidence like letters acknowledging their involvement or certificates which can be added to their research evidence portfolios for the CQC and other stakeholders. This is an ideal opportunity for researchers to encourage providers to document their own case studies and evidence of good practice to include in their research portfolio and website. 

• Use general meeting opportunities to introduce new studies and talk about research work. 

• Create a research event or mini conference; offer insight sessions to social care staff.  

• Create a WhatsApp group. 

• Create collaborations with social care providers e.g., Age UK & Care Associations discussing how you can work together more closely to bring research opportunities to staff and people who use services. 

• Create Carer Research Friendly groups and meet on a regular basis. Promote simple Induction material (such as PIS) with general information flyers for providers, care practitioners and users of services and or their families. This can then be added to their research portfolio and website to evidence their research awareness & engagement.

Keep in touch with Providers, relationships are the bedrock of successful research activity. Agree contact points and details and arrange times that suit all and stick to these. Diary invites help promote accountability. Keep abreast of staff changes or service provision changes so that records can be kept up to date.

Ask about any research they are engaging with that has not come through the CRN pathway. Check in with study teams and check they are comfortable with uploading recruitment, numbers, amendments and if there is any other assistance they would like. Support with administration is crucial as this is often time consuming in an already pressured care environment.

Ask providers which areas of research they are most interested in, it may be an activity for people who use services which can be facilitated by a research project free of charge, or extra staff training in a therapeutic activity.

Research must be relevant if it is to genuinely attract and retain participants. Ask them about time pressures, the demographics of the people who use their services and types of services delivered. Ask study teams if the study is open to different sectors of social care; for example, combined Home Care and Care Home plus the wider social care services including Learning Disabilities. It provides a wider footprint for recruitment. 

Help study teams lacking experience and knowledge of portfolio adoption, uploading recruitment and governance set up. Be prepared to offer extra support to providers, follow up and journey with, especially where there has been little or no previous research involvement. Give details for one point of contact, a named person who will be consistent throughout the project.

Providers that are considering taking part in studies that involve contracts will need to be reassured that they will be supported by the CRN and Delivery Team staff to complete documentation and receive funding. Set up a meeting with the local CRN Study Support team to present to providers about contracts and service support costs.  Be ready to step in and signpost providers to the right person to help them and then follow up and check the matter has been resolved. 

When arranging meetings with providers, be prepared to wait, this is not uncommon due to work pressures. Adopt an attitude of respect, and seek an understanding of their roles and challenges. You are the guest in their environment.

Arrive punctually, take care to dress appropriately.  Be informed about their infection control procedures and comply. Avoid speaking in NHS language and acronyms. Listen to the language providers use and use it yourself, ie. customers/ users/residents/people who use the service instead of patients. Discuss the offer of support from the delivery team with the study team as well as the provider. 

Just as NHS providers need to be confident that research activity will be efficiently run, with the minimum of impact on their ability to provide essential care to their service users, running  a study in social care is no different in its framework to the NHS. However, there will be other pressures which are not present in an NHS environment; there will be periods of time when providers may experience staff shortages, infection outbreaks, crisis situations.

Be prepared to accommodate these pinch points, with an offer of extra practical assistance. Be flexible about times and days of visits and the need to suspend research activities. Accommodate their micro societal situations and work with them to ensure the trial does not inflict additional pressures on already stressed staff. Respect Infection control measures in situ.

Do reassure study teams at the outset, that CRN Study Support Services will provide support to upload recruitment and ensure confirmation. Many Social care study teams find the process long winded and complicated which discourages them from putting their studies on the portfolio.

Reassure providers/participants that you will support them throughout the life of the study with problem solving; being an advocate for them with study teams, advising on study documents and processes, supporting if staff numbers are low; offering a personal service with quality time.

Reassure Providers that governance will be dealt with by Delivery teams and that all studies are ethically approved. 

Almost all social care providers operate as businesses, however there are still a few local authorities who provide some level of domiciliary provision. They may be commercial, franchise, not for profit or charity organisations.

They will be protective of their reputation, image, customer group and marketing potential. Their relationship with the people who use their services is their livelihood. Providers need to be confident that researchers will respond appropriately to people using their services and their staff, and the contact will be safe, professional, enjoyable and will reflect positively on the provider’s service delivery.

Have meetings to review study activity with providers discussing any issues and  how to overcome barriers to engagement and delivery. Feedback, evaluation and problem solving is all part of the relationship journey and research experience. To facilitate engagement consider registration to ENRICH (for Care Homes) or RELEC (for Home Care) and JDR, and promotional activities like Dementia Friends Awareness sessions. 

It may be useful to attend the organisation's team and staff meetings. Home Care organisations will hold open days for employee recruitment - this may be a good way of engaging and making research a priority. You could also try Staff training days and induction days, speak to the social care provider to see which they feel would be more suitable for them. Care Homes may run activity days, friends and family days and summer fayres - please ask the organisation you are engaging with what events you could attend and support.

Wherever there is an In-Reach Practitioner presence in care settings, work with them, but recognise that not all areas have an In-Reach practitioner in position. Make time to visit providers in person. Attend team meetings as appropriate, be mindful and flexible to join seamlessly into their daily routines.

It may also be of value to encourage the development of a Research Champion within the provider organisation, this is a great way to take the pressure off the manager. Ideally, this research champion should have access to benefits for this role including additional training, evidence of CPD and chance to attend relevant conferences to support them in their development. This is helpful in raising research and innovation potential within the team and improving workforce and engagement with users of services and their families.

Do ensure that study teams build contingency plans for the unexpected situations that may arise, for example, an outbreak of Norovirus may mean study recruitment must cease for a period of time in a care home supporting a study.

Apply for amendments to allow study processes to be continued virtually where possible. Do this at the feasibility stage, so that you can ensure recruitment meets targets, is less likely to be paused and is a success.

Have an awareness of the importance of the provision of experiential learning and reflective practice opportunities for social care staff, preparing them for future autonomy in research activities. Research activity provides ample opportunities for learning in face to face training sessions and  supervision. Training and research related resource development can be best achieved as a collaborative and co productive exercise.

Involve providers and their teams in site file preparation and learning how to encourage people using services to take part in research. Consider where appropriate, involving providers and staff with other research activities including data collection sessions  (with the permission of the participant) to help them build confidence and value their contribution to research.