ENRICH West Midlands
Care Home Research Network
What is the ENRICH West Midlands Care Home Research Network?
The ENRICH West Midlands Care Home Research Network
ENRICH stands for ENabling Research In Care Homes. ENRICH is a national network. In the West Midlands, ENRICH is part of your local Clinical Research Network (CRN) - the NIHR CRN West Midlands.
ENRICH brings together care home staff, residents, and their families with researchers. We work with care homes to provide support and opportunities for care home managers, staff, and residents to take part in high-quality research studies. We also work with researchers to support them to set up and run studies effectively and collaboratively in care homes.
What is the Clinical Research Network?
The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) supports patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, thereby advancing knowledge and improving care.
We are part of the NIHR (National Institute of Health and Care Research) which has been supporting research delivery in primary, community and hospital settings across our region since 2006 and more recently, expanding its support into wider care settings, such as care homes and local authorities. Last year almost 1.4 million people in England participated in NIHR studies.
We are funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, care homes, other research funders, participants and the public.
Watch this two-minute video to find out more about who we are and what we do:
(currently only available on a computer)
The aims of the ENRICH Network in the West Midlands.
The aim of the ENRICH Network is to improve the health and well-being of care homes residents and staff by building new knowledge, bridging gaps in research, applying knowledge to practice, supporting care home staff development and sharing learning across the Network.
We aim to invite care homes to take part in high quality innovative research studies that focus on the health and well-being of older adults and their care home environment. Taking part in high quality research studies will not only help your care home to contribute to shaping the health of the nation but also will give you the chance to take advantage of new treatments or resources that are not yet available to the general population.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the important role of care homes within our society and how they are paramount in the health and wellbeing of care home residents. We hope with the implementation, exploration and support of research we can aid the health and wellbeing of care homes as whole, helping to further the advancement of the social care sector.
How can we support your care home?
Inform you of opportunities to take part in high-quality research
Support your care home with the setup and delivery of a research study - most studies will require minimal resources from the care home.
Provide access to funding to reimburse staff time and involvement in research
Provide continued support throughout the study
Provide access to free research training
Benefits of taking part in care home research.
Benefits of research:
Enables care home owners and managers to learn of new developments, which can contribute to delivery of improvements in the home’s business and marketing plans
Help demonstrate to the public that the care home sector is actively focused on good care and improving delivery
Provide an effective voice for residents, families and staff whose views may have been previously unheard
For care home residents:
Directly and indirectly enhances the quality of life for residents
Provide additional stimulation as residents take part in a new activity or have someone new to talk to
Give control back to residents, allowing them to feel like they are contributing to their future and the next generation
For care home staff:
Staff can gain additional training, and support, discuss new practices, learn new skills, and network with other care homes. Care homes are busy environments and so the level of involvement needs to be managed to suit the individual circumstances of the home
Increased job satisfaction and well-being for staff; creating an atmosphere that encourages excellence and improvement
Provides your home with the latest information on science and technology advances
Our offer to care homes.
We want care home staff and residents to feel like active members who shape the Research Network. We aim to collaborate with members across the social care setting, including care home managers, staff, residents and family members to gain a well rounded perspective of care home life.
Older people being cared for in all settings may benefit from research findings and may also benefit from participation in research. Research helps find answers to the things that are unknown, filling gaps in knowledge and changing the ways that people work in turn bringing about improvements in treatment, care and the quality of life of care home residents. Insights gained from research could also help to allay any possible family concerns about the quality of care being offered to their loved one.
Opportunities for care home staff and residents to input into study research design
Identifying the key areas of need, we will work with care home stakeholders including managers, residents and family members to develop relevant research studies to inform change.
We will also promote opportunities for participation in local and national studies.
Attend meetings to speak about research and areas of interest for individual care homes
We can attend either in person or remotely to deliver presentations and webinars around particular areas of interest.
Find out about studies
When joining the West Midlands ENRICH Network you will receive our monthly studies bulletin, alongside regular updates from your research facilitator about studies that may benefit your home.
Share research findings to inform evidence base and contribute to policy and practice
We will ensure the dissemination of all findings of research where you have assisted. This will include publications and recommendations for policy change.
Remuneration
Support Cost
If there are any additional costs related to undertaking the research these will come directly from the study team and are called ‘Research Costs’ (research activity is almost always undertaken directly by the research team).
When we circulate research opportunities each study will clearly state the total remuneration for care homes.
Join the ENRICH West Midlands Network.
By signing up you are not committing to anything, We will keep you updated on:
New studies
Resources and research results
Training and opportunities for staff
or for more information email us at