Stephen Allan and Florin Vadean
Many people in England with long-term care needs are supported by staff working for home care services. It is important to know what changes the quality of these services so that they can continue to improve and to ensure public funds are spent in the best way. The objective of this study was to understand the factors which affect home care quality in England.
We used a national staffing database which included information on each home care service. We added to this data on employment and income from the area each service was located. We found that service (voluntary sector, competition from other services) and staffing (number of staff and contract type) factors had an important effect on quality as assessed by the Care Quality Commission. These findings are important for helping to find ways to sustain and develop home care services in England, including through improving the recruitment and retention of staff.
Stephen Allan, s.allan@kent.ac.uk.
