ENRICH Scotland: a research network enabling research in care homes in Scotland

Abstract

There is a need to understand the lives of people who live in care homes and how care should be delivered in this setting. Enabling Research in Care Homes (ENRICH) was funded by National Institute for Health Research in 2012 in England to increase research awareness and participation for people who live and work in care homes. A similar model was developed for Scotland, but without funding this proved difficult. In 2021, the Chief Scientist Office funded an expansion of the existing model for Scottish care homes. This article describes the components of enabling research in care homes in Scotland and the research infrastructure the team are developing to enable more research, including clinical trials, to be carried out in Scottish care homes, and how this will benefit the residents, families and staff.