High mortality of older patients admitted to hospital from care homes and insight into potential interventions to reduce hospital admissions from care homes: The Norfolk experience

Necessary but not yet sufficient: a survey of aged residential care staff perceptions of palliative care communication, education and delivery

“…Effective communication is a key component of both staff palliative care training7 and family understanding 8. Previous international research examining avoidable hospitalisations among ARC residents has concluded that insufficient communication between health professionals, residential care staff and residents and their families represents a key contributory factor 9. Similar findings have been reported in New Zealand,10 the setting for the study reported in this paper.…”

Appropriateness of unscheduled hospital admissions from care homes

“…This finding is in keeping with results from other healthcare systems. 23,24 Responses suggest a lack of awareness of the services available, and addressing these knowledge gaps must be a priority if we are to improve care delivered to this vulnerable patient group. Comments about availability of specialist opinion or immediate access to investigations to prevent admission are a concern, and suggest that the interface between care homes and secondary care could be improved.…”

The extent and cost of potentially avoidable admissions in hospital inpatients with palliative care needs: a cross-sectional study

“…Previous research has examined the reasons why patients from residential care facilities may be admitted inappropriately to acute hospitals and have found that these residential facilities are often under-resourced, that their staff lack skills in supporting residents and families to complete advance care plans and that there is too little communication about end of life issues between health professionals, residential care staff and patients and their families 24. The impact of hospital admissions for older people, including those living in residential care, is significant.…”