Westminster City Council – Children and Community Services
Research Application Form - Project Plan
Before any research is undertaken you should discuss the research idea with the manager responsible for the service area that the
research relates to. You must complete this application form/project plan providing as much detailed information as possible about
your proposal. On the form are points that your proposal should address. This should help you to think through your research
project. Your completed application form should be submitted to Phillip Berechree, Strategy & Performance Division, CSSD who will
register it and forward it to the Research Steering Group for an initial assessment of the research proposal and provide advice on the
plan, following which Phillip Berechree will endorse it before the research can take place.
This process aims to ensure that research meets ethical standards and that those participating in the research are protected from the
risk of physical, emotional and psychological harm.
Your Research Proposal
Title of the proposed research:
Unplanned hospital admissions of older people (75+): the impact of governance and incentives. Phase 2
Aims of the proposed research:
The study will look at the ways in which local authorities and NHS bodies work together to finance, organise
and deliver services in order to reduce the utilisation of unplanned inpatient bed days
Name of research project leader:
Professor Martin Knapp
Designation:
Director, Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU)
Address:
PSSRU, LSE Health and Social Care, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE
Telephone no:
020 7955 6225
E-mail: m.knapp@lse.ac.uk
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Name of research supervisor:
___N/A not research that forms part of a qualification
Designation:
_______________________________
Address:
_______________________________
_______________________________
Telephone no:
_______________________________
E-mail: ______________________________________
Names of other research project staff:
Catherine Henderson
Designation:
Research Officer _______________________________
Address:
PSSRU, LSE Health and Social Care, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE
_______________________________
Telephone no:
020 7955 7247 ____________________
E-mail: s.henderson@lse.ac.uk
Details of the WCC Manager who has agreed to the research project:
Name:
Marian Harrington
Designation:
Director of Social Services
Address:
Westminster City Council
Social & Community Services
City Hall (7th Floor)
64 Victoria Street
London SW1E 6QP
Telephone no:
0207 641 2174
Who commissioned the research?
NHS Service Delivery Organisation
Who will fund your project?
NHS Service Delivery Organisation
E-mail: mharrington@westminster.gov.uk
- £303,340
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Background
(What is the main question to be answered by this research study?)
(Please note that RGF approval was obtained for Phase 1 of the study and that this application only pertains to Phase 2)
Phase 2 of the study will address the following questions.
1. How have professionals conceptualised changes in governance and incentives?
2. How do professionals interpret and integrate policy concerning governance and incentive arrangements into their daily
practice?
3. Are there particular aspects of governance and incentives that are perceived by professionals as more appropriate to the
values and culture of their organisation?
4. Do professionals perceive governance and incentive arrangements as driving patient choice and quality of care?
5. What are the perceived facilitators and barriers to reducing unscheduled hospital bed use at each point of the patient
journey within the identified conditions (falls, COPD and stroke)?
6. What factors do patients perceive to contribute to preventing unplanned hospital admissions and minimising hospital
stay?
Please see attached document, giving details on methodology, including ethical considerations
Plan
Phase 2 - within 3 sites of the 9 sites that participated in the Innovation Forum initiative.
Non−participant observation of multiprofessional forums: We will have identified these forums from the phase
1 and 2 data collection and through liaison with the IF Project Lead. Permission to observe these meetings will be gained
in advance from the chair, and before the meeting begins, from those attending. An information sheet detailing the study
will be posted or faxed to the chair and those attending. Consent will be verbal. Observation of a range of
multi−professional forums/team meetings/case conferences, responsible for monitoring and evaluating unscheduled bed
days. It is not certain how many of these meetings will be observed. It is likely to be at least 4 in each of the 3 sites.
Patient tracking: Patients (n=6 per site) meeting the inclusion criteria will be recruited via ward staff and IF project staff,
for instance via those working in hospital wards/discharge teams and intermediate care teams. Professionals will be asked
to help identify older people who would meet the criteria for 'patient tracking' and would be able and willing to apply the
modified AEP criteria to screen people they are providing care/services to. A maximum of 6 patients and 6 carers will be
recruited at this site in Westminster altogether. Staff would be asked to gain initial consent and give out a participant
information sheet and obtain patient consent to be contacted by the researcher. In addition, a maximum of 6 key members
of staff involved in the care of each patient will be recruited, i.e. 2 per patient on each of the 3 occasions that patients will
be interviewed.Formal recruitment and informed consent will be undertaken by the researcher. At least 24 hours will be
given for patients and their informal carers to consider partipation. Patients will be encouraged to discuss their participation
with family and friends. Consent will be sought separately at each of the three stages of their journey through the health
and social care system (process consent). Patients and patients' carers interviews will be conducted by researchers at a time
and place convenient for respondent. A researcher will be working at each of the three sites and will be experienced at
undertaking interviews with older people. The three researchers will be supported and trained by the core research team.
Points to cover
 What other projects/studies have
been carried out in this area, (if
any)?
What is your particular area of
interest?
 How will your research add to
any previous work undertaken?
Points to cover
 Who are you targeting?
 How are you going to select your
sample?
 How will you obtain consent of
your target group?
 What will the research
participants be expected to do?
 What arrangements are there to
protect the confidentiality of
information about research
participants?
Points to cover
 What research methods will you
use in collecting your data? E.g.
telephone survey, interview,
questionnaire, case file audit,
discussion
group, internet survey etc.
 How are you going to recruit
your participants?
 How will this comply with equal
opportunities policy?
 Are you involving your partners
in planning the research?
 Will the participants receive
payment for their time?
 What potential benefits, risks or
harm is there to your participants?
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The first interview will take place in hospital/community-based service focused on preventing admission, the second and
third in a place convenient to the patient, likely to be own home or care home. Max 1 hour.
For face-to-face interviews of health and social care professionals, staff will be approached initially by the researcher either
face-to-face by visiting workplaces or by telephone/email. An information sheet and consent form detailing the study will
be given, posted or faxed to the participant. Written consent will be gained before undertaking interviews. In order to
identify the staff most appropriate to be interviewed (caring for the tracked patient), we will select these staff following
interview and discussion with the patient and the hospital/community team involved with the patient. The staff selected
will be those most involved in care, e.g. the 'named nurse' in hospital or member of the intermediate care team in most
contact etc. The patient will be specifically asked to give their consent for the member of staff to discuss their particular
case. Staff: Interview will be conducted by researchers at a time and place convenient for respondent, and could also be
undertaken by telephone if more convenient to participant. Likely to be place of work. Duration of interviews: 30−60 mins
Consent and confidentiality - Please see attached information sheets, consent forms and invitation letters
Methods (Ethics)
The consent process has been outlined above.
Participants will not receive payment for their time. The research will involve negligible risk of emotional harm to either
patients or staff.
Local evaluators will conduct all interviews. Data will be managed initially by the researcher allocated to each site, and
will be anonymised at that point. Information from the interviews and field notes for all 3 sites will be collated for further
analysis using a qualitative software package and analysed by the research team.
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Has the research received approval from other bodies e.g. DH,
DFES, University, college etc? If yes, please attach the evidence
Yes__Copy of MREC approval letter attached  No_
Data usage and storage
Taped interview material, fieldnotes and Questionnaire data:
Please see enclosed consent forms, information sheets and invitation letters for Phase 2.
Dissemination:
Interim and final reports will be delivered to SDO with all areas and individuals anonymised. Summary reports
will be sent to project participants. Representatives from sites will be invited to participate in the workshops in
Phase 3. Seminars will be given to policy makers, practitioners and managers. Conference presentations will be
made to health, social care and other relevant audiences.
Points to cover
 How are you proposing to use the
research data?
 How will the data be used to inform
and improve services?
 Will your data be used for any other
purposes other than your study?
 How do you propose to store your
data? E.g. on database, files etc
 How long would you keep the data
collected?
 Who will own the data/research
findings?
 What methods will you use in
presenting the findings of your
research? E.g. presentation,
report, journal
 Is the data to be collected personal
or sensitive and if so how will you
obtain consent, from the participants
and ensure confidentiality?
 How would you ensure compliance
with the data protection legislation?
Feedback
How and when will you submit feedback on the outcomes/recommendations of the research to WCC’s Research Steering Group (RSG) and the
people you have consulted with?
A final report, summary reports from phases 1 & 2 and an overall final report will be delivered to SDO and project participants. Seminars will be given to
policy makers, practitioners and managers.
Timescale
Date by which research approval is required:
October 2007
Proposed research start date:
November 2007
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Anticipated research completion date:
May 2008
Applicant’s signature:
____________________________________
Date: ___________________________
The completed application form should be sent to:
Phillip Berechree, Acting Asst Director, Strategy & Performance Division, Children and Community Services, Westminster City
Council, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, London, SW1E 6QP
Research Steering Group (RSG)
Comments from the RSG on the research proposal that will be fedback to the applicant:
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