Story, dialogue and caring about what matters to people: progress towards evidence-enriched policy and practice

Evidence-based practice in social care and health is widely promoted.  Making it a reality remains challenging, largely because practitioners generally see practice-based knowledge as more relevant than empirical research. A further challenge regarding the creative, contextual use of research and other evidence including lived experience and practice-based knowledge is that practitioners, especially in frontline care services, are often seen not as innovators, but recipients of rules and guidelines or followers of predetermined plans. Likewise, older people are not generally recognised as co-creators of knowledge, learning and development but as passive recipients of care, or objects of research.This paper outlines a participatory action research project which brought together researchers; social care and health practitioners; managers; older people and carers in 6 sites across Wales and Scotland. Working collaboratively, and using a dialogic storytelling approach, they explored and addressed 7 already published research-based ‘Challenges’ regarding what matters most to older people with highsupport needs. Taking a participatory, caring and emergent approach, participants discovered and addressed five elements required in developing evidence- enriched practice; the creation of supportive and relationship-centred research and practice environments; the valuing of diverse types of evidence; the use of engaging narratives to capture and share evidence; the use of dialogue-based approaches to learning and development; and the recognition and resolution of systemic barriers to development. Although existing literature covers each element, this project was novel in collectively exploring and addressing all five elements together, and in its use of multiple forms of story, which engaged hearts and minds

Developing Evidence Enriched Practice in Health and Social Care with Older People

This one-year study is part of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) programme called A Better Life. It summarises the lessons learned from an appreciative and collaborative approach to using a range of evidence in service and workforce development to promote a better life for older people, carers and the staff who support them. The report outlines: • key features of a collaborative action-research project involving older people, carers, researchers and staff from social care and health organisations, both statutory and voluntary • how participants at six project sites in Wales and Scotland combined research from A Better Life and local, contextual evidence to make improvements in service and workforce development • the key elements that support and inhibit the use of evidence in service and workforce development • well-being and learning outcomes for project participants • a consideration of the costs associated with the approach taken, and the resources needed to run and sustain similar projects

The meaning and importance of dignified care: Findings from a survey of health and social care professionals

This article is available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund. Copyright © 2013 Cairns et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.There are well established national and local policies championing the need to provide dignity in care for older people. We have evidence as to what older people and their relatives understand by the term 'dignified care' but less insight into the perspectives of staff regarding their understanding of this key policy objective.This research was supported by the Dunhill Medical Trust [grant number: R93/1108]