Research and innovation
VIVALDI Social Care study
We're proud to be part of the VIVALDI Social Care study, helping to improve infection prevention in care homes.
Through our involvement, we’re contributing to research to improve care and outcomes for people living and working in care homes across the UK.
About the study
Infections such as flu, urinary tract infections, and diarrhoea are common in care homes and can sometimes lead to serious illness and hospital admissions.
The VIVALDI Social Care study aims to better understand infections in care homes and their impact, and identify effective ways to prevent them.
What data does the study use?
The study uses routinely collected NHS data to understand how often infections occur, their impact, and how they might be better prevented.
This can include information about:
- hospital admissions
- A&E attendances
- deaths
- vaccinations
- laboratory tests carried out in primary care or hospitals
- antibiotics prescribed in the community by GPs.
The information is used for research to help identify better ways to prevent infections and protect people who live and work in care homes.
How does consent work?
Most research studies require people to give consent before their information can be used. However, there are circumstances where information can be used for research without individual consent.
For the VIVALDI Social Care study, this is permitted where:
- the benefits of using the data outweigh the potential risks
- obtaining informed consent is not possible or practical
- individuals have not strongly objected to their information being used.
Some people living in care homes may be unable to provide informed consent because of cognitive impairment or other conditions that affect their ability to make certain decisions.
The VIVALDI Social Care study has received support under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, which allows specified confidential patient information to be used without individual consent in certain circumstances. The study has also received support from the Confidentiality Advisory Group.
Your right to opt out
People included in the study have the right to opt out if they do not want their information to be used.
Contact
For questions about Exemplar Health Care’s involvement in the study, contact enquiries@exemplarhc.com
Get to know Exemplar Health Care
Learn more about who we are, our approach to care, and the people and values behind Exemplar Health Care.
