Work Package 1

Developing the ‘CareCoach intervention package’ for the UK

What is the aim of WP1?

WP1 uses co-production methods adapting the CareCoach intervention for the UK context. Evidence-based co-design will be used to refine and adapt the CareCoach intervention for UK settings (CareCoach).

What is evidence based co-design?

Evidence based co-design (EBCD) is an approach that enables patients, family members and healthcare providers to co-design improvement initiatives together.

Who will be involved in evidence-based co-design?

20 carers of people recently diagnosed with dementia and 20 dementia care staff (Admiral Nurses/Multidisciplinary Community Metal Health Team staff) will take part in individual interviews taking place online via Zoom/Microsoft Teams. Participants will be filmed watching selected CareCoach resources and will be facilitated to recount their own experiences to explain those that resonate with them and identify those they see as important to modify in (in CareCoach) to fit in the UK context for CareCoach. They will also be facilitated to discuss accessibility of resources, IT options and design features.

What will happen with the results of the individual interviews?

The research team and PPI researchers will identify the most emotionally-resonant footage from each interview. These will be edited to create a short film for presentation at co-design events. Co-design will begin with separate staff and carer workshops, followed by a joint workshop with staff and carers. At these events, an overview of findings from the individual interviews will be presented alongside the film. After this a discussion will be facilitated which will be audio recorded and field notes will be taken.

What will happen to the qualitative data from the co-design events?

These qualitative data will be analysed using open coding techniques that lead quickly and transparently to robust thematic descriptions of the data to be viewed and assessed by a research team that includes PPI representation (carers). These findings can be interpreted drawing on Normalisation Process theory (NPT), to enable comparative analysis of those practice issues for participants that may inform CareCoach adoption, implementation and integration. These findings will inform WP1b particularly the decision-making process for developing CareCoach from the CareCoach intervention alongside a logic model to be tested and refined in later WPs.

The content of the new intervention will be adjusted using the findings from WP1. These findings will also inform the development of the training for coaches.