About the research

Our previous research suggests that there are concerns in relation to the care of people with alcohol dependence in care homes. More details about this project can be found in the Alcohol use in care homes study

There were inadequate systems in place to identify people with alcohol dependence prior to admission leading to unsafe withdrawal and notice to leave when the dependence became evident. Specialist placements and facilities were reported to be unavailable. Some people were forced into alcohol treatment or involuntary detoxification as a condition of admission, potentially breaching their human rights.

This study addresses three key research questions:

1. How many people with substance dependence are currently living in care homes?
2. Is this number increasing?
3. How much specialist/highly specialist care[1] exists in the care home system?
4. Is the regulation process identifying care homes that inaccurately report a specialism?
5. Are existing NICE and CQC quality standards sufficient to drive quality improvements?

This project is due for completion in July 2024”.

Project staff

Dr Sarah Wadd, University of Bedfordshire
Fiona Wilson, University of Bedfordshire

[1] We use the term ‘specialist care’, to describe homes where the registered manager and staff have special knowledge and skills relating to substance dependence. We use the term ‘highly specialist care’ to describe care homes specifically for people with complex needs relating to substance dependence.