Chapter 4: Case Study and Establishing Objectives
4.6 Research Objectives
This chapter has outlined the process used to conduct action research and develop Conwy's Older Persons' Housing Strategy in order to justify the approach. All of the case objectives were deemed necessary and appropriate by the Steering Group in order to achieve the goal of developing and implementing the OPHS. However, the main focus of this thesis is to answer the question, 'How should we integrate Housing into the whole system of care for older people?' Not all of the case objectives are relevant to answering this research question. Eden and Huxham (2002) state the importance of separating research objectives from client requirements in action research, in order to ensure that there is a theoretical element to the research. Four research objectives have been developed in order to develop a solution, based on the case objectives.
Research Objective 1: Explore the current model of Health, Social Care and Housing in Conwy using soft system methodology (SSM) in order to identify potential integrating functions
This research objective combines the case objectives 1, and 2. Adopting a soft systems methodology enabled the researcher to map out the as-is model in Conwy to identify gaps in the system and potential solutions to these gaps. The routes that people may take through the different housing options in Conwy were mapped out in
94 order to aid understanding. Support, care and reablement were identified as potential integrating functions following this work, with support being identified as the most appropriate. This work is detailed in Chapter 5.
Research Objective 2: Develop conceptual models for integrating Housing into the whole system of care using support
Based on the findings from research objective 1, the researcher developed three conceptual models for integrating Housing into the whole system of care using support. These models focused on who should own the support function. The Steering Group discussed which would be the most appropriate to implement.
Research Objective 3: Explore and analyse existing support structures throughout Wales in order to identify the most effective and efficient way to structure the support service provided by wardens
This research objective combines case objectives 3 and 4. The researcher identified and analysed warden support structures throughout Wales, in light of recent changes to funding. Currently, warden services across the UK are being reduced in order to lower costs, with little considerations being given to the implications of this for older people (King et al, 2009). This objective not only develops a practical solution to structuring the support service to integrate Housing into the whole system of care, but also provides an evidence base for housing associations to use to justify the cost of support. This is detailed in Chapter 6 and this work was also developed into a conference paper which received positive feedback from specialists in housing research.
Research Objective 4: Consult with older people to validate the proposed solutions and ensure they meet the needs of the target market.
Consultation with older people enabled the researcher to test the appropriateness of proposed solutions through a focus group setting. This ensured that both the Older Persons' Housing Strategy, and the solutions suggested in this thesis, met the needs and expectations of the people they are targeted at helping. This is detailed in Chapter 7 and provides a level of justification to the work. A focus group was also conducted with the wardens to ensure that the considerations of those providing
95 support were also taken into account. This research objective serves to triangulate the results of all the research objectives, an approach commonly used to ensure rigour in action research (Wisker, 2001; Eden and Huxham, 2002).
Table 2 demonstrates how the research objectives and the case objectives interlink, and where they are discussed within the thesis. Whilst some are very closely linked, the Research Objectives focus on integrating Housing into the whole system of care for older people, whilst the Case objectives focus on developing the OPHS for Conwy.
Table 2: Combining Research and Case Objectives
Chapter Research Objective Operational Objectives of Case
5 1. Explore the current model of Health, Social Care and Housing in Conwy using soft system
methodology (SSM) in order to identify potential integrating functions
1. Identify and assess the current housing and care available for older people in Conwy
2. Define roles of different housing options in Conwy
5 2. Develop conceptual models for integrating Housing into the whole system of care using support
6. Develop a solution to integrate Housing into the whole system of care
6 3. Explore and analyse existing support structures throughout Wales in order to identify the most effective and efficient way to structure the support service provided by wardens
3. Survey of current warden structures in Wales
4. Develop a taxonomy of warden support strategies from survey 7 4. Consult with older people to
validate the proposed solutions and ensure they meet the needs of the target market
7. Take draft OPHS through the council's consultation process 8. Obtain cabinet approval for the implementation of the OPHS
4.7 Summary
This chapter has provided an introduction to the Conwy case study and detailed the process for conducting this action research in Conwy. The aim of the work was to research, write, consult with and implement Conwy's Older Persons' Housing Strategy. The instigators of the action research did not know what to include in the strategy document as no one had a comprehensive picture of the whole system of
96 care in this county, due to the complexity of the system. A single case study design was deemed appropriate due to the differences in local Health and Social Care systems, making the case unique. It was important that the strategic direction of the document complemented the strategic directions of the organisations it would affect, as this would support the implementation process. Three iterations of the standard action research process were completed for this work, the first to develop the strategy, the second to take it through Conwy's consultation process and the third to implement the strategy's action plans.
The Steering Group for this project met quarterly to ensure that the key stakeholders we able to act as co-researchers for this work, an approach common in action research. They approved the case objectives and thus co-created the direction of this project. The Steering Group provided the researcher with access that would not have otherwise been possible, providing the link into the various elements of the system of care in Conwy. This enabled the researcher to develop a comprehensive picture of the whole system of care in Conwy, as detailed in Chapter 5.
The following three chapters will focus on the research objectives, in order to develop and sustain the theory that support is an appropriate integrating function. The Older Persons' Housing Strategy was developed with this theory in mind and so, whilst it is not the main focus of the strategy, it is part of the action plan that is being implemented by the support services subgroup. More details about the Conwy case study are included in Chapter 5.
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