The ambulance service advanced practitioner's role in supporting care homes: a qualitative study of care staff experiences

Abstract

Background/Aims The demand from care homes on NHS services continues to rise, with little evidence of ambulance service contribution in this area. The Yorkshire Ambulance Service provides an advanced practitioner model to support care homes in Sheffield, as an alternative to calling 999. This study investigated the experiences and needs of the care home staff who use the ambulance service advanced practitioner model. Methods This qualitative study conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 19 staff members from 10 different care home settings. Thematic analysis using a combination of NVivo and manual coding was undertaken. Results The three key themes from the interviews were variations in service demand, the service user's expectations and experience, and benefits to residents. Participants reported that good community services reduced the need to call 999, empowering carers to support residents to remain in the community. Conclusions Care homes require comprehensive services that meet their needs. The advanced practitioner model provided by the ambulance service supports this, preventing unnecessary 999 calls and fitting with other community service provision.