Title: The Care Companion - Impact of an Interactive, Online Personalised Resource For Enhancing Carer Resilience, Well-Being and Sustainability: A Real World, Mixed Methods Study
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: Research question: How is the Care Companion being used to address the needs of those who are the main carers of older people, and how is this benefiting carers, those who they care for and wider society? Background: Growing numbers of older people are increasingly dependent on informal carers in the face of an over-stretched health and social care system. Sustainable low-cost interventions are needed that support carers to remain resilient and cope effectively with the ever-changing complex needs of those who they care for. The Care Companion is an online intervention, co-developed with carers to sustain effective caring through personalised online access to a broad range of functionality, including local and national resources, a journal and mood monitor. It was recently launched across Warwickshire, and is being promoted via general practice, community health and social care teams, hospital trusts, the voluntary sector and other social care organisations. Aims and Objectives: The proposed research aims to investigate the adoption and effects of the Care Companion and will: estimate its reach explore its uptake and promotion by health and social care providers and the voluntary sector analyse how engagement with the Care Companion is associated with the carers resilience, wellbeing and characteristics explore its utility in terms of relevance, reach, and perceived impact on the carer/cared-for person and their use of services identify how its functionality is being used, and capture key development requirements to enhance its future value, sustainability and impact. determine costs, benefits and overall cost-effectiveness Methods: The research has a mixed-methods design and draws on the RE-AIM Framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) to assess the impact of the Care Companion and how it translates to a real-world setting. We will use a range of data to address the research objectives and investigate how different levels of usage are associated with resilience, wellbeing and quality of life: routinely collected through user profiles and use of the Care Companion site validated carer-reported outcome measures completed at baseline, 6- and 12 months and interviews with carers interviews with health and social care providers about their experience of the Care Companion and its impact on service usage. Additionally, we will determine its cost-effectiveness using information on costs, resource use and relevant outcomes, and will analyse website data to extract usage patterns, and explore how they evolve over time in order to inform improved personalisation of features. Timelines for delivery July 2019&ndash;October 2019: All registered users of the Care Companion invited to take part in the research. Baseline questionnaires and interviews completed. October 2019&ndash;September 2020: Carer and health/social care provider follow-up questionnaires and interviews. October 2019&ndash;December 2020: Data analysis, consensus meetings, dissemination activities Anticipated Impact and Dissemination: We will produce reports, publications and other materials to describe how the Care Companion benefits carers, those who they care for and wider society. Substantial stakeholder and PPI input will be drawn upon to inform the dissemination strategy, and so ensure the findings have maximal impact on policy, commissioning and services.

Lay abstract: Background: Caring has an increasingly vital role in society. Growing numbers of older people with dementia, frailty and other complex needs are dependent on informal carers. Sustainable models of support are needed to assist carers to cope with ever-changing physical, emotional and social care needs. The Care Companion has been developed with carers to address this issue. Its aim is to strengthen carer resilience (ie being better able to adapt and cope) and to sustain caring roles. It provides personalised online access to local and national resources that are relevant to each carer s particular situation. Through its journal and mood monitor, it helps carers highlight their own needs and hence communicate them to health and social care teams. The Care Companion was recently launched across Warwickshire as a major part of the County Council s Carers Strategy, and is being promoted via general practice, community health and social care teams, hospital trusts, the voluntary sector and other social care organisations. As an online intervention, it can be quickly made available at low cost to carers across the UK, but before this can be recommended there is a need to understand how best to make it available to carers, how it is used, how it benefits carers, and the value to the wider health and social care system. Aim: To evaluate the Care Companion in terms of how it is taken up and used by those involved in caring how it affects carer resilience and wellbeing how this links with characteristics of the carer and cared for person whether it represents value-for-money carers and care professionals experience of using the Care Companion Methods: We will analyse data captured by the Care Companion on user characteristics and use of its resources; and investigate, using data from user-completed questionnaires, how this is associated with outcome measures that assess resilience, well-being and quality of life. We will invite carers, and health and social care professionals to participate in surveys and interviews about their experience of the Care Companion, and how this can be improved. Patient and public involvement: People involved in caring, carers groups and charities have been involved in all aspects of the Care Companion development, including the design of this research proposal. The research team includes the chair of a carers group, and we have an established panel of six carers who will oversee all stages of the study. Dissemination: We will produce reports, publications and other materials to describe how the Care Companion benefits those involved in caring. The findings will be used to describe features that might enhance users experience, and to influence policy and the commissioning of services to support wide uptake of this and similar ways of supporting carers.

Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: GENERIC HEALTH RELEVANCE