Abstract
Extra care housing (ECH) has been lauded as an innovative model of housing with care for older people that promotes and supports independent living. The study used a qualitative design to explore how care is delivered in four extra care settings in England over 20 months during 2016–2017. This paper reports findings from semi‐structured interviews with 20 care workers and seven managers. The article argues that, despite being heralded as a new model, care workers in ECH face similar organisational pressures as those working in more conventional settings and, in turn, the care which they are able to provide to residents mimics traditional forms of care.
Highlights
The growing numbers of people moving into Extra care housing (ECH) with complex needs – such as alcohol dependency and/or behaviours that challenge – requires a flexible and person‐centred approach to care provision. Such changes to the ECH population are likely to result in more unplanned care needs, making care work less predictable and less amenable to current forms of workforce planning and scheduling. The consequence of these changes is as yet undocumented, but this study reveals that the pressures in ECH mirror those faced by care workers in traditional settings
Given the importance which care workers attached to the relational elements of their work, it is perhaps unsurprising that we found ex‐ amples of them subverting some of the workplace pressures that they were experiencing by providing ‘favours’
While this paper provides some insight to the experiences of care workers it suggests the need for a more complex study incorporating other methods, such as dia‐ ries, as a means to determine the impact of the challenges faced by care workers on their working practices, as well as on the care re‐ ceived by residents
Summary
The Provision of Social Care in Extra Care Housing for Older people (ECHO) study set out to investigate how care is negotiated and de‐ livered in ECH schemes. Semi‐structured interviews were held with residents, care workers and managers of schemes, as well as with commissioners of services (Brinkmann & Kvale, 2015). Residents were interviewed four times across 20 months, managers of schemes and commissioners were inter‐ viewed twice, at the beginning and the end of the study, and care workers were interviewed once. Housing and care provider (not for profit), 54 flats, rent (social land‐ lord), built in 1977, amalgamated with another site in 2007. 20 care workers took part in interviews – five from each site – which lasted between 20 and 30 min and took place during or after their shifts. Data are presented using participant codes, for example SACW1 refers to site A, care worker 1. Findings from anal‐ ysis of the longitudinal data collected from residents are reported elsewhere (Johnson et al, 2019)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
