Vivaldi Social Care Project

What is Vivaldi?

At Majesticare, we are excited to be involved in the Vivaldi Social Care Project – a pioneering national research initiative aimed at tackling infection spread and control within care homes.

The Vivaldi Project is a government-funded 12-month pilot study led by the Outstanding Society, Care England, and University College London. It utilises routinely collected data from the NHS and public health agencies to measure levels of common infections among care home residents. This generates anonymised data that can be used for invaluable research purposes.

Listen to narrator and actor, Stephen Fry, explain exactly what the Vivaldi Social Care Project is below:

Why is Vivaldi Important?

Infections like influenza, urinary tract infections, diarrhea, and vomiting are all too common in older adults residing in care homes. These illnesses often cause severe health complications requiring hospitalisation. Outbreaks can spread rapidly, leading to care home closures and preventing residents from seeing loved ones – as we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Vivaldi study aims to reduce the impact of infections and outbreaks in care homes by measuring infection rates and consequences among residents, researching new, better ways to prevent infections, and protecting residents and team members through enhanced protocols.

How is the data anonymised?

Only NHS numbers are used to track residents’ infections and health data. When this information is provided to the Vivaldi team, the NHS numbers are anonymised into unidentifiable ID numbers. Examples of data collected include the number of residents with urinary tract infections, the effectiveness of vaccines in protecting against specific illnesses, and outbreak numbers in each care home.

It is important to remember, if you are worried about your loved ones data being shared, that this research is immensely beneficial for the future of social care, allowing us to become more knowledgeable in ensuring the safety of your loved ones within the care environment.

Opting Out

The Vivaldi project operates on an opt-out basis, as many care home residents may lack the capacity to provide consent. Disqualifying them from such beneficial and important research based on this seems unfair. This approach ensures a representative research sample from that specific care home – meaning the data has more reliability and validity.

If you do not wish for your loved one’s information to be included, please inform a team member at their care home, or email [insert email]. They will ensure your relative is opted out.

Ethical Approval

The Vivaldi Social Care Project has received approval from the Health Research Authority, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Confidentiality Advisory Group – ensuring ethical research that protects patients’ interests.

At Majesticare, we are proud to contribute to this vital research, ensuring the health and wellbeing of the residents in our care are always our top priority. The Vivaldi Social Care Project aligns with our core Majesticare values and means we can continue to create outstanding places where people love to live and work.

For more information

Please see the relevant resources below:

Relatives Information Presentation > Click here.

Official participant information > Click here.

Vivaldi Resident Info > Click here.

Vivaldi Relative Info > Click here.

Vivaldi Info Poster & QR Code > Click here

You can also see find out more on The Outstanding Society’s page > Click here!