This new approach involves the use of NHS data to group (or ‘cluster’) people together who have similar health conditions and sociodemographic factors, to predict social care needs.
The aim is to use these clusters to develop an intervention to help people get support with their social care needs (e.g. from community groups, charities and self-management etc.)
They are currently doing exploratory interviews with people living with long-term conditions, and also anyone who is involved in the care of people with long-term conditions (including health care professionals, social care professionals, people working within community groups or charity sectors, database managers and people who are carers). This is the study they are currently recruiting to, to find people views on the new approach and how this relates to their experiences of multiple long-term conditions.
They have two websites:
One for people living with multiple long-term conditions – https://southampton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cUVqjqvnSkPuGAC
And one for health and social care professionals – https://southampton.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_beftuZrABBjGtGC