ASCOT ER

Summary of Research

The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) measures the impact of social care on users’ social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL). It is used to gather the views and experiences of people using services and inform indicators in the national Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) in England. Recent research has shown that the oldest social care users and those with cognitive decline are under-represented in national surveys. Easy to read adaptations, using simplified text and pictures to support understanding, are one way to support people to continue to give their views for longer. An ASCOT-Easy Read (ASCOT-ER) has already been co-developed and tested with adults with intellectual disabilities and autism but consultation with older people and their carers indicates it requires adaptation for use with older adults.

The study uses a qualitative, participatory research design that involves older social care users as research advisors co-producing the adapted tool. A co-production working group of 6-8 older social care users and their supporters will evaluate the comprehensiveness, relevance and comprehensibility of the ASCOT-ER images, wording and layout. The working group will meet 5-6 times over 24 months and will be involved in all decision making. Changes made by the working group will be iteratively tested using cognitive interviewing techniques (think aloud) with up to 30 older social care users who struggle to self-complete conventional surveys.

The study will produce a sector-ready, beta version of the ASCOT-Easy Read tool by May 2024.

– Main aims

This study aims to adapt the ASCOT-ER for older people. The objective is to make it easier for older social care users to complete the questionnaire themselves, so that they can tell care providers, policy makers and researchers how they feel about their own SCRQoL.

– Who benefits?

The research will enable more older people to report their own social care-related quality of life. As well as benefiting the person themselves (who might otherwise be excluded from giving their views), the research will be of wider benefit to social care managers, commissioners, local authority adult social care departments, and social care researchers.

– Patient and Public Involvement in this project

The involvement of older people and their carers is embedded in all aspects of the study, including;the development of the study proposal, the co-production working groups , and the dissemination of results through training and testimonial videos, and co-producing infographic summaries.

Two older people with lived experience of adult social care will sit on the study steering group.

Funder: National Institute for Health and Care Research – Research for Social Care (RfSC)