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New research explores how to create a culture of openness around relationships and sexuality in care homes, with the aim to support care home staff in improving dignity and wellbeing for older adults.

A new project led by Sharron Hinchliff, Professor of Psychology and Health at the ����TV, supported by Emily Lunn, Postdoctoral Research Associate and funded by NIHR School for Social Care Research is shining a light on an often overlooked aspect of care for older adults: supporting relationships, intimacy and sexual identity in later life.

Building on previous work with local partners, the study focuses on how care home staff can be better supported to embed a “Sexual Rights Charter” into everyday practice, while recognising the real-world challenges of working in busy, complex care environments.

Sharron, member of the university's Healthy Lifespan Institute said: “We’re using principles of psychology and behaviour change to understand the barriers staff can face when engaging with a sensitive topic like sexuality. This will help us to think about whether people feel capable, whether they have the opportunity, and whether they’re motivated, because all three need to be in place for change to happen.

“Not everybody feels they have the capability to talk about this topic. It might be about sexual health literacy, or confidence. For some staff, it’s also about whether they see it as part of their role.”

The project involves care homes across Sheffield, with staff invited to complete a short questionnaire sharing their experiences, concerns and perspectives.

Professor Hinchliff explains: “We’re asking staff how they feel about using the Charter in practice, and what might get in the way. We want to hear a range of views, not just from people who are already enthusiastic, but from those who may feel unsure or face challenges in their day to day work.”

Alongside this, Sharron and Emily will work directly with older residents through engagement activities co-designed with care home Activity Coordinators.

“It’s really important that we also hear from older adults themselves,” she adds, “we’ll be developing activities with the homes to understand their perspectives in a way that feels appropriate and meaningful.”

The new study follows an earlier project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (Impact Accelerator Award), which saw the co-production of a practical toolkit and training resources for care home staff.

At the centre of that work is the Sexual Rights Charter, a set of standards that guides the work of health and social care professionals to provide inclusive rights-based care, including older adults’ rights to relationships, intimacy and self-expression.

Sharron said: “We know it is ineffective to just give people guidance and expect them to use it. This is a sensitive topic, and in busy care environments it can easily be pushed aside. That’s why the toolkit and training are so important to support staff in practice.”

The toolkit and training were developed in collaboration with Sheffield City Council and care home managers, who are still partners in this work. We are already seeing a difference with early feedback suggesting the approach is helping staff feel more confident in navigating complex situations.

“We’ve heard some really encouraging stories,” says Professor Hinchliff, “staff have told us they feel more confident dealing with situations that can be quite complex.”

In one case, staff supported a couple who formed a relationship in a care home despite initial concerns from family members.

“Staff felt more confident in supporting both residents and working with families to reach a positive outcome,” she explains.

In another example, a previously isolated resident felt able to share his sexual identity for the first time.

“One story that stood out was a man who had lived in the home for a couple of years and hadn’t had visitors,” she says, “after engaging with the charter materials, he spoke to staff about his sexual identity. He hadn’t shared that before, but he felt more comfortable doing so.”

The current phase of research aims to uncover how factors such as workplace culture, age, background and beliefs may influence staff engagement with the Charter.

“People come to this topic with different perspectives,” Professor Hinchliff notes, “even the term ‘sexuality’ can mean different things to different people, and that can shape how comfortable they feel discussing it.”

The findings will help refine the toolkit and inform future training, with interest already growing beyond Sheffield.

“We’ve had interest from across the UK,” she adds, “there’s a real appetite for this work, but we need to make sure we understand the challenges staff face before rolling things out more widely.”

By taking a deeper look at the realities faced by frontline staff, Sharron hopes to ensure that sexual rights are not just recognised, but meaningfully supported in care homes.

Find out more about the Sexual Rights Charter.