Background
Wellbeing in later life is not experienced equally. Factors such as frailty, ethnicity, gender, income and social circumstances can combine to influence how well people age and the care and support they receive. Health inequalities are particularly evident in access to care, experiences of care, risk of falls, care home admissions and end-of-life transitions. Evidence also shows that people from ethnic minority communities and those living on lower incomes often have poorer access to high-quality end-of-life care. The WeLL-Bradford study aims to better understand the factors that support or hinder wellbeing among older people living with frailty and to explore how inequalities shape experiences as people move through different stages of later life.
Aims and Objectives
The WeLL-Bradford study aims to improve understanding of how wellbeing, care transitions and inequalities interact for older people living with frailty.
The objectives are to:
- Explore how frailty, ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances and other aspects of identity influence wellbeing in later life.
- Examine key transitions, including changes in care needs, movement between services, care home admission and end-of-life care.
- Understand how formal and informal support networks affect wellbeing and independence.
- Develop methods and infrastructure for a future national wellbeing and frailty cohort study (WeLL-UK).
- Generate policy-relevant evidence to support more equitable health, social care and end-of-life services.
Methods
WeLL-Bradford is a feasibility longitudinal cohort study with an embedded qualitative component. Participants will be recruited through general practices across Bradford and followed every six months over a two-year period to capture changes in health, wellbeing and frailty-related transitions.
The study aims to recruit up to 400 adults aged 65 years and over living with moderate or severe frailty, including care home residents and people approaching the end of life. A particular emphasis is placed on recruiting participants from ethnic minority communities.
Alongside the cohort study:
- A subset of participants will take part in in-depth qualitative interviews.
- Researchers will explore lived experiences of frailty, care transitions and wellbeing.
- Linked routine data from Connected Bradford will be used to examine health and care outcomes and support future risk-stratification approaches.
Further Information
The study is jointly led by Professor Andrew Clegg, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Leeds, and Jamilla Hussain, Consultant in Palliative Medicine and Senior Research Fellow at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The project runs from October 2024 to July 2028.
WeLL-Bradford sits within the NIHR ARC Yorkshire & Humber Health and Care in our Ageing Society theme and spans both the Frailty and End of Life workstreams.
A key aim is to establish the foundations for WeLL-UK, a future national cohort study exploring wellbeing, frailty, social care, end-of-life care and inequalities in later life.
The study has a strong focus on inclusion and health inequalities, with planned recruitment from South Asian communities and involvement of researchers who speak relevant community languages to support participation.
Findings are expected to:
- Improve understanding of inequalities affecting older people living with frailty.
- Inform health and social care policy and service design.
- Support culturally inclusive and equitable approaches to care.
- Provide evidence to improve support for independence, wellbeing and end-of-life care in later life.
