Enhancing responsiveness of Ireland’s home support services through the lived experience of older adults: The Attune Project

<ns3:p>Background Population ageing is increasing demand for home support services that enable older adults to live independently in their homes and communities. In Ireland, significant policy reforms are underway to introduce a statutory home support scheme aimed at ensuring equitable access to high-quality, regulated services. Central to these reforms is service responsiveness, defined as the ability of health and social care systems to recognise and respond to the evolving needs, preferences and circumstances of service users. Despite its importance, the lived experiences of older adults are not consistently captured or integrated into policy or service design. The Attune Project addresses this gap by examining the responsiveness of home support from the perspective of older adults and identifying ways to strengthen responsiveness across the system. Methods The Attune Project will use a multi-method design. 1) A systematic rapid review will examine how responsiveness in home support is defined and measured internationally. 2) A national survey will gather experiences from at least 200 older adults (aged 65+). 3) In-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 36 participants will provide deeper insight into lived experiences. 4) Focus groups and structured consultations with home support workers, providers, and voluntary and community sector stakeholders will explore operational perspectives and priorities for improvement. Patient and Public Involvement will be embedded throughout via a Service User, Carer and Advocacy Panel (SCAP), ensuring lived experience informs the study design, analysis and recommendations. Outputs and Dissemination The study will adhere to ethical and data protection standards. Findings will inform policy recommendations, responsiveness indicators and a practical framework to support more responsive home support services. Outputs will include an open-access report, policy briefs, stakeholder engagement activities, academic publications and accessible public summaries to support knowledge translation and policy impact.</ns3:p>