Investigating Person‐Centred Care Planning in Care Homes Across England: An Exploratory Study of Practices and Contextual Factors

AimsTo report how person‐centred care principles are applied to care planning and to explore the contextual factors affecting their implementation in older adult care homes in England.DesignA combined framework analysis and quantitative content analysis study.MethodsUsing a semi‐structured questionnaire, we interviewed 22 care home managers in England, exploring topics around care planning processes. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed through a combined framework approach and content analysis.ResultsMost care home managers discussed person‐centred care planning in terms of understanding residents' values and preferences and their engagement in decision‐making. Factors facilitating person‐centred planning implementation included accessible planning tools, supportive care home leadership, effective communication and collaborative partnerships. Inhibiting factors included regulatory and care practice misalignment, time constraints and adverse staffing conditions.ConclusionDifferences between care home practitioners' understanding and practice of person‐centred care planning require further examination to improve understanding of the sector's complexity and to develop suitable care planning instruments.Implications for the ProfessionFindings demonstrate a need for improved staff access to specialised person‐centred care training and an opportunity for care home nursing practitioners to lead the co‐development of digital person‐centred care planning tools that reflect the reality of long‐term care settings.ImpactIdentifying factors influencing the implementation of holistic approaches to care planning makes clear the need for modernising long‐term care policy and practice to adapt to the contemporary challenges of the care home sector.Reporting MethodStudy reporting was guided by the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.Patient or Public ContributionTwo public involvement advisors with lived experience of caring for a relative living in a care home contributed to the development of the interview guide, advised on care home engagement, guided the interpretation of the findings and commented on the drafted manuscript.