Priorities for day centre support and research, and the importance of centralised supportive information for day centres and their stakeholders

The closure of day centres during the COVID-19 pandemic placed these, generally under-researched, services of day centres under the spotlight. We report priority areas for support and research concerning English adult and older people’s day centres identified by a 2021 survey. Day centres and other day centre stakeholders have an appetite for evidence and supportive resource materials, covering how to remain current and sustainable, demonstrate impact, and support the workforce. An underlying focus on day centres for older people and people living with dementia suggested that centres catering for these groups experienced the most difficulty in providing appealing evidence to service funders.