What is Niche-Leeds?

Nurturing Innovation in Care Home Excellence in Leeds (NICHE-Leeds) is the UK’s leading care home-research initiative.

Established in Autumn 2018 the model is based upon the successful ‘Living Lab’ model, active in Maastricht, NL since 1998.

It is a partnership between care homes and academia.

We bring together researchers' academic knowledge and skills with the skills and experience of frontline care home staff. Working collaboratively, partners identify priority areas for improvement in care and reduce the gap between knowledge and current practice, increase innovation and better ways of providing care and support.

Once research questions have been identified the research team works closely with care home staff, providing expertise and leadership and researching what might help.

It is an active partnership: staff, residents and relatives help with developing new approaches, techniques and innovations in the provision of care for older people.

Working together, we gather evidence and generate insight into how new ways of working can help care homes innovate efficiently, effectively and sustainably.

At the forefront of our research projects are people receiving care and the ways research can enhance their quality of care.