Research paper Better partnership between care homes and the NHS: Findings from the My Home Life programme Received (in revised form): 1st April, 2008 Tom Owen is Deputy Director of the My Home Life programme at Help the Aged and City University, London. Julienne Meyer is a Professor of Nursing and Director of the My Home Life programme at City University, London. Jane Bentley is Visiting Research Fellow at the City University, London. Hazel Heath is an independent nurse consultant, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the City University, London and Consultant Editor to the Journal of Dementia Care. Claire Goodman is Professor in Health Care Research at the University of Hertfordshire. Abstract Partnership between healthcare and social services agencies has been a major theme of government policy for the last ten years and the potential for care homes to contribute significantly to health and social care planning and provision is growing. Yet, despite this, partnership working and access to basic levels of NHS support for care home residents can often be very limited. My Home Life (www.myhomelife.org.uk), a new UK programme led by Help the Aged, National Care Forum and City University, aims to improve the quality of life for those living, dying, visiting and working in care homes for older people. The programme has identified the need for improved access to health and healthcare as crucial in optimising the quality of life of older people in care homes. This paper explores the current difficulties that face care homes in accessing healthcare services and examines the potential for better partnership working between care homes and the NHS as a means of delivering better access to healthcare for residents. The paper draws on the learning from a joint event hosted by the Care Services Improvement Partnership and My Home Life programme in collaboration with Julienne Meyer City University School of Community and Health Services Philpot Street London, E1 2EA, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7040 5791 Fax: +44 (0)20 7040 5529 E-mail: j.meyer@city.ac.uk # HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 1750^1679 Journal of Care Services Management VOL. 3 NO.1 PP 96–106 96