Health Quality Council of Alberta - Request for Proposal - Identification of leading and best practices in meeting cultural needs of residents in continuing care

BACKGROUND For over a decade, the HQCA has collected the experiences of residents and family members in type A and B continuing care homes (i.e., facilities previously referred to as long-term care and designated supportive living sites, respectively). Insights from the HQCA surveys and qualitative studies have helped continuing care operators, health system partners, and people living in Alberta to understand the state of care in these homes from the perspective of those receiving care and their families. As improving resident’s quality of life continues to be a priority for Alberta’s continuing care system, it is important to identify how a high quality of life can be achieved. Informed by the 2021 Improving Quality of Life for Residents in Facility-Based Continuing Care (FBCC) report (as well as other key reviews, strategic directions, and stakeholder input), on April 1, 2024, the Continuing Care Act came into force, as well as new regulations and updated standards, that form an updated continuing care legislative framework. The language and importance of the concepts of quality of life, person-centeredness, and culture have been adopted in these documents. While the Act, regulations, and standards align with the recommendations made in the FBCC Review to prioritize quality of life and person-centeredness, the legislation does not provide information about how continuing care homes can implement these concepts, though the standards do focus on person-centredness and quality of life in a variety of ways. There is a desire to both strengthen the various standards with respect to these concepts (person-centredness and quality of life, specifically addressing cultural needs), as well as to support a more fulsome implementation of these within continuing care home operations (i.e., outside of the legislative framework). As we move forward with improving quality of life, it is important to know how continuing care homes can deliver resident care, goods, and services that meet residents’ cultural needs. Therefore, we will conduct a qualitative study to explore this topic. Reports from this qualitative study may be provided to participants and/or participating sites. In addition, knowledge and insights gathered through these processes could be used by the HQCA to design and/or inform content of other resident experience efforts. The consultant will be responsible for scheduling, data collection, transcription, anonymization, thematic analysis of focus groups/interviews, exploring differences and similarities within and between sites, and writing of a report summarizing findings. The consultant will deliver an interim summary of findings to the HQCA by Nov 22, 2024 and final report of findings by Feb 28, 2025. PROJECT DESCRIPTION A qualitative exploration will be conducted to determine how continuing care home providers/organizations can deliver healthcare services that meet the cultural (i.e., social and linguistic) needs of residents. Suggested method and recruitment in continuing care home sites 3 Sites - Continuing care home administrators and frontline staff - Focus groups and/or 1-1 interviews ▪1-2 focus groups (max 8 participants per group) ▪1-1 interviews to supplement focus groups to achieve target of 10 participants per site Residents and/or family members - Individual/dyad interviews ▪Up to 10 participants in any combination of individual or dyad interviews TOTAL ▪Up to 60 participants across focus groups and interviews This will include in-person and/or virtual focus groups and interviews at a small number of continuing care homes (2-3 sites) to understand what operators are doing to meet residents’ cultural needs. It will explore, from the perspective of staff and administrators, the historical context of implementing culturally responsive care and services at each care home, the practices in place, and their perceptions of how these impact residents. Additionally, the consultant will engage residents and/or family members at each site through individual/dyad interviews. The consultant will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of how to interview continuing care residents. Pending each site’s consent, the consultant will also review documents (e.g., policies, intake forms, training documents, recreation calendars, decorations, message boards, and menus) and observe the site environment (how spaces are used, cultural events, daily practices), to provide further information about how the site is meeting residents’ cultural needs. PROJECT ACTIVITIES & DELIVERABLES ▪The vendor will meet with the HQCA project team to clarify the scope and requirements of the project. ▪The vendor will provide summaries of progress in bi-weekly meetings with the HQCA project lead. ▪The vendor will develop a research protocol for the gathering and analysis of information to ensure rigor. ▪The HQCA team will lead and submit an ARECCI review, including a second opinion review. ▪The vendor will develop project materials (e.g., information letter and informed consent, recruitment posters, resources for participants), and interview guides, based on best practice. The HQCA will provide the vendor with specific style guidelines to follow for all project materials. The HQCA will review, provide edits, and will sign-off on these materials prior to distribution. The vendor will regularly update the HQCA project team on any other protocols or documents produced for this project, and the HQCA may ask to review these upon request. ▪The HQCA will purposively select continuing care home sites that are willing and able to participate in the project, and that represent a variety of characteristics: both type A and type B; rural and urban, and culturally homogenous or heterogenous resident populations. The HQCA will facilitate introductions between the consultant and site leadership teams. Thereafter, the consultant will be expected to take ownership of fostering and maintaining relationships with each site as the consultant recruits participants and collects data. ▪The vendor will submit an interim report to the HQCA project team by Nov 22, 2024. The report should include themes identified from the first 40-50% of interviews/focus groups ▪The vendor will submit a final report of findings to the HQCA project team by Feb 28, 2025. The report will summarize themes identified from all focus groups/interviews. ▪The vendor must submit all transcribed focus groups/interviews (consent to audio-record granted by participant), or notes (if audio-recording is refused by the participant or if transcribed focus groups/interviews cannot be anonymized to protect the confidentiality of participants), to the project team on a bi-weekly basis. All anonymized transcripts and notes should be submitted by Feb 28, 2025. The HQCA project team will provide the vendor with an anonymization guide. REQUIREMENTS Although not limited or restricted to, all quotations must include the following elements which may be used in selecting the successful bidder: ▪Demonstrated understanding of the project. ▪Proposed approach, including recognition of any difficulties associated with the project, and plans to address such difficulties. ▪Experience and capability of personnel in managing and doing this work, especially in conducting qualitative interviewing, thematic analysis, and trauma and healing informed practices, putting relational ethics at the forefront. The HQCA will support sourcing professional mental health support for participants in distress, accessible throughout data collection. ▪Demonstrated understanding of how to interview continuing care residents. ▪Proposed project management and data security plan. ▪Components of the work to be provided as sub-totals and as billable milestones in the proposal. This includes a list of tasks with associated hours, hourly rate(s), and anticipated expenses, as well as the total project cost. ▪Proposed work schedule. ▪Previous related project references. PROPOSAL PROCESS While the HQCA has made every considerable effort to ensure that accurate information is contained in this request for proposal (RFP), the information is supplied solely as a guideline. The information is not guaranteed or warranted to be accurate, nor is it necessarily comprehensive or exhaustive. Nothing in this RFP is intended to relieve the potential contractor forming their own opinions and conclusions in respect of the matters addressed in this RFP. Please note that the lowest price proposal will not necessarily be selected. Only where two or more proposals offer work judged to be of equal value, quality, and reliability, will cost be the determining factor. The HQCA reserves the right not to award a contract to the highest evaluated proposal or to any proposal. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION Bidders must accept and acknowledge that, in connection with their performance of the work under any resulting contract, they may have access to certain information, data and materials that are confidential to the HQCA and which are identified as confidential or would be understood by the parties, exercising reasonable business judgment, to be confidential (“Confidential Information”). Bidders accept that they shall not use, except to perform their obligations under any resulting contract, any Confidential Information. TIMELINE Proposals due - August 30, 2024 at 4:00pm MDT Successful respondent contacted and contract awarded -Sept 9, 2024 Project planning - Sept, 2024 Ethics approval (HQCA) - Sept, 2024 Recruitment survey to identify eligible participants -Sept-Oct, 2024 Interviews & analysis - Sept-Nov, 2024 Interim report - Nov 22, 2024 Continue interviews & analysis - Nov-Feb, 2025 Report submitted to HQCA Feb 28, 2025 Each bidder will receive acknowledgement of receipt of their proposal via email. QUESTIONS & SUBMISSION Submissions and any questions regarding the intent or content of this RFP should be directed to: Karis.barker@hqca.ca