DIALOGUE-2. Building effective digital post-hospital discharge services for older adults in social care: a mixed methods process evaluation using the NASSS framework.

Enabling people can leave hospital more quickly has become a major challenge for both health and social care. Many older people often become ‘stuck’ in hospital longer than necessary, because there is often not the right support available to them at home.  As a result, local authorities are developing social care services to enable people to leave hospital more quickly.  These services, often called ‘Discharge 2 Assess’ services, are provided in partnerships between health and social care services, and are increasingly using technologies to support these services. By using technology, older people can leave hospital more quickly and then reduce their risk of having to return to hospital.

Each social care provider provides these services differently, and there is a general lack of evidence about whether these services are beneficial, and also which approaches to provide technologies are most effective.

In DIALOGUE 2 we want to identify what helps or hinders the development and implementation of post hospital discharge services using technology and provided by social care. We will explore the types of technologies and service models being provided across UK social care, and then explore factors that influence the development, implementation and ongoing provision of these services over time. We also want to study how these services change, for example integrating new technologies into their services, or how service goals may change over time as a result of policy changes. DIALOGUE-2 is funded by the NIHR Research Programme for Social Care. The project commenced in Spring 2026 and will conclude in Spring 2030.

Meet the Team

DIALOGUE-2 works with many of the same team as in DIALOGUE, across seven Universities, two local authorities, one integrated care board and three Community partners.

Visit the team page

Work Packages

DIALOGUE-2 is organised around the following work packages.