Attendees included day service providers and local authority commissioners, social workers, operational and development managers and researchers, university researchers, lecturers, a student and a patient participation and involvement representative, as well as people from national and local groups or good practice organisations. The speakers were Jayne Townsend (Albany Oasis Day Centre, Southport) and Rebecca Packwood and Agnieszka Daldorph (Age Exchange, South London).

The Green Community Centre, Nunhead, London

Jayne’s talk was entitled ‘Keeping company with an uninvited guest: reinstating a day care service during Covid-19’.  After extensive and challenging planning, this small day care service has reopened during the pandemic. She explained how she has balanced the risks involved with the safety and wellbeing of guests, developed creative solutions, and shared her experiences of delivering care whilst adhering to shifting government rules and regulations.

Rebecca and Agnieszka enlightened participants by describing ‘How do you adapt services without losing sight of what you do best?’ When Age Exchange closed its face-to-face services in Blackheath, they had to decide how to keep supporting people in a way that kept creativity and reminiscence at the heart of improving wellbeing. This presentation covered the ‘blended’ virtual services they have developed and how these have impacted on their service users and carers.

The Day Centre Research Forum, organised by the ARC South London social care theme, funded by the NIHR and based at the NIHR Health & Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London, is held twice yearly in January and June and can be attended in person or online. The forum connects people who work, research or are interested in day services.