Battle on the home care front: perceptions of home care workers of factors influencing staff retention in Northern Ireland.

The provision of home care services is a key component in avoiding inappropriate admission of older people to institutional care and preventing delayed discharge from hospital. However, there is a growing problem of retention of home care workers (HCWs), creating problems for delivering this increasingly essential service. The present study was based in a health and social services trust in Northern Ireland, and was designed to explore the growing problem of retention of HCWs from their own perspective. The cross-sectional survey design used a convenience sample and questionnaires were completed by 45 HCWs (response rate = 45 of 147, 31%). Responses to most questions were on five-point ordinal scales. Focus groups in which 12 HCWs participated were used to explore emerging themes. The variables studied were HCWs' perspectives on: (1) reasons for considering leaving; (2) working hours; (3) supervision and support, and qualifications and training; (4) workload pressures; (5) client attitudes; (6) pay; and (7) job satisfaction. The main reasons given by HCWs for dissatisfaction and considering leaving were (in rank order): (1) irregular and antisocial hours; (2) lack of management support; and (3) workload pressures. Commitment to caring seemed to be the reason why pay did not feature more highly for those who did not leave. Home care workers are being required to provide care for people with evermore-complex health and social care needs, and in an environment increasingly regulated in terms of quality and risk. This makes it an increasingly demanding job, which does not seem to be recognised in the training and working conditions of HCWs. The most significant factors identified give scope for service managers to improve the retention of HCWs.

Chromosomal and phylogenetic context for conglutin genes in Arachis based on genomic sequence.

Comparative genomic and cDNA sequence analysis of ara h 2, a major peanut allergen, and a related conglutin ara h 6 were performed in Arachis hypogaea L. and its putative progenitors, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis. The complete identity between sequences encoding Ara h 2 isoforms demonstrated that these are homeologous genes and represent orthologs from diploid ancestors. Three copies of ara h 6 were identified in A. hypogaea, one of them located in the A-genome and the other two in the B-genome. Expression analysis showed higher levels of ara h 2 transcripts compared with ara h 6. Dual-labeled genomic in situ hybridization permitted identification of two subgenomes, each of which contained one pair of ara h 2-ara h 6 signals localized by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Characterization of genomic clones showed close genetic linkage between Ara h 2.02 and one copy of ara h 6 in the B-genome. The physical linkage may have arisen by tandem duplication and divergence of an ancestral gene. A gene duplication event specific to the B-genome progenitor has resulted in ara h 6 paralogs. These data provide further evidence for progenitor relationships and genomic organization of the conglutin gene family in the genus Arachis and could contribute to the development of a hypoallergenic peanut.