8 In and out of hospital Our research We have gathered the insights and experiences of a range of people working within hospitals, in people’s homes and the space between – from nurses to our own independent living volunteers – as well as Red Cross service users themselves. Over the second half of 2017 we: > Carried out six focus groups across England with around 50 of our independent living staff and volunteers, exploring the problems and solutions in the health and social care system. > Commissioned five focus groups with health and social care professionals from across England, including: GPs, A&E nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, community nurses, discharge planning team members, paramedics, falls prevention team members and physiotherapists. > Commissioned a survey of just under 100 people using our independent living services and 10 in-depth interviews, which has given us further insight into everyday needs and experiences. This builds on a larger study The Crises Facing Our Independent Living Service Users, 6 that we published in 2016. This research combines to paint a bleak picture of the strain hospitals and social care services are under. We are seeing more and more people discharged without adequate attention being given to their home environment, while others are deteriorating in hospital while they wait for a care package to be put in place. 6 The 2017 survey and in-depth interviews were carried out by FACTS International and the external focus groups were carried out by Community Research. The 2016 research, The Crises Facing Our Independent Living Service Users, was based on a survey of 170 service users, 29 in-depth interviews with service users and 22 expert interviews with staff.