Volunteers Needed for Healthwatch and Diabetes UK Digital Exclusion Project
Engaging Communities Solutions (ECS) is working in partnership with Diabetes UK to understand how patients have been affected by the use of telephone or online consultations with their GP practice or other Primary Care service.
We are looking for people who are in one, or more, of these groups:
Over 65 years of age?
Have Diabetes?
Have a disability?
Or people who speak English as a second language?
If you are in any of these groups, we would love it if you were able to help us by taking part in our research on accessing Primary Care Services since the Covid-19 Pandemic. Please note:
Participants need to live in one of the following areas:
Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Halton, Warrington, Leicester City & Leicestershire, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, and Walsall.
By taking part, you will help us to make recommendations on the best use of telephone or online consultations with GP practices or other Primary Care services.
The interview lasts approximately 45 minutes and as a thank you for participating, we will provide you with a £10 Amazon voucher.
We are also looking for GP practice staff to interview so please get in touch and take part.
If interested in taking part, Please contact our Research Manager Deborah for more information:
Background to the Project
In the Autumn of 2020 Healthwatch England set out proposals for a project looking at the impact of moving to telephone and online appointments in primary care on those groups who were most likely to be digitally excluded. ECS decided to follow the same methodology across each Healthwatch area that they deliver the contracts for. Each HAB agreed the project and are funding the project, except for HW Sandwell where they are already carrying out a similar project as part of their annual plan.
We were also approached by Diabetes UK because they were looking at running a similar project and so they commissioned ECS to carry out additional interviews with people who have Diabetes and the primary care staff who treat them. Healthwatch Sandwell were asked to include people with Diabetes in the collection of feedback alongside their own project.
The original methodology was to approach a single GP practice in each area that was based on an area of social deprivation and ask them to assist in the recruitment of five patients from each of the cohorts below:
· Over 65s
· People with a disability
· People who do not speak English as first language
· People who have Diabetes
In addition to patients, GP practices were also asked to identify five staff to take part in the project.
Telephone interviews were identified as the method for collecting feedback in order to ensure that the research was Covid secure.
The Project has been disrupted by Covid
When the project commenced, England was subject to a Covid-19 Tier system and we had two areas put into the highest Tier. As the weeks went by, all of our Healthwatch areas were put into the highest Tiers and it was quickly apparent that Covid rates were rising again nationally, increasing the pressure once again on the health service. Additionally, GP practices were being asked to prepare for vaccine rollout.
As a result of Covid-19 disruption, therefore, our approaches to GP practices were on the whole unsuccessful, although there were two practices, one in Wolverhampton and one in Warrington who said that they would take part.
Therefore, we changed approach and started to contact organisations in the voluntary sector. This has also had a minimal amount of success in attracting service users to take part, once again due to Covid disruption.
We are now widening our net to include our wider networks to see if they are able to assist us in reaching both patients and primary care staff to take part in the project by sharing information and promoting the project with their wider contacts?