Service user engagement in healthcare education as a mechanism for value based recruitment: An evaluation study

Within the United Kingdom (UK) there is an increasing focus on Values Based Recruitment (VBR) of staff working in the National Health Service (NHS) in response to public inquiries criticising the lack of person-centred care. All NHS employees are recruited on the basis of a prescribed set of values. This is extended to the recruitment of student healthcare professionals, yet there is little research of how to implement this. Involving Service Users in healthcare educational practice is gaining momentum internationally, yet involvement of service users in VBR of ‘would be’ healthcare professionals remains at an embryonic phase. Adult nurses represent the largest healthcare workforce in the UK, yet involvement of service users in their recruitment has received scant attention. This paper is an evaluation of the inclusion of service users in a VBR of 640 adult student nurses

Evaluation of the Warrington district CAB GP outreach project

This project report discusses the Warrington district CAB GP outreach project. The project was developed to limit the impact that social deprivation problems may have on health.Warrington Primary Care Trus

Testing public health intervention guidance on increasing the uptake of HIV testing among men who have sex with men. Final fieldwork report

This guidance is for NHS and other commissioners, managers and practitioners who have a direct or indirect role in, and responsibility for, increasing the uptake of HIV testing among men who have sex with men. This includes those working in local authorities and the wider public, private, voluntary and community sectors. It will also be of interest to members of the public, in particular men who have sex with men. The focus of the guidance is on increasing the uptake of HIV testing to reduce undiagnosed infection and prevent transmission. The recommendations include advice on: planning services, including assessing local need and developing a strategy promoting HIV testing among men who have sex with men, including outreach schemes and providing rapid point-of-care tests offering and recommending an HIV test in primary care, secondary care and specialist sexual health services repeat testing HIV referral pathways

Health, Human Rights, and Structural Violence: Identifying Barriers to Healthcare Access of Deaf American Sign Language Users in Rhode Island

Deaf American Sign Language (ASL) users possess both human and legal rights to health. Yet, despite these rights, this linguistic minority group continues to experience challenges in accessing health care services. Using a structural violence framework, this study identifies the barriers to healthcare access of Deaf ASL users in one particular state - Rhode Island. More specifically, this study seeks to uncover the structural and social forces that constrain agency of Deaf ASL users in their attempts to access healthcare. Survey methodology is used to obtain both qualitative and quantitative data from 11 community stakeholder groups. Results show that Deaf ASL users in Rhode Island experience numerous structural barriers to accessing health care, including economic, civil, political, and cultural constraints. The structural disempowerment and reduced agency experienced by Deaf ASL users, perpetuated by the state’s institutionalized social structures, prevents Deaf ASL users from getting their health needs met. Implications for embodied health risks that result from human needs deprivation, trauma, and social disadvantage are discussed. Recommendations are offered on actions toward transformative justice, which can lead to greater fulfillment of human needs and realization of the inherent dignity, worth, and human rights of Deaf ASL users

Groups and communities at risk of domestic and family violence: a review and evaluation of domestic and family violence prevention and early intervention services focusing on at-risk groups and communities

A review and evaluation of domestic and family violence prevention and early intervention services focusing on at-risk groups and communities. Summary This report sets out the findings of research into domestic and family violence (DFV) prevention initiatives focused on groups and communities identified as being at greater risk of experiencing DFV and/or having difficulty accessing support services. These groups include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities (CALD), people who identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Intersex and Queer (GLBTIQ), young women and women in regional, rural and remote (non-urban) communitie

Insights and lessons learned from trialling a mental health chatbot in the wild

This study reports on the development and 'in the wild' trialling of a chatbot (ChatPal) which promotes good mental wellbeing. A stakeholder-centered approach for design was adopted where end users, mental health professionals and service users were involved in the design which was centered around positive psychology. In the wild usage of the chatbot was investigated from Jul-20-Mar-21. Exploratory analyses of usage metrics were carried out using the event log data. User tenure, unique usage days, total chatbot interactions and average daily interactions were used in K-means clustering to identify user archetypes. The chatbot was used by a variety of age groups (18-65+) and genders, mainly those living in Ireland. K-means clustering identified three clusters: sporadic users (n=4), frequent transient users (n=38) and abandoning users (n=169) each with distinct usage characteristics. This study highlights the importance of event log data analysis for making improvements to the mental health chatbot.</p

Do I feel valued? A co-produced exploration of the notion of value from the perspective of a Service User or Carer participating in health and social care education in a university.

Service User and Carer (SU&amp;C involvement in health and social care education is an established feature in the teaching and learning of student nurses, social workers, and allied health professionals. SU&amp;Cs have evolved from playing a minor role, primarily sharing their personal stories as a focal point in a lesson, to being actively included in student assessments, recruitment, resource development, and co-designing sessions with academics. The role is evolving, and academics are learning to include, embed, and collaborate with SU&amp;Cs. Research is shedding light on innovation in this area and encompassing the impact on students and academics. However, little is known about the SU&amp;Cs themselves, their perspectives, and the impact this work has on them. Investigating the viewpoints of this informal workforce is essential to ascertain their needs and opinions and develop meaningful and effective involvement for all stakeholders. There is also a scarcity of research which has been designed, developed, and co-produced with SU&amp;Cs in this field. An interpretivist, qualitative study incorporated two groups of SU&amp;Cs using separate methodological approaches. The SU&amp;Cs were all active members of the Public Partnership Group (PPG) at the University of Huddersfield. A small team of four SU&amp;Cs volunteered through self-selection to co-produce, design, and evaluate the research. This group was named the Research Design Team (RDT). A second group of ten SU&amp;Cs volunteered through self-selection as research participants. The ten participants took part in a semi structured interview; designed by the RDT, where they were asked a series of questions relating to their notion of value in relation to their contribution to the teaching and learning at The University of Huddersfield. The interviews were then transcribed and analysed. Template Analysis was used to evaluate the findings. This study identified that SU&amp;Cs did feel valued for their contribution. Many reasons were attributed to this, indicating that value is experienced in various ways unique to everyone. Participants shared an increased sense of wellbeing where “being heard” was a key influence of feeling valued. The findings clearly demonstrate the motivations for involvement and how it impacts well-being. Altruism featured strongly as a motivating factor for involvement. Participants expressed conflicting feelings about their connection with the wider university, with some lacking a sense of belonging within the organisation. The RDT faced several obstacles when co-producing the research with ethical approval and the global pandemic altering the initial plans for the research study. Their role swiftly moved online, and new skills were developed, however co-production was hindered as a result. This empirical research contributes knowledge to the emerging field of Service User and Carer Involvement pertaining to their perspectives. This research sheds light on the role of the SU&amp;C and their notions of feeling valued for their contributions. The research provides insight into SU&amp;C experiences in relation to how partnership working can be achieved and used in this field. It has also created knowledge of the holistic impact of involvement on the individual and demonstrated how modelling successful involvement in an educational setting is also a valuable learning tool for students. As a result of their analysis, the RDT generated a set of recommendations applicable to Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) where SU&amp;C involvement is integrated into teaching and learning. This research also contributes knowledge to user led research that is co-produced by SU&amp;Cs. It has exposed issues faced with co-producing research in a Higher Education Institute (HEI) and the ethical standpoint of this research field. Additional research is needed to further develop this field in relation to best practices for successful SU&amp;C involvement, using democratic models to carry out research and providing guidance to ethics panels in relation to working in a co-production model