UK Public & Patient views tested using Snap survey software
July 2006
Public and Patient feedback and involvement continues to dominate the UK health sector with the release of the ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ White paper in January 2006. It sets out a new direction for Health Care, giving patients a stronger voice and making them the major drivers of service improvement.
The Health Advocacy Partnership is a not-for-profit company established to supply staff and administrative support to the voluntary members of UK Patient and Public Involvement in Health Forums. The Forums and HAP have recently started to push the boundaries using Snap’s integrated survey solution to test the views of patients and the community on their healthcare priorities. Online and PDA-delivered surveys have been used to great effect in recent consultation projects, with both mediums receiving a positive response from the public.
Emma Westbrook, Projects and Information Development Officer at HAP, researched a range of software products to determine which package would be best suited for them. Emma explains, ‘we chose Snap as it seemed to be one of the leading software companies in the UK and the most user-friendly. Additionally, the package is already widely used throughout the UK Health service.’
Public views tested in the field
Forum Members and HAP staff attended a number of open events last year where they spoke to the public on current health issues including diabetes, local health service, health concerns and problems in the area. Hand-held devices were used for the first time at the National Amateur Gardening Show 2005, the Frome Cheese Show and the West Wiltshire Show 2005 as well as a range of community events. An electronic ‘HAVE YOUR SAY ON HEALTH’ mini survey was uploaded and hundreds of surveys were filled in, with a good proportion of individuals expressing an interest in joining a forum. Emma tells us why the PDAs were so successful ‘The PDAs created a buzz of activity, as people were intrigued to find out what we were doing. We even had children dragging their parents over to fill in the survey.’
Surveying hard to reach residents
Web surveys have also been utilised to find out public and patient views, one of these recently being a Rural Facilities Exmoor survey. The consultation project was completed to find out the views and opinions of residents in the area on a new health centre. As the area is largely rural, the majority of residents are deemed hard to reach with a large proportion of elderly residents. Due to the demographic details of the area, it was decided to use a combination of web and postal surveys to reach the citizens. The web survey was advertised in the local press to encourage residents to fill it in on-line, and a postal survey was sent out to increase response rates. They also took advantage of Snap’s complete survey solution by using SurveyShop, Snap outsourcing division to key in the replies and analyse the results. Snap Surveys are one of the few providers who offer both software and outsourcing options.
HAP and the Forums it supports are looking forward to using Snap for future healthcare consultation projects and surveys in the field.
For further information visit www.hapforums.co.uk