Information Sheet
Invitation
We are carrying out a research project to find out what prison commissioners, policy makers and senior managers think about the impact of Covid-19 on prison healthcare. We are inviting you to take part in a research interview. Before you decide if you would like to take part you will need to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. We would be grateful if you could read the following information.
You can contact Lucy Wainwright or Sarah Senker who are the researchers on the study by phone (07555 422150) or email: (lucy.wainwright@york.ac.uk, sarah.senker@york.ac.uk) or you can e-mail the person who is leading the study (Laura Sheard – laura.sheard@york.ac.uk) for more information or if there is anything that is unclear.
Take time to decide whether or not you would like to take part.
The purpose of the study
We are interested in your views about both strategic and local delivery and contracting of healthcare in prison since the pandemic began in March 2020. We mainly want to find out, from your perspective: what changes to healthcare you have noticed, what you think may be positive and what you think may be negative. We’d like to know what could be continued post-pandemic and what should be discontinued.
Why have I been invited?
You have been approached because you are involved in a professional capacity in an aspect of prison healthcare commissioning, policy or management during the pandemic and we are seeking the views of people like yourself.
What is involved?
A date and time for the interview to take place will be arranged between yourself and the researcher. You and the researcher will also decide the best way to conduct the interview (by telephone or video call). The interview is likely to last around 45 minutes. The interview is like having a conversation with the researcher, but we will be talking about your views of prison healthcare during the pandemic. The conversation will be recorded on a digital tape recorder so that there is an exact record.
You will receive a consent form in an electronic format. Before starting the interview, the researcher will ask you to say “I agree” to each of the statements on the consent form. This part of the recording will be kept separate from the interview recording.
Everything discussed is confidential; you do not have to answer any questions that you do not want to answer. However, the researchers have a professional duty of care that they must meet. This means that there a few occasions where we would need to inform someone senior outside of the research team about an issue talked about during the interview. This would happen if:
- you were to tell the researcher that you intended to significantly harm yourself or another person
- you tell the researcher about severe clinical harm to a patient that you witnessed or were involved in within prison healthcare (over and above what could be considered general poor quality care), which you did not report at the time at the relevant authorities
If you change your mind about being part of the study after the interview you can withdraw your information up to three months from the date of the interview. You do not have to give us a reason for changing your mind.
How will I benefit from being involved in these interviews?
You will not benefit directly but you will help us to better understand the topic we are investigating. You may find it interesting to discuss your opinions with the researcher.
What will happen to the information I give?
The recording of the interview will be typed up and the recording will be deleted at the end of the study. The typed up version of the interview will have all names and identifying features changed so that you cannot be identified. We may use quotations in our final report to our funders (Economic and Social Research Council) or in articles for academic and professional journals. If we do use anything that you have said it will be made anonymous so that you cannot be identified. Information will be stored securely at the University of York and destroyed 5 years after the study has ended. This allows time to answer any questions that might arise about the way the study was conducted or what it found. The only people at the University of York who will have access to information that could identify you will be people who need to audit the data collection process and limited members of the research team. Your data will be held in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (2018).
Who has reviewed the study?
This study has been reviewed and given a favourable opinion by University of York Health Sciences Research Governance Committee on 14th May 2021 (Ref:21/448/F) and by the National Research Committee for Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) on 21st April 2021 (Ref: 21-034)
What if something goes wrong?
It is very unlikely that any harm should come to you as a result of taking part in the interview. However, if you have any concerns about the way you have been approached or treated during this study, you can contact Professor Patrick Doherty at the University of York, who is independent from the study team.
E-mail: patrick.doherty@york.ac.uk
Thank you for reading this information.
Qual-P 