ELSA Health and Social Care Research
What is the research about?
The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is carrying out a study to find out why people who both have their health and social care needs met or unmet end up being hospitalised. The topics we will discuss with you are:
- Your past and current health and support needs
- Help and support you receive with everyday activities
- Whether your health, social care and other needs are being met
- Periods you have spent in hospital over the last 5 years
- Reasons you were taken into hospital
- Anything that could have been done to prevent having to go into hospital
By taking part, you will help us understand the health and social care needs of older people, and what could be done to prevent or reduce hospital stays.
Who can take part?
We are interested in speaking to people who have health or social care needs and have been admitted to hospital over the last five years. We are interested in speaking with people who feel their support needs were or were not met.
If you decide to take part, it will not affect your access to health or social services or any benefits you may receive.
What will taking part involve?
If you decide to take part, you can do so by telephone or online using Microsoft Teams. The interview will be like a discussion and last no longer than 60 minutes. The interview will be conducted by a NatCen researcher.
- There are no right or wrong answers, we just want to hear about your views and experiences.
- NatCen will give you a £50 Love2Shop voucher, or equivalent donation as a thank you for taking part in the interview.
Do I have to take part?
You do not have to take part, and you can change your mind at any time. If you do agree to take part in an interview, you can choose not to answer questions or talk about any experiences that you do not want to discuss. You can also take a break during the interview or withdraw from the interview without giving us a reason.
If you change your mind and no longer want to take part in this research, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing ELSA@natcen.ac.uk or calling 0800 652 4574.
Can I have specific arrangements to enable me to participate?
Yes. The interviewer who arranged the interview with you should have discussed whether you have any specific requirements to help you take part. For example, you may want to take breaks during the interview, see a list of the topics to be discussed before the interview or you may need us to use subtitles in a video call to help you follow the interview.
If there is anything else we can do to help you take part, please let us know at the email address or telephone number above.
What will happen to the information I give?
Just like on the main ELSA study, we will treat all information that you share with us in strict confidence, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR). Your personal details will be held securely by NatCen and will not be shared with anyone outside of the ELSA research team. The information you provide will only be used for research and not for any other purposes. NatCen is the data processor, and the ELSA collaboration team is the data controller for this research.
Any information you share with us will only be used in anonymised form. You will not be named in any outputs from the interview, and no-one will be able to recognise you.
With your permission, we will audio-record the interview. The recording will be kept securely and destroyed 6 months after the research is complete.
The recording of the interview will be used by the ELSA research team only, to help make sure we have an accurate account of what was said and to help with notetaking. Only members of the ELSA research team will have access to the recording. It will not be possible to identify any individuals or organisations in the report.
Read more about the ELSA privacy notice.
Contact the research team
If you have any questions about NatCen or about this study, or would like this information in a different format, please contact the research team.