Evaluation of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services - Healthcare Staff Interview Information Sheet
We would like to invite you to take part in a research study. Before you decide, we would like you to understand why the study is being done and what taking part would involve.
Who is carrying out this research?
Public Health Scotland have commissioned the Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) to conduct this study. You can find out more about us here: www.scotcen.org.uk.
What is the study about?
As part of the Evaluation of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services, we are carrying out surveys and interviews exploring:
- understanding of risks to mental health,
- awareness, availability and accessibility of mental health support,
- and understandings of healthy infant development
among women who have recently been pregnant and the healthcare and voluntary sector staff who support them. Findings from the study will be used to inform improvements to Scotland’s perinatal mental health services.
Why have I been invited to take part?
You are being invited to take part because you recently completed a Survey of Healthcare Staff. At the end of the survey, you kindly agreed we could get in touch to invite you to take part in a one-to-one interview.
We would like to speak to people with a range of professional experiences. This means that we may not be able to talk to everyone who is interested in speaking to us.
If I take part, what will I be asked to do?
If you decide to take part, a member of our research team will get in touch to find out a date and time when you are free for an interview.
Interviews will be with one of our researchers and will last around 30 to 45 minutes. You can choose for your interview to be done by phone or video call (using Microsoft Teams or Zoom).
We will ask you if we can audio record the interview. The recording will be transcribed, stored safely and deleted at the end of the study.
During the interview, you’ll be asked about:
- Your views on services and care offered to women covering the pregnancy, perinatal period and the first year after birth, and their impact on women
- Challenges and facilitating factors faced by women and staff providing care during the pregnancy, perinatal period, the first year after birth and beyond
- Understanding and awareness of issues related to infant mental health, infant development and healthy parent-child relationships
- Perceptions of impact of Covid on mental health and the services and care offered to women
- Aspects of care that work well and how care could be improved
Your views are very important but taking part in an interview is completely voluntary. You can choose not to answer any questions you don’t want to. You can leave the study at any time without giving a reason.
Will my information be kept private?
We will treat the things you tell us in confidence under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Any information you give us will be stored safely and securely. Your personal information will be kept separate from any other information you give us. We will only contact you about the study.
We will use quotes from some interviews in our study reports. These quotes will be fully anonymised.
To learn more about how we store and use your personal information and your rights to look at your data, click here.
Where can I find out more?
If you have any questions, please contact the study team at PNIMH@scotcen.org.uk.
If you wish to make a complaint about this study, you can contact Lesley Birse at ScotCen by email: lesley.birse@scotcen.org.uk or by phone on 0131 240 0210.