Diffley Partnership were responsible for this innovative deliberative project feeding into the Health Foundation’s Independent Review on Health Inequalities in Scotland.
We conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,079 adults across Scotland covering various questions about health inequalities and the determinants of health. We then recruited 25 survey respondents to take part in our Health in Scotland Panel. This Panel convened digitally to allow people to join from all over Scotland.
The Panel met over several months for 4 half-day deliberative sessions. At each session, panel members discussed their thoughts on health inequalities in Scotland including their scope, causes, and possible solutions, with expert guest speakers contributing to discussions.
Throughout, Diffley Partnership engaged with the panel, taking on their feedback and ensuring a positive experience.
The Health Foundation were provided with comprehensive interim and final outputs throughout the project. The final report was published on their website and Diffley Partnership presented its research findings at a Scottish Parliament reception launching the report.
5 Key Takeaways
- The public is concerned about, and eager to discuss and tackle health inequalities,
- The public has limited awareness of the scale of health inequalities and its causes; initially people tend to focus on the role of individual behaviours as the primary cause,
- As more expertise is heard and deliberated, the public becomes increasingly open to ecological accounts of health inequalities, though a minority maintain their focus on individual responsibility as the primary cause of health inequalities,
- The public’s top priorities for tackling health inequalities are more investment in/improved access to the NHS and greater redistribution of wealth and resources,
- The public wants to see policymakers move to more holistic and longer-term thinking, aimed at addressing the root causes of health inequalities.
Key services used for project
- Deliberative research
- Sampling
- Quantitative
- Qualitative
- Participant recruitment
- Digital facilitation
- Research tools design
- Panel management
- Data visualisation
- Report writing
- Presentation of findings
Key research method used for project
Links
We produced this report on Health Inequalities in Scotland: Public Engagement Research
health-inequalities-panel-report-diffley-nov2022.pdf (diffleypartnership.co.uk)
This formed part of the wider report published by the Health Foundation
Leave no one behind – The Health Foundation
