Developing data collection and quality indicators for probation
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN16014381 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN16014381 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | NIHR201091 |
- Submission date
- 22/09/2021
- Registration date
- 19/10/2021
- Last edited
- 20/06/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Many people on probation are in poor health but do not access care until crisis point. Often, services do not meet their needs. To change this we need to know more about these individuals' health and social care needs, what services they access, their experiences when accessing services, and which of their needs are met and unmet. This study aims to a) improve data collection - introducing a research-informed way of screening to identify needs and measure if they have been met (strand 1); and b) develop quality indicators (QIs) – ways to measure and monitor the quality of the care that people receive (strand 2).
Who can participate?
Strand 1 will involve a survey of health and social care needs being administered by probation staff to people under probation supervision in four areas (called probation local delivery units). People can take part in the survey if they are an adult (aged 18+ years) of any gender under probation supervision in the community in one of these areas, with sufficient understanding of English to complete the survey, and able to provide informed consent. The researchers will also seek to conduct telephone interviews with 5-10 frontline probation staff that have administered the survey. The purpose of these interviews will be to seek feedback on the acceptability of using this approach in practice. All staff that have been involved in this will be eligible to participate and if more than 10 express an interest in participating then the researchers will select 10 people at random from those expressing an interest.
Strand 2 will involve a number of steps to develop quality indicators. People can take part in this strand if they are either a) aged 18+ years of any gender and working in an appropriate role within the health and social care and criminal justice field, have sufficient understanding of English to participate in the study, and are able to provide informed consent (expert panel); or b) aged 18+ years with lived experience of the criminal justice system that includes being under probation supervision, with sufficient understanding of English to participate in the study, and are able to provide informed consent (service user/lived experience panel). The expert panel will be recruited via contact from the research team based on their involvement in the field (i.e. they will be staff for whom we anticipate the quality indicators will be of interest). The lived experience panel will be recruited via Revolving Doors Agency staff and Lived Experience Peer Researchers from this organisation.
What does the study involve?
Strand 1 involves introducing a method of routine screening and assessment of health and social care needs and the extent to which they are being met using a survey created for the project consisting of established research-informed screening tools and additional questions. This will be administered by probation staff in four probation local delivery units to people that they supervise in the community (including approved premises). Feedback on the acceptability of this approach will be sought from frontline probation staff, together with suggestions on future routes of implementation.
Strand 2 involves developing quality indicators to support improvement in the health of people under probation supervision and the quality of health and social care that they receive. These will be focused on the topics within the National Probation Service Health and Social Care Strategy. Here the researchers will conduct a literature review to identify existing quality indicators used elsewhere in the criminal justice system, or in probation in countries outside of England and Wales. They will consult an expert panel (through surveys and discussion) and a service user/lived experience panel (through a focus group) to see what they think excellent health and social care looks like, and what quality indicators they think would be useful and work well.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The researchers do not anticipate that taking part in this study will cause any pain, discomfort, or changes to lifestyle for participants. However, thinking about health and social care needs and/or experiences of accessing services could potentially be distressing and appropriate procedures have been put in place in relation to managing this possibility. The main burden involved will be the time taken to participate, which has been minimised. The researchers consider it to be unlikely that any elements of the research will include discussion of criminal or other disclosures requiring action. However, the participant information resources will make it clear that probation staff will be reading the survey responses, and would therefore be aware if a response indicated someone had plans to harm their self/another, or commit a criminal offence, and what the likely consequences of this for participants are.
Where is the study run from?
The study will be led by the University of Lincoln (UK). Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service and Revolving Doors Agency are also supporting the study.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2019 to May 2023
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Coral Sirdifield
csirdifield@lincoln.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
University of Lincoln
Brayford Pool Campus
Lincoln
LN6 7TS
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-6727-838X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1522886950 |
| csirdifield@lincoln.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Observational cross sectional study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | Community, Workplace |
| Study type | Screening |
| Participant information sheet | 40463_PIS_V1_23Jun21_ExpertPanel.pdf |
| Scientific title | Measuring and improving the health and quality of healthcare for people on probation: developing data collection and quality indicators |
| Study acronym | DEDCAQIP |
| Study hypothesis | Many people on probation are in poor health but do not access health or social care until crisis point. Often, services do not meet their needs. The National Probation Service wish to “influence commissioning processes … by providing accurate data to demonstrate the prevalence of need”. Consequently, we need to know more about the health and social care needs of people under probation supervision, what services they access, their experiences when accessing services, and which of their needs are met and unmet. The objectives of this study are a) to improve the measurement, understanding and recording of the health and social care needs of people on probation (improving data collection), and b) to develop indicators for the quality of the care that people on probation receive. |
| Ethics approval(s) | 1. Approved 03/09/2021, National Offender Management Service National Research Committee, (3rd Floor, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf London, E14 4PU, UK; Tel: not available; National.Research@justice.gov.uk), ref: 2021-124 2. Approved 16/09/2021, Human Ethics Committee University of Lincoln (University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, UK; +44 (0)1522 835490; ethics@lincoln.ac.uk), ref: UoL-6947 |
| Condition | Health and social care needs of people under probation supervision including learning disability, learning difficulty, ADHD, autism, mental health disorders, drug and alcohol misuse, physical health needs, and service use |
| Intervention | The researchers are introducing a series of established screening tools to assess the health and social care needs of people under probation supervision and the extent to which they are being met by current service provision. They are using a six-step process to develop indicators for the quality of care that people under probation supervision receive. This is a multi-method study that will combine numerous approaches as follows: Improving data collection: a survey of the health and social care needs of people under probation supervision and the extent to which they are being met across four National Probation Service Local Delivery Units. The survey will largely consist of established screening tools. The researchers will also conduct brief telephone interviews with 5-10 frontline probation staff that administered the survey to gain feedback on its acceptability and how (if at all) the measures within the survey might best be incorporated into practice in the future. Developing quality indicators: six steps as set out by Van Engen-Verheul et al. (2011): 1. Expert panel survey 2. Service user panel (lived experience focus group) 3. Systematic review of the literature 4. Combine findings from steps 1-3 to produce a draft set of indicators to be shared electronically with the expert panel 5. Expert panel rate the indicators on five-point Likert scales 6. Group discussion and final selection of indicators |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Information on health and social care needs will be measured using a survey designed specifically for the project which will be delivered as a one-off (at baseline only). This includes the following existing screening tools: 1. Alcohol use measured using the AUDIT-C at baseline 2. Drug use measured using the DAST-10 at baseline 3. Mental health status measured using the CORE-10 at baseline 4. Needs measured using the CANSAS-P Second Edition at baseline |
| Secondary outcome measures | There are no secondary outcome measures |
| Overall study start date | 30/03/2019 |
| Overall study end date | 26/05/2023 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Mixed |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 5-10 people with lived experience to pilot the survey. The survey will be sent to 3000-4000 people, with a minimum response of 300 required. Feedback on the survey will be sought from 5-10 frontline probation staff. Expert panel: 10-15 people. Service user panel: 5-10 people |
| Total final enrolment | 98 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | Improving data collection: individuals eligible to take part in the survey will be as follows - 1. Adult (aged 18+ years) of any gender under probation supervision in the community in one of the Probation Service Local Delivery Units taking part in the study 2. Sufficient understanding of English to complete the survey (readability has been fully considered, and further assistance will be provided by probation staff if needed) 3. Able to provide informed consent Individuals participating in the telephone interviews to provide feedback on the administration of the survey will be 5-10 frontline probation staff that administered the survey and are willing to participate (convenience sample). Developing quality indicators: Here, the researchers will recruit an expert panel and a service user (lived experience) panel. The expert panel will consist of: 1. Adults (aged 18+ years) of any gender working in appropriate roles within the health and social care and criminal justice field 2. Sufficient understanding of English to participate in the study 3. Able to provide informed consent The service user panel will consist of: 1. Adults of any gender with lived experience of the criminal justice system, including being under probation supervision 2. Sufficient understanding of English to participate in the study 3. Able to provide informed consent |
| Participant exclusion criteria | 1. Aged less than 18 years 2. Insufficient understanding of English to participate 3. Unable to provide informed consent 4. No relevant professional or personal experience - of working in the health and justice field or of being in the criminal justice system |
| Recruitment start date | 08/11/2021 |
| Recruitment end date | 30/12/2022 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
Argyle Way
Stevenage
SG1 2AD
United Kingdom
90 London Road
London
SE1 6LN
United Kingdom
Birmingham
B5 6SN
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Brayford Pool Campus
Lincoln
LN6 7TS
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)1522835490 |
|---|---|
| sponsor@lincoln.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.lincoln.ac.uk |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/043mer456 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 27/05/2024 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | During months 18-20, the researchers will produce: 1. A report for the NIHR 2. An easy read summary 3. Journal articles on the health and social care needs of people on probation, their patterns and experiences of service access, and the development of QIs. The researchers will make the final set of QIs freely available to the Probation Service, and partner agencies, and further disseminate them through members of the expert group. They will also produce a proposed implementation plan for use of the health and social care measures and QIs beyond the life of the research project. |
| IPD sharing plan | Current individual participant data (IPD) sharing statement as of 17/11/2021: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study will be stored in a publically available repository – The University of Lincoln Repository (ePrints), https://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/. All data will be anonymised and will include and SPSS or STATA file containing responses to a survey of health and social care needs of people under probation supervision, responses to two expert panel surveys (Excel/SPSS files), a focus group transcript (Microsoft Word file), and transcripts from interviews with probation staff (Microsoft Word files). The data will be available for 10 years since they were last accessed and will be shared to all people undertaking research to support open data access via ePrints. Consent was obtained from participants for the data to be shared anonymously. Previous individual participant data (IPD) sharing statement: The researchers anticipate that the following data will be stored on the University of Lincoln institutional repository with access being granted via the Chief Investigator (Dr Coral Sirdifield, csirdifield@lincoln.ac.uk): 1. Health and social care needs survey data (SPSS or STATA file) 2. Lived experience focus group transcripts (Word files) 3. Expert panel survey data (Excel files) Data will be made available within 3 months of the end of the study. Consent will be obtained from participants. All data will be anonymised - no names will be entered into the database of health and social care needs data, and appropriate word replacement will be used in transcripts to disguise any reference to particular individuals or places. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | Expert Panel version 1 |
23/06/2021 | 29/09/2021 | No | Yes |
| Participant information sheet | Probation Staff Interviews version 2 |
06/09/2021 | 29/09/2021 | No | Yes |
| Participant information sheet | QI Focus Group version 2 |
06/09/2021 | 29/09/2021 | No | Yes |
| Participant information sheet | Survey version 2 |
06/09/2021 | 29/09/2021 | No | Yes |
| Protocol file | version 2 | 06/09/2021 | 29/09/2021 | No | No |
| Other publications | Professional and lived experience | 23/01/2024 | 15/05/2024 | Yes | No |
| Other publications | Review to identify relevant existing standards and measures | 23/01/2024 | 15/05/2024 | Yes | No |
| Other unpublished results | 20/06/2024 | No | No |
Additional files
- 40463_PROTOCOL_V2_06Sep21.pdf
- 40463_PIS_V1_23Jun21_ExpertPanel.pdf
- Expert Panel
- 40463_PIS_V2_06Sep21_Survey.pdf
- Survey
- 40463_PIS_V2_06Sep21_ProbationStaffInterviews.pdf
- Probation Staff Interviews
- 40463_PIS_V2_06Sep21_QIFocusGroup.pdf
- QI Focus Group
- ISRCTN16014381_ResultsSummary.pdf
Editorial Notes
20/06/2024: Unpublished results file and total final enrolment added.
15/05/2024: Publication references added.
08/02/2023: The study setting has been changed from ‘Other’.
14/12/2022: The recruitment end date was changed from 30/11/2022 to 30/12/2022.
18/10/2022: The recruitment end date was changed from 30/09/2022 to 30/11/2022.
18/07/2022: The recruitment end date was changed from 31/07/2022 to 30/09/2022.
17/11/2021: The individual participant data (IPD) sharing statement has been updated.
29/09/2021: Trial's existence confirmed by the NIHR.
