Research Opportunity: Ethical Decision-Making in Care During the Pandemic
Update: This study is now recruiting into June 2020
Exploring ethical issues arising in routine maternity and paediatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic
A new study from the University of Liverpool is looking at how decisions were made around care after the first lockdown in 2020. Specifically, they’re looking at the phase of the pandemic after 29th April 2020, when NHS Trusts were asked to restore their services and had to make decisions about how these would be prioritised and run.
The focus of this study is on maternity services and paediatric surgery. Like many services, cleft care was deeply affected by the pandemic, and the study team would like to talk to anyone who has been impacted by this.
What does the study involve?
Taking part will involve attending a 2-hour focus group discussion to talk about your perceptions or experiences of maternity or paediatric care (including cleft care) policies and the reorganisation of services at your local NHS Trust and/or Cleft Team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The focus group will be conducted online via Zoom or MS Teams. A £25 voucher will be offered for your time.
If there is enough interest from the cleft community, the researchers may run a group based around cleft, but otherwise, you will be in a group with people accessing different services.
Your answers will be confidential and anonymous in this study.
Who can take part?
Parents, carers, parents-to-be and grandparents who have recently been involved in receiving care from maternity and/or children’s surgery services.
If you and/or your young child (or grandchild) has received care since the start of the pandemic, including consultations for surgery, calls from the Cleft Nurse Specialist, etc., the study team would love to hear from you.
The team are particularly interested in participants from (or whose Cleft Team is based in) the following NHS Trust areas: Liverpool, Lancaster and the South Lakes, Sheffield, Birmingham, South London. However, people from other areas are absolutely welcome to join too!
How can I get involved?
Contact Dr Carol Gray at [email protected] for more information or to express your interest in taking part.
You’ll receive a detailed information sheet and will be welcome to ask any further questions you may have.
