Assistance for health and social care organisations

A new online resource has been launched for NHS boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to help them continue to engage effectively with local communities while COVID-19 restrictions remain. Measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic have created a challenge for the traditional ways of engaging with people over changes to local services. For example, focus groups and carrying out surveys in shopping centres can currently not take place. The new online resource, called ‘Engaging Differently’, has been created by Healthcare Improvement Scotland – Community Engagement. The resource contains hints, tips and examples to help organisations achieve a mix of approaches, including the repurposing of existing engagement methods to ensure the focus is not solely on digital and online technology. The resource will grow as new information becomes available.