Planning your research is the most important part of the research process. It will help you to map out what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and when. 

To create your research plan, you can use this template research project planner and template research timeline and adapt it to suit your project needs. 

This resource is based on project planners used by local Healthwatch.

Research planner 

A research plan is a detailed description of the project purpose, aims and tasks involved in the project you are going to undertake.  

The template below is divided into sections that you will need to consider to create a good quality research plan. Each section lists helpful tips and prompts to help you fill out the relevant components of a research plan. 

Important things to consider: 

• Background of your project 
• Who you are talking to and how to collect information  
• How you will analyse the information 
• Resources you may need 
• Any risks and how to mitigate them 
• Partnership working (if relevant to your project) 
• Quality assurance 
• Dissemination of the work 
• Evaluation of your project

Research timeline 

It is useful to outline your project tasks and align them to a project timeline. This will help you and your project team to prioritise tasks, stick to deadlines and deliver work on time. 

The template timeline below outlines a number of stages that need to be considered in the research process. You can change the timings of your project to fit your own deadlines and how long you would like to spend on each task.

We’ve also included an example GANTT chart of how this would look, helping you understand how much time it takes to complete the different phases

How to structure a call

About this guidance

If you are a local Healthwatch member of staff or volunteer who answers phone calls from the public, find out how to structure your conversation to best help the caller and to support your wellbeing. This guide covers:

• Beginning a call
• Exploring and clarifying the caller's issue
• Ending a call
• What to do after a call

Managing calls from the public 

About this guidance

Members of the public contact Healthwatch for advice and information about health and social care services. These calls are often complex and at times you may find some or all parts of a call challenging. Find out how to best manage this in our guidance, which covers:

• Top tips for managing calls
• Handling last resort calls
• Handling repeat callers
• What to do if you feel a call is becoming abusive

Assessing risk and safeguarding 

About this guidance

You might receive calls from people in distress, who could be at risk to themselves or others, or where there might be a safeguarding concern. We have a duty of care help keep the person safe, while getting them the help they need. To support you to manage these types of calls, this guide covers:

• How to assess risk
• Safeguarding
• Callers with suicidal thoughts

Good quality research is key to improving people’s experiences of health and social care services. To help you, this guide outlines the steps to take when planning your research project, including:

• Key things you should consider when choosing what issue to research
• What is a research aim and objective and how to write them

About this guidance

In our ‘Managing Volunteers Remotely’ sessions many of you asked for ideas for free online training that your volunteers could be doing from home, whilst they aren’t able be out in their communities.

Thank you to everyone who shared their favourite free courses that have been used and recommended by Healthwatch volunteers.

General training

Healthwatch induction

Ask your volunteers to complete our short introduction to Healthwatch, if they haven’t already done so. This short course explains the role of local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England.

Take the course

Introducing the voluntary sector

The Open University has a course that provides a detailed overview of the voluntary sector, giving you knowledge and skills that you can apply to your own work or volunteering, as well as your everyday life. The course should take three hours a week, over eight weeks to complete. 

Take the course

Volunteer passport

This is a suite of free online courses from Health Education England, designed for anyone who is volunteering in health and care. 

Topics include:

• Equality
• Diversity
• Human rights
• Safeguarding
• Mental health awareness
• Disability awareness.

You must register with an email address first, then you can select any of the courses that are of interest.

Find out more

Specific training

• Carers courses  - York Carers Centre has three short online courses that will increase your knowledge of adult carers, young carers and young adult carers, as well as the challenges they face.

• Diversity and difference in communication -The Open University has a short online course to help you understand the impact of diversity and difference on communication within health and care services.

• The NHS Explained: How the Health System in England Really Works -The Kings Fund has a popular course that is ideal for anyone wanting to understand how the NHS works. It is eight hours of learning, usually over four weeks. 

The NHS has introduced a test and trace service to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This article, based on Government and NHS guidance, aims to help you answer common questions people may have about how the test and trace service works.

What is the test and trace service?

The NHS test and trace service ensures that anyone who develops symptoms of coronavirus can quickly be tested to find out if they have the virus. It also includes targeted asymptomatic testing of NHS and social care staff and care home residents.

The service helps trace close recent contacts of anyone who tests positive for coronavirus and, if necessary, notifies them that they must self-isolate at home to help stop the spread of the virus.

How long before I get my results?

The Government aims to provide results within 48 hours of taking a test, but some results may take longer. Results will be delivered by text, email or phone and will include instructions as to what to do next.

Instructions will include:

• A link to the NHS test and trace website
• An ask to create a confidential account where people can record details about their recent close contacts.

If people do not have internet access or if they don’t complete the online process, one of the contact tracers will phone to gather this information.

What happens with my information?

Your information will be handled in strict confidence and will only be kept and used in line with data protection laws. The name of the person with coronavirus will not be told to those that are contacted. You will never be asked for any financial information such as your bank/card details nor will people be asked to call a premium rate number or set up a password/PIN over the phone.

It will help the NHS to contact people who have been exposed to coronavirus and explain what they must do to help prevent the further spread of the virus.

Find out more: Government website.

How does it work?

The NHS test and trace service aims to help reduce the spread of the infection and save lives. If people follow the actions set out below, they will directly help to contain the virus by reducing its spread.

Steps people need to take:

• if you develop COVID-19 symptoms you must continue to follow the rules to self-isolate with other members of your household and order a test.
• if you test positive for coronavirus, you should share information promptly about your recent contacts through the NHS test and trace service to help alert others who may need to self-isolate.
• if you have had recent close contact with someone who has tested positive with coronavirus, you should self-isolate if the NHS test and trace service advises you do so.

What does the COVID-19 test involve?

The test involves taking a swab from the nose and the back of the throat, which can be done by the person or with assistance.

There are now many potential ways to be tested:

• drive-through regional testing sites
• mobile testing units
• test kits delivered to your home
• hospital-based testing for NHS patients and staff
• dedicated testing centres in other care settings (for example, care homes)

When you order a test, you will get information on the options available to you.

The Government website has more information on getting tested.

When should people self-isolate?

Anyone with coronavirus symptoms, or those that live in the same household as somebody who does, should self-isolate and order a test.

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature).
• new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
• loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

For more information, read the further guidance on symptoms.

What should employers do?

Employers should play their part to make their workplaces as safe as possible, by encouraging workers to heed any notifications to self-isolate and by supporting them when in isolation.

Although this may seem disruptive for businesses, it is less disruptive than an outbreak of COVID-19 in the workplace will be, and far less disruptive than periods in lockdown.

The Government has produced guidance for employers and businesses about to the test and trace service.

About this guidance

Many Healthwatch volunteers are involved in their community’s response to COVID-19 or are continuing to contribute to our work. Meanwhile, others are self-isolating or shielding because of Government guidance. During this time, we must continue to support the needs of all volunteers.

This guidance has been produced with input from staff who manage volunteers, to help anyone responsible for managing volunteers remotely. Thanks to Healthwatch Havering and Healthwatch Gateshead for their contributions to this article.

Keep in touch

To see how they are 

Contact your volunteers to ask how they and their families are doing. It may sound simple but having this as the main purpose of your call could have a big impact on your volunteers. Check in with those who are shielding and have support needs. You may be able to help with community information and sources of help, such as COVID-19 Mutual Aid groups.

In a way they prefer 

Each volunteer will have a preference for how they want to be contacted. While someone may prefer an email once a week, another may like a phone call twice a week. All members of your Healthwatch staff team should have access to the volunteer’s names, contact details and people’s contact preferences. Find out what each of your volunteers would prefer.

Offer different communication methods to suit the needs of your volunteer. For example:

• Phone calls
• Text messages
• Emails
• Teleconferences
• Video calls e.g. Zoom
• WhatsApp groups

Keep informed

Provide information

There is a huge amount of information available to the public on COVID-19. It is important that you share information from trusted sources. Point your volunteers towards our Coronavirus Workplace group and the Coronavirus page on our network site.

You could also use a volunteer newsletter to keep them updated. Several Healthwatch are already do this, providing Healthwatch news and information about COVID-19 and positive news stories.

Signpost to other volunteering opportunities

Some of your volunteers may want to help other organisations who are part of their community’s COVID-19 response. Talk to your volunteers to see what their thoughts are and share information about other volunteering opportunities with them. If they do volunteer elsewhere, check in with them to ask them about their experience.  

If your volunteers have been seconded to another volunteering opportunity via your Healthwatch, make sure they understand who they report to. They will need to know who is responsible for their management and where their accountabilities lie. For example, if an issue arose who they would need to inform.

Get creative

Involve

Find out if and how your volunteers want to stay involved with your Healthwatch.

Many Healthwatch are involving volunteers in a range of activities:

• Writing articles for the newsletter and website
• Undertaking research
• Gathering feedback from friends and family to share with Healthwatch
• Checking social media for trends
• Feeding back on reports and business plans.

Remember, some volunteers may choose not to be active during this time.

Training and learning opportunities

We have shared a list of free online training and learning opportunities which can be completed remotely by your volunteers.

Check out your local council for voluntary services and volunteer centre websites to see if there are any relevant courses available. NCVO has several online courses which may be useful during this time.

If you are inducting new volunteers into Healthwatch, don’t forget to use our online induction.

Do something different

Staying in touch socially can be a good way to keep your volunteers involved with Healthwatch. Think about providing your volunteers with an opportunity to join in with something light-hearted and fun.

For example, why not try a weekly quiz? This could be based on Healthwatch, health and social care, or subjects that have nothing to do with their volunteering!

Give thanks

Reward and recognise contributions

Think about ways of thanking your volunteers. There are many ways to show recognition.

You could send thank you cards with an appreciative message, or give a shopping voucher that could be used online or in store.

Volunteers may be incurring costs by continuing to volunteer, such as electricity and broadband costs. Encourage your volunteers to claim their expenses in line with your volunteering policy.  

Look after yourself

Wellbeing

It’s easy to focus on supporting and caring for your volunteers. Remember to also look after yourself during this time. Make sure you have the support you need and access to useful information. The network site has several articles to help you work remotely, as does the Healthwatch public site. For example, our articles on creating a routine, or six ways to work well from home, could help you during this time.

Availability

You may find that your working times and days have or will change during the pandemic. If you manage volunteers, make sure they are kept up to date with your working hours. Provide backup contact details of colleagues who can stand in when you are not available.

About this resource

It is important that when a new provider takes over a local Healthwatch contract, the public continue to receive an uninterrupted service and there is no reputational risk to the Healthwatch brand.

This guidance aims to help both outgoing and incoming providers understand their responsibilities, and how they should work together to hand over key information and assets.

It includes advice on:

• Ensuring smooth communication
• Local Healthwatch's legal requirements
• Work priorities and delivery
• Who owns data
• How to access resources

Our article helps you to understand things to consider when it comes to funding your local Healthwatch and staff members during the pandemic.

Funding your service

Your funding from local government

The Government has issued guidance for public bodies on payment of their suppliers to ensure service continuity during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

This includes the requirement that all contracting councils should urgently review their contract portfolio. All suppliers who they believe are at risk must be informed that they will continue to be paid as normal until at least the end of June. This includes cases where service delivery is disrupted or has been suspended.

The guidance emphasises the importance of putting in measures to support the cash flow of supplier and the importance of making payments on time.

Unfortunately, the guidance does not apply to grants and only covers contracts for good and services.

What if my contract is coming to an end?

The Government have issued guidance to public bodies including councils which enables them to take a more flexible approach during this crisis. For example, they have the option to extend or vary contracts.

How can I access emergency funding?

The Charity Bank has put together a list of emergency funds for charities and social enterprises that are experiencing difficulties. It will be updated as new opportunities are identified.

Grants are being issued to some charities to help sustain services. You can view data statistics on what is being funded by grant givers in response to COVID-19 on 360 Giving.

What if I have non statutory funding from another source to deliver work?

It is important to talk to your funders about the impact COVID-19 may have on your work and negotiate a way forward. Many funders have already publicly recognised that funding related outputs and outcomes and reporting deadlines may not be met and that services may need to be delivered differently. 

The implications of your legal structure

Whether you are a charity or a community interest company, guidance is available to help you think through the implications that are specific to your legal structure.

Guidance for Charities

The Charity Commission has produced guidance to help with running your charity during COVID-19. This answers the most commonly asked questions and helps trustees to be aware of and think about the wider or longer impact of decisions on your charity.

Guidance includes:

• Use of reserves and restricted funds if facing financial problems.

• Holding AGMs and meetings by phone or online.

• Reporting of serious incidents to the Charity Commission.

Guidance for Community Interest Companies

The Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies (CICs) has produced guidance for Community Interest Companies affected by COVID-19. This includes information on applying for an extension if you are unable to file your accounts and Annual Report by the required deadline.

Looking after staff members 

With people working from home or off sick, advice have been produced about some of the implications that COVID-19 could have. 

Employees' rights and sick leave entitlements

NCVO has guidance covering employees’ rights and sick leave entitlements.

This refers to guidance from ACAS which covers relief to reclaim statutory sick pay paid to employees for sickness absence due to COVID-19. It also includes other useful advice on vulnerable people and those at high risk, time off work to look after someone, and good practice steps.

Home working expenses and tax implications

HMRC has produced guidance on which expenses are taxable if your employees are working from home due to COVID-19, covering equipment, services or supplies, including broadband, laptops and utilities.

What is online engagement?

Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, you may be thinking about using online or other remote methods of engagement. While we know that this approach won’t work for everyone, there may be some people in your community who can, or can be supported to, engage with you in this way.

There are different ways you can engage people online. This includes:

• Surveys
• Focus groups using video conferencing apps like Skype, Teams or Zoom
• Interviews
• Polls on social media or your website

What should you think about when planning online engagement?

1. Can you protect people's personal information and make sure you have their permission?

Will people’s personal details, such as their phone number or email address, be shared differently through this engagement? If you’re engaging with multiple people at the same time, for example using virtual meeting spaces, will people be able to see each other’s details? How will you make sure they are aware of this and get their permission?

2. How will you continue to make sure people’s information is stored securely and in line with GDPR?

Think about who will have access to this information – including people’s contact details, IP address, and any digital recordings (where relevant). Do you have the appropriate measures in place to store this information securely? 

Read our data protection advice and guidance

3. Who are you not engaging with for now?

Not everyone is online or wants to engage with you this way. Often this means the most vulnerable groups in our communities are missing out on very important support or their opportunity to have their say. Think about how you can reach these people, for example, partnering with a local organisation in touch with these groups. 

Also, think about your future engagement plans and how you can include those unable to participate remotely – once it’s safe and appropriate to do so.

About this resource

This guide explains the statutory requirements for Healthwatch and sets out good governance principles when it comes to delivering a Healthwatch service.

The guide aims to provide you with key areas of focus, recommended best practice, as well as links to other legislation and resources that you will need for your Healthwatch.

It includes:

• What legislation says about Healthwatch
• Setting up a Healthwatch
• Governance and decision making
• Practical steps when running a Healthwatch
• How to meet your obligations
• Key legislation you need to follow
• A Quick Reference Guide (appendix) outlining the set of policies that help your Healthwatch comply with its statutory and regulatory requirements and underpin the brand

Please note that this guide was last updated on 26 April 2021 and is subject to change.