About this course

This course will give you an understanding of using Smart Survey analysis tools:

• An overview of Smart Survey
• Understanding its functions to analyse your data
• Interpreting the data you collect

It will take you about an hour to an hour and a half to complete this course if you decide to do it in one go, which we do recommend for the best learner experience. However, you can pause and return to it later if you need to. 

You will be able to download a certificate once you have successfully completed the course.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for staff with some existing analysis skills who want to use Smart Survey to collect and interpret survey data. 

What will you learn?

This course will help you to understand: 

• How you can use Smart Survey in your research  
• How you can use the various functions and analysis tools in Smart Survey to help you in your work 
• How you can analyse both text and numerical data in Smart  Survey 
• How you can produce reports that display results from a sub-group of your survey respondents  
• How you can create and customise charts to visually represent your data   
• How are tools in Smart Survey different from the traditional methods of analysing data, such as in Microsoft Excel 

What is the Theory of Change?

There are many tools for understanding how organisations make a difference. One widely used by the non-profit sector is called ‘Theory of Change’. 

Your Theory of Change for an individual project or area of work describes a sequence of events or outcomes that you expect to lead to your desired long-term outcomes.

Producing a Theory of Change before starting a new piece of work can help you consider how likely you are to achieve positive changes. It can help you identify anything you might do differently to maximise the likelihood of success and make the best use of your resources. 

Usually, a Theory of Change is produced at a very early stage of planning a piece of work; before the more detailed project plan. 

We regularly provide workshops about using a Theory of Change approach. We can consider providing an online session for your team. Contact jon.turner@healthwatch.co.uk for more information. 

Template to create your own 

Based on a model provided by Healthwatch Islington, we’ve developed a template that you can use to produce your own Theory of Change in an easy format. 

It’s best used after you have attended a workshop. However, the template now includes instructions to remind you about each of the stages. It can help you to understand the process even if you haven't yet been to a workshop. 

The template uses Microsoft Excel. To view and use it properly, you will need to open it using a desktop version of Excel rather than an online or Office 365 version. 

After you’ve opened the document, go first to the tab that says ‘Overall Summary – read first.’ 

What is a taxonomy?

The taxonomy are the fields of data you collect in your feedback from the public. They consist of two main types:

• The key fields we want you to share with us
• Other optional fields, including a wider selection of demographics

Why is this taxonomy important? 

This new taxonomy has been built based on you feedback as we want it to meet your needs as well as ours. 

Ensuring that your taxonomy meets ours is essential for you to be able to meet the legal requirement to share your data with us. 

Find out whether you need to make any changes to your existing taxonomy with our simple guide that clearly sets out the fields you need to be collecting. 

About this guidance

This guidance is for new users of Smart Survey - a standard survey, questionnaire and feedback tool. In this guide we cover:

• Creating surveys
• Adding and editing questions
• Controlling responses
• Distributing your survey
• Viewing and analysing submitted feedback

Got a question?

Please email digital@healthwatch.co.uk for further information or questions.

You can also take a look at Smart Survey's own guidance and resources.

Sign-up to Smart Survey

We're offering every local Healthwatch a licence for SmartSurvey for one year. It will cost you absolutely nothing and will give you access to survey templates, data analysis tools, and the ability to collaborate with other local Healthwatch and Healthwatch England. 

Find out more

About

The agreement is designed for working together in an Integrated Care System but can be adapted for local Healthwatch working together on other issues.

How to use this template

You should customise the template to meet the needs of your group of local Healthwatch who are working in partnership.  To do this, you’ll need to refer to the ICS collaboration toolkit and the data protection guidance. 

You’ll need to consider the following: 

• Whether a lead organisation is necessary: this might be needed if funding comes from the ICS for projects. 
• Who is going to deal with safeguarding issues that arise, particularly from joint research or engagement projects?
• Who is going to be responsible for dealing with any data subject access requests for jointly gathered data?
• Who will be responsible for taking action on any data breaches for jointly gathered data?

• How long will the data sharing agreement will run for? You may need to take into account the length of Healthwatch contracts to do this. 

Where part of the template is highlighted in yellow, you will need to customise the content to the needs of your group of Healthwatch.

Other actions

Do a data protection impact assessment

Each local Healthwatch will need to undertake a Data Protection Impact Assessment for sharing data across an ICS area to consider the impact of doing so, and what mitigations might need to be taken. 

Read the guidance

Update your online privacy notice

Your online privacy notice needs to be updated to include the fact that you’ll be sharing data with other local Healthwatch, what data you are sharing and with which local Healthwatch. You’ll also need to ensure that you include information on data retention periods for shared data and data gathered in joint projects. Our privacy notice template contains a relevant section for you to include.

Download the template

About

Data protection legislation requires you to explain to people how you will your their information. 

You need to inform people participating in engagement events and research activities (such as interviews, focus groups or surveys) how you'll use their data and the lawful basis for doing so . If you use cards or forms to obtain public feedback, you'll need to provide this information on paper.

It is best practice to start a survey or interview with an explanation of the project, what information you are looking for and how you will use the data. 

To help you meet this requirement, we have developed two templates for you to use when engaging people on the phone or face-to-face.

About

The Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) establish a framework to regulate the processing of personal data.

The legislation balances the legitimate need for organisations to process personal data with the rights and interests of individuals.

In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office ensures that organisations comply with data protection legislation and take enforcement action where the law is broken.

This guidance sets out how you can comply with data protection legislation. It also links to templates you can use.

The guidance covers:

• Why you need to comply with the legislation
• Data controllers, processors and data protection officers
• The governance issues that you’ll need to take to comply
• How to collect data lawfully
• How to use data lawfully
• How to store data lawfully
• What to do in the event of a data breach
• Data subject rights
• A glossary of data protection terms

The latest version (January 2023) includes additional detail on consent and explicit consent, and how to word consent.

GDPR training

Our bespoke training course will introduce you to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), what the law says, what it means for Healthwatch and how to apply it to your work.

Seperate learning modules are available for Healthwatch Lead Officers and Healthwatch staff.

Find out more

About

A data protection policy sets out how you will keep data safe and comply with data protection laws. 

This template sets out what you need to cover in your data protection policy.

The policy helps to explain:

• Why we collect data;
• What data do we collect and why;
• How do we use people's information following the law;
• How long do we keep data;
• How we keep data safe;
• What we do if there is a data breach;
• Who we share data with;
• How people can ask to see the data we hold about them or ask us to amend or stop storing it.

Step one: The Annual Survey

What is the Annual Survey?

Our network has achieved so much over the last few years, even in the face of challenging circumstances. It’s important that you get the right support to run a high-quality local service. That’s why we need to understand how things work on the ground for you and the constraints you face.

The Annual Survey gives us a bird’s eye view of local engagement, resources, funding, reach and impact. As well as targeted support, the information helps us protect and generate income, support new partnerships, and report to Parliament through our annual report.

How can you complete the Annual Survey?

The survey is mandatory, and you should submit one response per Healthwatch. It should take around 30 minutes to complete. We recommend you look through the questions below and collect any required information before you begin the survey.

Take the Annual Survey

Download the Annual Survey questions (PDF)

Use our Case for support guidance to help you have discussions with ICS about Healthwatch resourcing, including effective collaboration and acknowledging the additional burden of delivering functions within the ICS.

The guidance helps show the value of Healthwatch to an integrated care system. In particular, how the work of Healthwatch can help ICSs achieve its aims and meet needs.

This tool should be used alongside conversations with ICS stakeholders and not sent without prior discussion with them.

How to use the template

As this is a PowerPoint template, you can easily make changes to include local details and context, as well as any specifics relevant to the partnership under discussion. You could also personalise the template using:

• Quotes of support and testimonials from local people
• Facts and statistics relevant to the ICS
• Details of all the Healthwatch requiring support and the work you do
• Specific projects for which support is needed and costs
• Local photography

Whilst this PowerPoint template gives you the tools to provide an overview either in person or digitally, we recommend following up with a more detailed proposal. This should set out the specifics of the relationship, and should focus on how the ICS can meet their priorities, rather than Healthwatch's needs.

We hope the new Case for Support will prove to be a valuable tool in discussions with the ICS in your area, acting as an introduction to how a partnership could develop and a starting point for discussions.