Using smart survey to work together

We recently announced we have made the Smart Survey tool available to you for a second year to help support your data collection.  

What's on offer?

This year you will still get access to the enterprise edition – something that may be beyond the budgets of many of you – because it allows you to share surveys. You told us the ability to share surveys was important, given the increasing need to collaborate, such as conducting work across an Integrated Care System footprint. 

The eight Healthwatch within the North East London footprint used Smart Survey for some commissioned work for London Ambulance Service. Healthwatch Wokingham Borough, Healthwatch Reading and Healthwatch West Berkshire also used Smart Survey for collaborative work. 

How can Smart Survey be useful for working together?

We use Smart Survey to create a template survey which you can copy to collect results in your area, allowing for consistent data analysis. A recent example is the cost-of-living survey. 

Setting up a shared survey is simple, which other selected Healthwatch can use to collect results. You can use the tools within Smart Survey to carry out analysis or export the results to analyse in Excel or Power Bi. 

You'll be able to present your results to your Integrated Care Board – demonstrating the value of Healthwatch in every area and connected to your local communities. 

Three things to consider: 

1. Smart Survey is free – if you haven't signed up already, it's quick and easy. You'll need to sign a data-sharing agreement with us if you have not already done so. Click here to sign up. 
2. Ensure your privacy notice/communications informs people you are surveying that you will share their data with other Healthwatch. We have a template privacy notice  - page four asks you to consider data sharing with other Healthwatch and how such data will be stored and shared securely. 
3. We encourage you to have a data-sharing agreement in place. You can use this data-sharing template. It’s important to remember to download the data from Smart Survey – for security reasons, don't keep it stored in it after you have finished your work.