Covid-19 Post-Shielding Research: October 2023
This report explores how people formerly on Scotland’s Highest Risk List experienced shielding, how they’ve adapted since its end, and their views on current guidance. It highlights ongoing behaviours, areas of concern, and what support or information may help this group in the future.
Appendix C: Stakeholder Roundtable Discussion Guide
Covid-19 Post-Shielding Research
Set up
Introduce Diffley Partnership Team members and each stakeholder
Thank you for joining us to discuss the experiences of people who were on Scotland’s Highest Risk List (HRL).
Welcome to the roundtable:
- Explain the discussion will last up to 2 hours
- There will be plenty of time to get your views across and discuss issues between yourselves, something we encourage; my role is to keep the conversation flowing, ensuring we cover the broad areas we need to and ask any follow-up questions,
- We are keen to hear your views and opinions and ensure our work is informed by a variety of perspectives and reflects people’s lived experience
- Fully confidential: the Diffley Partnership abide by the Market Research Society Code of Practice and the SRA Ethical Guidelines.
- Request permission to record the meeting – with your permission I will record today’s discussion; this is just so we can go back and listen again after the roundtable
Does anyone have any questions before we start?
During COVID and HRL
What was the experience of the individuals/groups you support/advocate for/work with when they were shielding during the pandemic?
Highest Risk List/ Shielding List
What was people’s experience of being on the Highest Risk List/ Shielding List like?
Follow ups-
- Did people tend to discuss their feelings about being on the list? If so, how did it tend to make people feel?
- What were the positive and negative impacts of being on the list, according to the groups you work with?
What are your own/your organisation’s views about the list?
Follow ups-
- What were the positive and negative impacts for people being on the list?
- Did you have any concerns over the ending of the HRL?
- How comfortable do you/does your organisation feel now with the decision to end this list?
Since the HRL ended, do you feel people you work with have adapted to living with Covid?
Follow ups-
- How so/ how not?
How has the end of the HRL affected people’s:
- confidence when leaving home
- physical health
- mental health
- relationships
- employment/education
Guidance and advice
Do the group(s) you support/work with tend to know and understand SG guidance in relation to Covid-19?
Was this the case throughout the pandemic or has this experience changed at all, particularly since the end of the HRL?
Do you have any suggestions as to how the SG could make this guidance more helpful, clearer, or more reassuring?
Do you feel that SG guidance for members was accessible for members?
Prompt: Did you have to do any work to translate this for members?
Prompt: Easy read and BSL were available
Are there other sources of information that tend to be useful for advice or guidance around Covid-19?
Prompts – NHS/ GPs, charities, online forum or groups, friends and family
If yes Follow up –
- do you have any suggestions about how these sources of guidance could be improved
Ongoing shielding behaviours
What kind of shielding behaviours are you seeing among the people you support?
Follow ups-
- What are people’s motivations for shielding?
- Please give us some examples of what people continue to do in terms of shielding and what behaviours they might no longer be engaging in
Probe on certain circumstances-
- In their own home
- In public places
- Working
- Leisure
- Transport
Probe on certain factors they raise-
- Ventilation
- Masks
- Hand sanitisation
- Social distancing – in the home, with visitors, or in public spaces, or elsewhere?
- Taking Lateral Flow Device tests
- Follow up: in what circumstances are people still taking an LFD test? For example, if they feel unwell, if visiting someone, if presenting at a healthcare setting?
- Asking others to take Lateral Flow Device tests
- Follow up: in what circumstances are people asking others to take an LFD test? For example, if they had recently been unwell, if they were visiting, if they had recently been in a healthcare setting?
How are people deciding what steps to take?
Follow ups – based on any of the following?
- advice of their own GP/clinician
- former SG guidance from when the high-risk register was live
- Current SG guidance e.g. highest risk, vaccinations, Covid treatments
- making their own risk assessments and deciding what to do – if so, what factors lead into their own risk assessments?
Where stakeholders mention that people are making their own risk assessments and may be deciding what to do based on anxiety, what views do stakeholders have on this?
Follow ups –
- Is this potentially problematic?
- Are people perhaps overestimating the risk to themselves and others?
- What would help people to overcome anxiety-driven behaviours?
Do you feel there is sufficient understanding of anxiety-driver behaviours in relation to post-Covid shielding?
Follow ups:
- Understanding among GP’s/clinicians
- Understanding among the general public
Does anyone have any thoughts on the Distance Aware scheme?
If yes follow ups-
- Do you/the people you work with consider this helpful? How so/not so?
- Has this affected people’s behaviours?
Does anyone have any thoughts on the Covid Sense Signage Pilot or the Stay Well This Winter Signage Scheme?
If yes follow ups-
- Do you/the people you work with consider this helpful? How so/not so?
- Has this affected people’s behaviours?
Ongoing shielding behaviours – contacts
Do the people/groups you work with/support/advocate for tend to report that their household members/other close contacts are taking steps to protect them?
Follow ups-
- Why do you think they are/aren’t?
- Please give us some examples of what they are doing or not doing
Health and quality of life
How would you describe the quality of life of those you work with/support/advocate for?
Follow-up:
What might improve this?
Is Covid currently impacting people’s health or quality of life?
Follow ups:
- How so/ how not so?
Hypothetical future scenarios
What measures should be in place if there is another variant/surge of Covid-19?
Follow ups:
- What would be acceptable to you/those you work with as a minimum?
- What would you/your organisation/those you work with like to see put in place?
- Who should need to comply?
How do you feel about the future generally, and the future quality of life of those you work with?
Conclusions and wrap-up
Thank you very much for the discussion, is there anything not already covered that anyone would like to mention?
Thank and close