Women's Health Plan - phase two: lived experience focus groups report
As part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to gather the views of women and girls to inform the second phase of the Women’s Health Plan, five third sector organisations were commissioned and funded to carry out focus groups. This report provides a summary of the key findings from these groups.
4. Appendix
4.1 Methods
In total, the five organisations ran thirteen focus groups. Ten were held in person at locations convenient to the participants, such as community hubs and schools. BHF ran one online focus group while Age Scotland held two of their discussions online, increasing accessibility for participants.
The focus groups were conducted by experienced facilitators, with an emphasis on inclusive discussion and supporting women to reflect on their experiences. Prior to the discussions, some of the organisations provided the participants with information on the aims and objectives of the first phase of the Women’s Health Plan.
4.1.1 Recruitment
The organisations selected to run the focus groups were chosen due to their engagement with diverse groups of women and girls who were able to share their views on the health of women in Scotland and their experiences of the health system. Each organisation employed different methods to recruit the focus group participants.
In addition to recruiting from their existing network, Age Scotland approached groups of women who met specific demographic criteria. Additional women aged 50 and above were recruited from a pool of survey respondents who indicated they would be interested in taking part in a focus group.
Similarly, the research agency Diffley Partnership, commissioned by the BHF to run their focus groups, recruited participants through existing networks. This included female members of the charity’s lived experience panel, comprising of 100 people living with heart conditions across Scotland.
CEMVO worked with two charities dedicated to supporting people from ethnic minority communities. The Organisation for Nepalese Culture and Welfare recruited women from their network to participate in one of the focus groups. The women in this group were all aged between 34 and 50. A second focus group was held with young women from ethnic minority backgrounds aged between 14 and 16 who engaged with the charity Touch of Love.
To reach women with current and past experiences of homelessness, Simon Community Scotland recruited participants through flyers displayed in their Connect Hub and wider accommodation services. Staff also spoke to women who regularly attended the Hub.
The Young Women’s Movement engaged with schools and youth groups in areas to recruit participants.
4.2 Focus group topic guide
The Scottish Government asked for the focus groups discussion to explore several broad health topics. The group facilitators adapted the topics into questions to use as conversation prompts; examples of questions asked include:
1. What aspects of health are most important to you and women you know?
2. What areas of women’s health care or health services do you think the Scottish Government should prioritise?
3. What barriers do you, or women you know, face when accessing health and wellbeing services, and what factors enable them to access such services effectively?
4. What challenges do you, or women you know, face when looking after your own health and wellbeing, and what factors enable them to look after their health effectively?
5. What do you, or women you know, think about the accessibility of current healthcare services in Scotland?
6. How would you describe the quality of current healthcare services for women in Scotland?
7. Is there anything else that you would like to see addressed through the women health plan?
Contact
Email: womenshealthplan@gov.scot