A Conversation about Wellbeing: Insight Research for North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System

Task 

TONIC were asked to conduct a dialogue with the general public and key professional stakeholders about wellbeing, wellness, and health equality within the NHS. This involved telling the ‘wellness not Illness’ story of the ICS, adopting a ‘what matters to you?’ instead of a ‘what’s the matter with you?’ approach to care delivery as part of the overarching approach by all key agencies involved in the delivery of care. The aim of this project was to build capacity and maximise the impact from individuals, families, communities, services, and progressive systems through reforms, use of technology, and integration of provision. 

TONIC’s Approach 

TONIC set out to achieve this task through engagement with public and professional stakeholders across the whole ICS system, not just NHS staff. This was carried out using a constructive and creative dialogue to enable participants to contribute and inform the development of a sustainable NHS. During Autumn 2019, TONIC engaged with 3,250 people across the region; 2,320 members of the public and 936 professional stakeholders. We conducted telephone interviews, ran 12 outreach sessions in community settings across the region and worked with local Healthwatch organisations to run a series of focus groups​ across the area with respondents from specific vulnerable and seldom-heard groups to ensure equality and inclusivity of the findings. 

Outcome 

Through qualitative analysis, TONIC presented a range of conclusions based on wellbeing and ‘what matters most’ to the public and professional stakeholders. The public’s priorities and understanding of wellbeing overlapped with staff’s views such as; being socially included, being well looked after, and being healthy. Through reflecting on participant responses, TONIC presented a series of recommendations for the ICS to consider. These were structured under three main themes:  

  • Further enable self-care – through increased promotion, more staff training, building capacity and addressing barriers.  

  • More conversations about wellbeing – through addressing root causes and increased engagement with wellbeing programmes.  

Maximise the impact of prevention communications – personalise messages instead of a ‘one size fits all’ approach to wellbeing, improved definition and explanation of self-care and encourage app-based wellbeing support. 

“NECS engaged TONIC to work with us on behalf of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System Prevention Board to deliver a large-scale piece of research and engagement. The ‘Conversation about Wellbeing’ generated insights from the public and the health and care workforce across the region through a programme of fieldwork which included online surveys, interviews, pop-up sessions and focus groups. TONIC worked with us and our colleagues from the prevention board to bring this work to life and ensure rigour, attention to detail and great imagination in designing fieldwork approach which resonated with our audiences. TONIC were responsive and constructive throughout, overcoming barriers and becoming a seamless part of our team. The resulting report has brought a quality and strength of insight which the North East and North Cumbria health and care system will now be taking forward in determining priorities and actions.  NECS would resoundingly recommend TONIC as a partner in delivering engagement, research and analysis.” 

Head of Communications and Engagement, NHS North of England Commissioning Support