Exploring published literature of emerging practice as a response to challenges due to COVID-19
9 July 2020
The summaries below are of articles that might help thinking about what has been learned from the COVID-19 experience so far, along with suggestions on how this might be used to support improvement in future.
This week, featured articles include those regarding:
Overview
As the lockdown begins to ease, health and social care services are starting to look at what a sustainable recovery looks like. There are short-term focusses on getting services back up and running, for example, the Social Housing Resilience Group has published guidance on restarting service. There are also longer-term considerations around how the level of community support and engagement can be continued such as the latest blog from the Cyrenians' CEO.
The issue of opening up services is being discussed in the context of emerging figures of people who have not received the support they might ordinarily have got, notably the dip in referrals from GPs to hospitals. Similarly, there are issues of increased demand in mental health services as they resume, the scale of the mental health impact of lockdown is starting to be evidenced.
Summaries
Occurrence, prevention, and management of the psychological effects of emerging virus outbreaks on healthcare workers: rapid review and meta-analysis
A review of over 50 papers covering the psychological effects of virus outbreaks on healthcare workers, including SARS, MERS and Ebola.
The review identifies a number of risk factors in negative psychological effects, including:
- young age
- low seniority
- having a dependent child, and
- having a family member with the virus.
Mitigating factors are highlighted as being:
- clear communication
- access to PPE
- adequate rest, and
- both practical and psychological support.
The review outlines and references sources for individual, service and social factors that can increase the risk of adverse psychological effects. It goes on to highlight the factors that decrease the risk, these include:
- self-perception of being adequately trained and supported
- frequent short breaks from clinical duties
- positive feedback, and
- an infected colleague getting better.
Within the frame of individual, service and social factors, the review outlines a number of recommendations to deal with the psychological effects. Recommendations include:
- a staff 'buddy' system
- clear direction and enforcement of infection control measures
- recognition of staff efforts, and
- alternative accommodation for those concerned about infecting their families.
Children's Neighbourhood Scotland – Early insights into the COVID-19 response: drawing out the lessons from the hubs
As part of a wide piece of work, this early insight document provides reflections on and lessons from 'hubs' within local authorities that have been designed to provide care and education to vulnerable pupils and children of key workers during the school closures.
The design and delivery of these hubs was done at a local level, with some authorities aligning with the third and private sector, and others bringing school resources across the area together. While there is variation in operating models, all hubs are open to pupils from primary to early secondary, with specialised provision for early years. These are also open to pupils with additional support needs.
The lessons learned from these hubs are that the removal of red tape and bureaucracy in establishing them enabled a rapid response and unprecedented collaboration. Interviewees commented that COVID-19 had 'forced the agenda' of joined up working in their local authority and challenged siloed ways of working. With regards to the quality of teaching, the focus of the hubs on childcare rather than learning has led to the design of creative solutions to engage the children and young people who attend. Interviewees stated that they had seen higher levels of engagement than expected from some children and young people.
Those interviewed for the project agreed that these lessons should be incorporated into conversations surrounding the reopening of schools. There is a need to build on existing and new partnerships and collaborations across the system, including through regional improvement collaboratives, across services and sectors within local authorities and between and beyond schools and other partners.
Find out more (PDF)
Responding to COVID-19 in Barmulloch
Barmulloch Community Development Company (BCDC) has been supporting the community through their Coronavirus Community Assistance Service. They have set up a listening service for isolated residents and established food share events.
BCDC also plays a role in providing business support to community groups - during the pandemic they have applied for funding to give financial support to six smaller organisations who did not have the capacity to make an application or manage the fund. They have also assisted two newer development trusts with their applications to the Scottish Government's Supporting Communities Fund, one of which BCDC are managing the successful application for funding on their behalf.
Engaging with members not online: teleconferencing Ageing Better in Camden, June 2020
An insight and reflection piece from Ageing Better in Camden, discussed how they run group telephone discussion sessions for their members who are not online.
A lot of activity and support for people has been moved online, which raises questions about how to get people online and support the people who are not online. In the short-term, Ageing Better in Camden has developed an approach for teleconferencing. This offers similar interaction as a video call but accessible to anyone with an active phone line.
The guidance gives suggestions on teleconference services that can be used, how to get a group comfortable with the format and other practical considerations alongside tips for facilitation.
Find out more (PDF)
Place Based Social Action: learning from the COVID-19 crisis
A learning report from the Place Based Social Action (PBSA) programme. The partnerships involved in the programme have been heavily involved in COVID-19 responses, this report share how they have been effective and lessons from the experience.
In the immediate response to crisis, partnerships identified the most pressing needs to be:
- essential food and medicine supplies
- social isolation and digital exclusion, and
- financial concern and uncertainty.
In supporting these needs, the Place Based Social Action partnerships have been providing the following:
- matching volunteers with tasks, working with councils to vet volunteers, providing pastoral support to volunteers
- using physical assets to provide a space for food banks and collection points, and
- organising virtual social events like quizzes, social suppers and open mic nights.
The report also outlines the relationships that have enabled this response. Local authorities have quickly realised the importance of community hubs and organisations. There are examples of how community partnerships have worked closely with local authorities to enhance their support, such as sharing
- volunteer vetting and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks (Bristol)
- working with local authority staff deployed at ward level (Coventry)
- acting as the local authority nominated volunteer hub (Hackney), and
- brokering relationships with the voluntary sector to provide advice on safeguarding and protecting volunteers (Hartlepool).
PBSA partnerships on the frontline have been able to get up and running quickly for a number of reasons:
- they have intelligence on what they can do at a local level and pull on partners from across statutory and voluntary organisations to provide advice on additional services.
- they have spaces that they have been able to re-purpose.
- they can target their activities because they are already aware of their local community strengths and assets.
- they are connected to people who are operating services across different hyper-local geographies and have been able to make referrals, and
- the learning so far suggests that where organisations have existing relationships in place and a history in the area, they are able to effectively coordinate the response. However, the ability to do this can be negatively affected where staff have been furloughed or redeployed, and this is particularly pertinent with local authority relationships.
These initial insights provide some useful points for funders to consider as noted below.
- Increasing isolation seems to be the biggest risk in communities, solutions to tackling this should be prioritised. Other themes around mental health support and destitution are also hugely significant into the recovery phase.
- Supporting creative solutions to working with and developing volunteers, such as:
- harnessing specific skills e.g. digital, counselling
- building new skills by providing training opportunities such as community organising, and
- similar projects will support the retention of volunteers throughout the recovery stage.
- Streamlining of support using collaborations, networks and referral systems is likely to remain vital. Funding for staff posts and core costs to sustain these connections will strengthen local sectors.
- Relationships with local authorities and other public sector bodies have strengthened, and solutions have been developed that support easier access to services for the community. There are some concerns this will not continue and ideas for developing longer-term approaches to the mutual benefit of both the public and voluntary sector will be important to consider.
Find out more (PDF)
Combating digital exclusion
A research report into the extent of digital exclusion in Scotland and the changes required to help bridge the 'digital divide'.
The report argues that broad and extensive changes are required to tackle digital exclusion rather than small, specific interventions (though they have a role). Experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of digital connectivity both in terms of accessing services and in participating in society. The report argues that digital connectivity is a necessity for modern life, not a luxury.
The report outlines the current policy landscape and highlights a number of gaps and potential existing ideas that could help plug these gaps as outlined below:
- Scottish Government funding in partnership with Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisation (SCVO): the extension of a new fund to help connect those people who are not online.
- Free broadband: as proposed in the 2019 Labour manifesto. This recognises the importance of the internet and the benefits of bringing it closer to public control.
- Technology in schools: a national approach to delivering technology education in schools to replace ad hoc local provision.
- A price cap: starting to think of the internet as a public utility and assess the impact of a broadband price cap, similar to that carried out for energy by the regulator Ofgem.
- Coordinated third sector response: the third sector has supported a huge number of people to get online, there could be benefit in greater coordination of resources.
- Smart cities: including free city-centre Wi-Fi, greater integration of technology and public transport.
Find out more (PDF)