Health Survey for England 2011

Margaret Pilkington · 12-01-2012, 20:14

Have any members of the forum had a letter about participating in this survey, currently being carried out by Natcen?

Eric · 12-01-2012, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Have any members of the forum had a letter about participating in this survey, currently being carried out by Natcen?

Not yet hon

I'll check my mailbox again tomorrow

Margaret Pilkington · 12-01-2012, 20:54

Eric, I don't think you need to do that....I can't see them sending out an interviewer and a nurse(at some later date, if you permit it) to your neck of the woods.

MargaretR · 12-01-2012, 20:59

I have never heard of this before but it seems it has been an annual event for several years
NatCen | Series | Health Survey for England

...glad I haven't been asked

...'to refuse can sometimes offend'

Eric · 12-01-2012, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Eric, I don't think you need to do that....I can't see them sending out an interviewer and a nurse(at some later date, if you permit it) to your neck of the woods.

Bummer, eh

Margaret Pilkington · 12-01-2012, 22:11

Well Margaret, I am glad you said that because we were randomly chosen to participate.
I sent back the letter declining, but tonight the interviewer turned up at our door.
I told him that I had contacted Natcen and told them I would not participate...he said that he hadn't been told about that(I told him that I couldn't be held responsible for their administrative inefficiency).....and then went on to ask why I didn't want to participate. I told him that it wasn't(as far as I was aware) compulsory, and that I didn't have to justify my reasons to him.

He told me that this survey was to help plan Health services for the future......and went on to say that if I was knocked down I would expect an ambulance to cart me off to hospital......I told him that of course I would, seeing as I had paid my taxes and national insurance all of my life.
He then went on to say that many people would feel priveleged to have their opinions considered.(?) I told him that that was their prerogative, and that mine was not to participate...he clearly was not taking 'no' for an answer.
He asked why I didn't want to participate....I told him that I didn't want to share personal information with him.....'what about your husband?'...'neither does he' I told him.

In the end I had to be quite firm(bordering on rude) and tell him that I would not discuss this any further.

I am currently toying with the idea of contacting Natcen by phone to give them a piece of my mind.......himself says I should just forget about it....and that I can't afford to be giving away bits of my mind.
I will sleep on it.

cashman · 12-01-2012, 22:35

Never heard of Natcen, no idea what it is, But love dealing wi these clowns, hope they call.

lancsdave · 12-01-2012, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

He told me that this survey was to help plan Health services for the future...... .

If that was true why do we need 600+ MP's, thousands of MP's staff and probably several hundred thousand overpaid NHS managers

.

Margaret Pilkington · 12-01-2012, 22:49

Cashy, they won't call unless you have had a letter.
The have chosen random addresses for the participants.
I sent my letter back on the 29th of December with the express information that I didn't want to be part of this survey.
Though the interviewer said he didn't get this information, my guess would be that he did, and just thought that if he turned up we would not turn him away....his luck wasn't in....and I found his manner quite aggressive...which is a sure way to make me harden my attitude.
He took my name and telephone number. I told him to tell Natcen not to call me, but if they do they will get a serve of hot tongue from me.

Himself answered the door(I was in my jimjams) he must've mentioned that I had been a nurse......so the chap said he couldn't understand why, if I had worked in the NHS, I wouldn't want to help.
I told him that these surveys do not make one jot of difference to how services are commissioned, and that they are just useless paper exercises to make the population think they are being listened to...and my life was too short to be answering his probing personal questions about my health and lifestyle...and that I could not be sure how secure this information would be once given up to Natcen.

He waffled on about Natcen being reliable, but by then I wanted to chin him.
15 minutes on the doorstep(me in my Pj's) talking to him, is not my idea of a pleasant evening.

Margaret Pilkington · 12-01-2012, 22:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancsdave

If that was true why do we need 600+ MP's, thousands of MP's staff and probably several hundred thousand overpaid NHS managers

.

Good question......these surveys make absolutely no impact on the NHS services.
They are just a paper exercise......one that costs a lot of money, money that could be better spent on services.

MargaretR · 12-01-2012, 22:55

This brings to mind some browsing I did a few days ago.
I was prompted by a news article which said that some people were diagnosed as type 2 diabetic when they weren't.

It is partly due to the way that GPs pay is calculated - by results - which includes having(counting) persons on their list with specified chronic illnesses - diabetes is one of them.

The incentive to diagnose certain illnesses and 'score ponts' for doing it is evident.
Points make (p)rises

Margaret Pilkington · 12-01-2012, 23:01

Yes I saw that too Margaret. That is what comes of just taking one reading instead of a series......or relying too much on finger pricks(although in my experience this has never been used to diagnose type 2 diabetes - butI don't know what GP's get up to these days).

MargaretR · 12-01-2012, 23:21

I have found again the website which details GPs performance.

Their pay is linked to performance/achievement by their pay agreement entitled -
Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) The NHS Information Centre: QOF online results database

You can check your local practice performance -
http://www.qof.ic.nhs.uk/search/index.asp

Mancie · 12-01-2012, 23:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Good question......these surveys make absolutely no impact on the NHS services.
They are just a paper exercise......one that costs a lot of money, money that could be better spent on services.

Of course they make no impact on NHS services..the main reason being that hardly anyone is willing to participate in these "surveys".
Natcen is a private company being paid by the NHS and making plenty of money...the people they employ who "do the doors" are casual labour and paid a few quid for every completed questionair and if they don't get any they are sacked within two weeks.

cashman · 12-01-2012, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mancie

Of course they make no impact on NHS services..the main reason being that hardly anyone is willing to participate in these "surveys".
Natcen is a private company being paid by the NHS and making plenty of money...the people they employ who "do the doors" are casual labour and paid a few quid for every completed questionair and if they don't get any they are sacked within two weeks.

If thats the case tough, people cannot be expected to divulge private info,they have no wish too. Lifes a bitch.