‘Towards a more caring city’ Bristol citizens publish pioneering report on health and social care
13 July 2006
A group of Bristol citizens have published a report on what they see as the city’s key research priorities in the areas of health and social care. The report, entitled ‘Towards a more caring city’ has been researched and written by the group in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC) Health Service Research Collaboration, based in Bristol.
It identifies themes and specific areas that Bristol residents feel require further investigation in order to make Bristol a better place to live. The group’s findings were announced at a special launch event in Bristol on Tuesday 11 July 2006 at the Bristol Council House. Guests included the Chief Executives of both the North and South Bristol Primary Care Trusts and Bristol City Council.
The report reflects the concerns of local citizens about their local services. Amongst its findings, the report highlights that:
- There is a need for research to be carried out in to the possible development of a ‘health’ rather than ‘illness’ service, focusing more on prevention than cure
- There is a need for greater investigation into how the citizens of Bristol can be educated about health in a way that will lead to a culture of care and to a healthy city
- The issue of equality in health and social care provision in Bristol needs to be addressed urgently
- A greater understanding of mental health issues is required by both the public and decision makers
The twenty Bristol residents who took part in the project were chosen from the two thousand people on the city’s Citizens’ Panel. They were drawn from all parts of the city and selected to represent the city’s diversity in respect of age, gender, ethnicity, social class, experience, disability and impairment. They formed a ‘Citizens’ Jury’; a relatively new method of public consultation which involves allowing local citizens to express their views and ideas on a subject, informed by expert information and opinion. What made the Bristol Jury unique was that it was the UK’s first ever such
Jury to be formed to look at health and social care issues.
Over a period of ten weeks, the jurors met and questioned expert witnesses from a range of health and social care organisations, including Age Concern and the Adult Community Care department at Bristol City Council, in order to form the opinions and ideas listed in the report.
A spokesperson for the Jury said: “We felt that to move towards a vision of Bristol as a caring city with a high quality of life for all, there are two giant themes that should drive research and ultimately, policy. The first is prevention and education and the need to carry out research with explores issues around the development of a ‘health’ rather than an illness service, which focuses more on prevention than just on cures.
Our second giant theme is equality, which is a major issue in Bristol. Research into equality is needed to find out why those who live in affluent areas live longer, have better services provided and access them more effectively than those living in more deprived areas.”
The jurors were supported in their work by trained facilitators from the MRC Health Services Research Collaboration (HSRC), which is based within the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Bristol. The HSRC’s primary aim is to combine expertise within and between the different disciplines of health service research in order to advance the field’s methodology. Research programmes are based on both pure research, and applied research within the context of disability, ageing and chronic diseases such as arthritis and diabetes.
Professor Paul Dieppe, Director of the HSRC, said: ‘‘I am very excited about this project, and want to thank all those who have made it possible, particularly the jurors for their time and commitment. At the HSRC we have been keen to involve the public in our research and to contribute to the public understanding of science. This citizens’ jury has provided us with an opportunity to involve the people of Bristol in the type of research we do, and they have come up with some really good ideas for us to follow up."
Dr Peter Brindle, strategic lead for research and development for the Bristol primary care trusts said: “We welcome the report. The jurors represent a cross section of Bristol and they have come up with very interesting and pertinent topics for us to look at. The next step will be to ensure that funding is applied for to research these areas. We are also lucky to have a real insight into what local people want us to concentrate on for health and social services.”
About Citizens’ Jurys
- A Citizens’ Jury is a relatively new method of public consultation. Unlike normal consultations or focus groups, the Citizens’ Jury method allows a greater depth of opinion forming amongst its members; people have the time to think, ask questions and make informed decisions.
- In the past, Citizens’ Juries have been held to harness opinion on issues such as genetic testing, GM foods and drug-related crime. What made this Jury unique was that jurors were asked to consider what they thought the research priorities of the citizens of Bristol were in relation to the provision of primary health and social care.
