PUBLIC health chiefs team at Worcestershire County Council have won the 2023 Market Research Society (MRS) Award for Healthcare Research.
The research was undertaken together with specialists Thinks Insight and Strategy, and aimed to find out what impact COVID-19 had on our Health and Social Care workforce and to help mould future support for health and care professionals.
The project vividly brought to life the experiences and challenges faced by people during the pandemic, who worked in a range of roles, including front-line acute settings, primary care and voluntary and community services in Worcestershire.
The research didn’t just look at experiences of the pandemic, it went further to look at the challenges that professionals continue to face.
As part of the project, the research team spoke to a variety of people working in the healthcare sector in the county to capture their stories during the pandemic.
The project was brought to life in an innovative animation that shone a light on the experiences and challenges faced by health and care workers across the county.
Coun Karen May, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing at Worcestershire County Council said:
“I work very closely with the Public Health team and am fortunate to see their dedication and benefit from their skills all the time.
“To be recognised by the UK professional body for research who regulate research standards is the highest praise we can get.
“The competition for this award was incredibly strong.
“To win when other nominees included national trailblazers such as Ipsos with Haleon and Boots with Trinity McQueen is just phenomenal.
“The results of this research really have informed our workforce strategy so we can support people’s wellbeing and morale in a way that they need.”
The Market Research Society (MRS) is the UK professional body for research, insight and analytics. As the regulator, they promote the highest professional standards throughout the sector via the MRS Code of Conduct.
The judges at the Market Research Society said:
“Innovatively designed, thoughtfully deployed and powerfully delivered, Thinks Insight & Strategy’s work exemplifies how research can drive meaningful change in the field of healthcare.”
Anastasia Knox, Managing Partner at Thinks Insight and Strategy said:
“Thinks Insight & Strategy was very fortunate to work with the Public Health team in Worcestershire on this project exploring the health and care workforce’s experiences – past and present – and understand how they could be better supported.
“By placing health and care workers at the heart of system change, the findings have had tangible impact on a challenge of national proportions.
