When our research team started developing the research proposal looking at what affects retention in the mental health workforce (RoMHS), we did not imagine at the time that we would be conducting our case studies amidst a global pandemic.
Conducting research during such times can result in increased practical and ethical challenges, with constantly changing government guidelines. Original planned research methods can become obsolete when balanced with the realities of the situation.
Unique circumstances
Whilst our research was divided into three work packages, the first two looking at existing literature and the data relating to NHS staff survey results and mental health trusts workforce retention figures. These were both in the final stages of being written up and the pandemic of 2020 had little impact on the research processes, findings or results.
However our third part of our research study was just about to get underway. In this work package we planned to conduct case studies in different NHS mental health Trusts to explore any theories that came from literature around health care retention and any findings from the statistical data.
The case studies planned pre pandemic involved researchers travelling to different Trusts across England. The aim was to explore the different Trusts ways of working through a series of face to face interviews with frontline mental health staff as well as face to face interviews with senior staff. Research staff had planned to spend time visiting the different inpatient, community and trust head quarters, to both drive recruitment, conduct interviews and make small scale observations.
With government legislation restricting travel and physical contact, our case study methods required urgent transformation.
How the pandemic transformed our research methods?
Flexibility became the name of the game. Our research methods needed to be able to adapt and respond to the changing environment that we still planned to conduct our case studies in. But having researchers physically being present in NHS wards, community services and even Trust headquarters was no longer appropriate.
The move to virtual case studies data collection was much more than just moving to online interviews. The research team made a move to become paperless by embracing digital methods, such as websites and Qualtrics to give potential participants space to read information about the study and complete consent forms on-line. Recruitment became a series of emails, using snowballing techniques to encourage participation. We embraced using a range of platforms to conduct interviews virtually giving participants maximum flexibility. The move also gives participants the option for participating outside of their working hours at a time that suits them.
Flexibility
Rapid change
As with all changes in research methods, maintaining scientific integrity is key. When the conduct of the research is changed from face to face to online, this must be fully documented and approved by ethics boards. Consent forms and information sheets must be renewed to reflect these changes and all of this takes time.
Having both a research team who can be responsive and a system which also supports this, can be paramount for success in conducting research within these unusual circumstances
The flip side
With recruitment and data collection for our third part of research in full swing, we have ensured that we have had time to reflect with both current research participants and the research team on what the intended and unintended outcomes of our change of methods will be. Increased anonymity has time and time again come up as a positive outcome of being online. No-one is now witnessing a researcher in discussion with a member of staff about the research project. Or seeing a member of staff taking time out to attend and travel to a face to face interview. Participants are now in control of the location and time of the interviews, whether it comes out of work time or not. The move to virtual case studies is allowing a new level of anonymity, that is seeming to be embraced by participants so far.
The Unknown
However there is still much unknown about how this pandemic will affect our research and particularly our outcomes. We have chosen to include the impact this pandemic is having within our data collection, by trying to capture our participants perspectives on how this pandemic is and potentially will impact on mental health staff retention levels in the future.
The affect on recruitment and participation levels in a research case study that is now being conducted virtually, with a pandemic ongoing, is something we are keen to explore. Its is widely known that NHS staff have faced the brunt of the challenges of this health pandemic. Will this stop health care staff from wanting to participate in research? Will clinical staff wish to participate in online interviews? Will health care staff have the time to participate in research mid pandemic? Will staff have the energy and capacity to partake in research?
And that leads us to how will the results from our findings obtained during these unusual circumstances be generalisable?
In this we are all still learning.
Retention of Mental Health Staff (RoMHS) 