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Needs Assessment: A Practical Guide to Assessing Local Needs for Services for Drug Users
Chapter 5: Getting the Views of Service Providers and Practitioners
This guide has made the point several times that the needs of the target population, rather than the needs of service providers, should be the focus of needs assessment. Nevertheless, service providers are a crucial source of information about the needs of the target population. However, getting the views of service providers and practitioners is not always straightforward. There are a number of possible reasons for this.
People are
busy and may be reluctant to take time away from their core service. It's not enough to simply invite comments; you will have to actively seek them.
It is important to get the views of
staff at all levels. Front-line staff may have a very different perspective on the needs of the population than management staff have. Furthermore, you may need to get contributions from a range of agencies (e.g. police, housing, etc.).
Staff working in
voluntary and private sector agencies may have a (potential) role in meeting the needs of your target population. But they may feel less obliged to participate in the process than statutory sector staff. Consider the best way to engage these individuals.
Providers may have
concerns about what the process of needs assessment might mean for them. There may be fears that services will be shut down, that funding will be withdrawn, or that people's jobs may change as a result of needs assessment.
At the other extreme, providers and practitioners, like service users, may have some doubts about
whether any action will result from their participation in the needs assessment process.
Achieving constructive dialogue with service providers and practitioners will depend on the DAAT developing and maintaining effective communication channels, not just as part of the process of needs assessment, but on a regular basis. It is important to raise awareness among staff about the purpose of the needs assessment, and to provide feedback to them at specific intervals throughout the process. Staff also need to be made aware of the valuable contribution that they can make to the overall design and process of the needs assessment exercise.
Example Ardach Health Centre - Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment in Primary Care A research pharmacist carried out semi-structured face-to-face interviews with selected Health Centre staff and other community practitioners, including the six GPs and five nursing staff in the Health Centre; the four community pharmacists currently providing pharmacy services to the practice patients; the secondary care pharmacist in the local community hospital; and three of the six administrative staff. These individuals were asked to participate because it was thought that the new health centre pharmacy service would impact upon them. Interviews focused on the open-ended question, "What do you need from [the new Health Centre] pharmacy service and why?" Based on this information, a questionnaire was developed for all Health Centre professionals, which listed 22 different services that the Health Centre's pharmacist might provide. Respondents were asked to rate each on a five-point scale, according to how useful they would find the provision of that service.
(Source: Williams, Bond and Menzies, 2000) |
Methods
The methods you use to get the views of service providers and practitioners could be very similar to those you used to get the views of your target population (see
Chapter 4). However, the best way to get the views of practitioners may be through
short surveys or via face-to-face communication. People seldom have the time or inclination to complete lengthy questionnaires with lots of open-ended questions. It is better to interview people, to organise staff focus groups, or to otherwise seek people's views in a regular, routine way through Drugs, Alcohol and HIV Forums.
There are some key points that may help the process.
Keep the discussion focused on the needs of the target population, as this is central to needs assessment.
Maintain good communication between DAAT and service providers throughout the needs assessment process. It may be helpful to feed back in writing to service providers what you understood to be the main issues from your discussion.
Explain how you are going to use their views, e.g. in the initial letter or phone call, set out the
timetable for decisions and clarify the type of
feedback they can expect.
Acknowledge the extra demands on staff time and set realistic timescales.
THINK ABOUT |
When gathering the views of service providers think about: Ways of actively engaging busy staff in your needs assessment The range of agencies and the range of staff who could contribute to the needs assessment process The most appropriate methods for gathering the views of your target group Ways to allay people's fears (e.g. of closure) or concerns (e.g. that no action will be taken)
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