Insights to understand residents thoughts and experiences of Test, Trace, Isolate What helps, what gets in the way of being able to self-isolate? ...
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Insights to understand residents thoughts and
experiences of Test, Trace, Isolate
What helps, what gets in the way of being able to self-
isolate?
London Borough of Newham
University of East London
1 February 2021
Case Examples
I spoke to a gentlemen on Tuesday he is a family of Spoke to couple (60 & 62) who mentioned that
8, he has just started a new job and is on probation they need help with rent payment as the
and so is not entitled to sick pay. He made an husband is self-employed and they have never
application for £500 isolation payment and was claimed any benefit before so do not know what
informed he wasn’t entitled to it. I gave him other to do. The wife is feeling really distressed about
options by contacting Micro grants and Money it. I advised about applying for Council tax
works, he was so pleased as he can’t afford not to reduction and gave her the link from the
have any income coming in for the next couple of handbook about help with rent.
weeks. He was really please and thanked me for all
my assistance. Case was trying to access the £500 support, but
the team who authorise the payment are telling
her as the track and trace haven’t completed
Spoke to a gentleman who had COVID. He has no something on the system to show that she has
recourse to public funds, has 3 kids and was really engaged with them (I imagine her CTAS is not
worried about how his family will feed themselves showing as complete) she could not obtain the
during isolation. I gave him the COVID-19 help line grant. We managed to find her in our system,
number and referred him to Newham Food Alliance complete CTAS with her and give her the 8
and for an emergency micro grant. character number required to re-apply for the
grant which was successful.
Test, Trace, Isolate insights
Research objectives
1. To understand residents’ thoughts and experiences of the COVID-19 test,
trace, and isolate journey: what helps, what gets in the way
2. To use this knowledge to identify practical steps that can be taken at a local
level and, where required, at a national policy level to enable residents to
engage with test, trace, isolate
This research was routed in our everyday experience of developing locally the
test, trace, isolate support system
The focus of this presentation is to share residents thoughts and experiences of
what helps, what gets in the way of being able to isolate if they have COVID-19 or
are a contact of someone with COVID-19
About Newham
• The population of Newham is relatively young, highly diverse, often substantially deprived
with a high degree of mobility
• Weekly earnings (median) are lower for residents in Newham than London
• Newham’s Household Panel Survey established that (pre-pandemic), 27% of
employees in the borough are paid under the national statutory minimum wage,
which was approx. 36,000 residents in 2018
• The borough’s residents have great ethnic diversity and residents from many different
ethnic groups make up ≈70% of the overall population of Newham
Ethnicity in Newham Gross median weekly pay - 2020
Source: GLA Population Projections Source: NOMIS
2021 800
100% 600
80% £ 400
60%
200
40%
0
20%
Full Time Workers Part Time Workers
0%
Asian White Black Mixed Other Newham London
Research methods
Survey
Focus Groups
• Total of 3 focus groups (25 • 129 surveys completed
participants including some • Mix of close-ended and open ended
repeat)
questions
• Participants were Newham
Health Champions • Dec 2020 – survey was completed by
residents via various dissemination routes
• Themes from focus groups
helped inform survey including VCFS organisations, LBN social
questions media, Health Champions
• Dec/Jan 2021 – survey was completed by
residents who telephoned Newham’s COVID-
19 Helpline
Overview of survey responses:
demographics
Responses by ethnicity • Total of 129 residents responded to the
compared to Newham population survey.
50% • Around two-thirds of the participants were
40% female (61%).
30% • Three-quarters of the participants were
20% between 19 and 60 years old, and 16%
10% were over 60.
0% • People of White ethnicity were over-
Asian Black White Mixed Other Prefer represented (36% of participants compared
not to to 28% of Newham population).
say
• People of Asian ethnicity were under-
Responses Newhampopulation represented at 28% compared to 45% of
Newham population.Overview of Focus groups:
demographics
Focus Group Participants
• A total of 25 Newham residents
35%
participated in the focus groups.
30%
25% • Just over half (56%) of the participants
20% were female.
15% 30.8%
23.1%
10% • Over half of the participants identified
15.4% 15.4% 15.4%
5% as Black British / Black African (54%), a
0% third were White (31%), and 15% were
British Bangladeshi.Insights from the Focus Groups
What helps/what gets in the way of being able to
isolate if they have COVID-19, or are a contact of
someone with COVID-19Focus Groups - What gets in the way of being able to isolate? When asked for their thoughts and experiences of what gets in the way of being able to isolate if they have COVID-19, or are a contact of someone with COVID-19 the main themes mentioned by Newham residents (in 3 focus groups) included: Focus group themes: what gets in the way of being able to No. of times isolate? mentioned Lack of support (in many contexts including from employers, need 15 of food deliveries, financial fears, fear of losing employment) Mental wellbeing impacts of isolation/the virus itself 12 Fear of break-up of families incl. how to cope, and the logistical 8 implications of isolation on living arrangements (e.g. space needed to isolate within households)
Focus Groups - What helps/ what gets in the
way of being able to isolate?
Unravelling the themes – what residents said
Lack of support: Financial worries and fear of loosing employment
• “I think the self-employed particularly… if you're on a low income, then
you don’t turn up for work, you’re the first on the list to be sacked”
• “If the person had income like a month to a thousand or two thousand
pound and if he leaves the job because of self-isolating all those things
and I don't think so, 500 pound will be enough for him. I think it's very
little amount to survive, you know.”
• “I think a really big thing is money, frankly, if you know, you have no
savings and you're relying on your income and you're employed, not
retired, so you don't have a pension, you have very little option but to go
out there and earn the money”Focus Groups - What helps/ what gets in the
way of being able to isolate?
Unravelling the themes – what residents said
Lack of support: Need for help with food deliveries etc.
• “Daily shopping such as bread and milk, letters that need posting, items
needed from the pharmacy, getting the dog to the vets”
• “ We were not ill but we had help from friends and our fridge has never
been so full”
Lack of support from employers: Speaking about the reaction of their employer when their
child needed to isolate as a close contact and developed mild symptoms:
“I said, any chance I can get 14 days leave or like self-isolation. They said no, as long
as you don't have any symptoms and said, I can't lie to them if I don't develop any
symptoms. I can't lie that I developed symptoms since I didn't have anything….Focus Groups - What helps/ what gets in the
way of being able to isolate?
Cont. Unravelling the themes – what residents said
Impact of isolation and the virus itself on mental wellbeing
• “When her isolation period was finished, she felt that she needed to stay in
isolation because her neighbours….let other people know that she had the
virus and she felt embarrassed…. she really is struggling with getting
back outside.”
• “When she was in self-isolation, my child, because she's still little, so she
was in the in her room and she was very upset because we didn't give her
any chance to see us, because she was restricted… So she felt very upset in
that room… me and my wife cried…”Focus Groups – Implications for getting tested During the conversations with focus group participants the themes which emerged around what gets in the way of being able to isolate also plays a role in deterring people from getting tested. For example, fear of loosing employment and not being able to afford to isolate deters people from getting tested. As one resident commented: “And I was telling him….have you or got any symptoms of COVID? And they say to me, Oh yeah, I got I think I got it. And I said why you not calling NHS for any testing. And he said, no, I don't want to because in case I'm positive what I have to self-isolate. And also I couldn't do that because I am under no [recourse] to public fund and I don't get any benefits. So if I lose my job I have how can I survive? How my family can survive…”
Insights from the Survey
What helps/what gets in the way of being able to
isolate if they have COVID-19, or are a contact of
someone with COVID-19What would help residents to
isolate?
What would help people to better self-isolate • Three-quarters (76%) of people
because of COVID-19? responded said a guarantee that they
n=129
100% would not lose their job would make
them more likely to isolate.
80% 76% 73%
• Support with shopping was also
60% selected by three-quarters (73%) of
44% 43% respondents.
40%
40% 33%
• 57 people (44%) mentioned that
20% better financial support would help
2% 1% them isolate, 43% mentioned
0%
Guarantee Someone Better Childcare Someone Shorter Other N/A-Don't childcare, 40% would like someone to
they wont to help money support to talk to time know
lose their with about my talk to
job shopping worries
and all the
other
• A third of respondents felt a shorter
things isolation time would help them“Guarantee they won’t lose their job”
Proportions within socioeconomic status Who was most concerned about this?
groups
100% • 86% of young people (19-30 yrs.
83% 86%
old) who responded selected
80% 72% 75%
guarantee they won’t lose their job,
62%
60%
which was highest among all
working age groups.
40%
• 83% of respondents who identified
20% as Full time self employed and 72%
of Full time, employed selected
0%
Full time, Full time, Part time, Retired, Prefer not to
this.
Employed Self Furloughed Student, say
employed Homemaker“Someone to help with shopping
and all other things that need doing”
Who was most concerned about this?
• Nearly all residents aged 61 and over who responded to the survey selected help with
shopping and all other things. However, all age groups rated this highly.
• Shopping and help with other things that need doing was raised as an issue by around
three quarters of respondents regardless of household size.
Percentage age bands Percentage within household size groups
(showing number concerned out of all respondents) (showing number concerned out of all
75% respondents)
Prefer not to say 100%
(n=6/8)
71+ 80% (n=4/5) 80%
60%
61-70 94% (n=15/16) 78% 67% 75%
40%
67% 20% n=42/55 n=39/58 n=12/16
41-60
(n=36/54)
69% 0%
19-40
(n=29/42)
75% 1 or 2 people 3 to 5 people 6 or more
Under 18 people
(n=3/4)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Household sizeWhat gets in the way of being able
to isolate
What do you think gets in the way of people • 69 people (54%) who responded said
being able to isolate (stay at home) if they have
“can’t get sick pay/£500 support
COVID-19 or are a contact of someone with
100% COVID-19? payment” gets in the way of being able
n=129 to isolate
80% 71%
60%
54% 50%
• Half of respondents said that caring
60%
43% 43% 43% responsibilities gets in the way of being
40% 33% 29% able to self isolate
20% 13%
4%
• For 55 respondents (43%) the stress of
0% isolating got in the way of being able to
Child care or other…
Sick pay /£500 not…
Scared of people finding…
It's too long 10 days or…
10 days is OK, 14 days is…
Scared of losing job
It's too stressful
Can't get sick pay /£500
Other
Need to earn money
Don't feel unwell
isolate
• 43% felt not feeling unwell could
prevent people from isolating
• A third of people said they were scared
of others finding out, and 29% found
the isolation period too long“Can’t get sick pay/£500 support
payment”
Who was most concerned about this?
• “Not being able to get sick pay or the £500 support payment” was selected as a barrier to
isolating by over half of working age residents (19-60 years old).
• Around half of all residents, regardless of employment status selected “Can’t get sick
pay/£500 support payment” as barrier to isolating.
Percentage within age bands
Proportions within socioeconomic status groups (showing number out of all respondents)
70%
58.30% 57.10% 100%
60% 55.60%
50.00%
50% 80%
41.70%
40% 60%
30%
40% 67% 63%
20% 52% (n=14/21) (n=5/8)
10% 20% 25% (n=50/96)
0% 0% (n=1/4)
Full time, Full time, Part time, Retired, Prefer not
Employed Self Furloughed Student, to say
Under 18 19-60 61+ Prefer not
employed Homemaker to say“Childcare and other caring
responsibilities”
Percentage within household size groups
(showing number concerned out of all Who was most concerned about this?
respondents)
100% • Childcare was identified as a barrier by
80% all age groups. This was true for nearly
60%
75%
half of respondents.
40%
49% 45% (n=12/16)
20% (n=27/55) (n=26/58)
• Three quarters of residents with
0% households of 6 or more people
1 or 2 people 3 to 5 people 6 or more people
selected this option as a barrier to
Proportions within socioeconomic status groups
isolation.
80%
61.80%
60% 54.20% 50.00% • Over half of Full time, self employed
40% 33.30% and nearly two thirds of residents who
22.20%
20% identified as retired, student or
0%
homemaker selected childcare and
Full time, Full time, Self Part time, Retired, Prefer not to other caring responsibilities as a barrier
Employed employed Furloughed Student, say
Homemaker to isolating.Conclusions
This rapid assessment set out to understand what helps and what gets in the way
of residents being able to isolate.
We carried out a survey of 129 residents and 25 health champions took part in
focus groups. The main conclusions were as follows:
1. Residents were most concerned about loss of job and financial security.
2. Isolation is impacting the mental well being of Newham residents.
3. There is a tension between isolating and meeting everyday needs (e.g.
shopping, caring responsibilities etc.).
4. Reluctance to get tested is linked to concerns over the impact on earnings and
job security of isolating.Next steps Action is needed at both national and local levels: • Job security needs to be improved and all residents should expect to have the living wage. • The national support payment to isolate should be in line with the Furlough scheme (i.e. 80% of salary or £500 whichever is the higher amount). A narrow conversation about eligibility of the support payment is insufficient. • A locally run Self Isolation Support Service would ensure that all positive cases receive regular welfare calls to give advice and link to support (incl. mental health support services, Newham Food Alliance, Befriending Service etc.). Similar insights could be gathered across the country to improve the scale and validity of the findings.
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