Respiratory care action plan draft: consultation report

Consultation Background

Responses

The Scottish Government received 120 responses to the consultation from a mixture of NHS organisations and employees, the general public, third sector organisations and private sector companies. This included one duplicate response submitted via both the online hub and email; after this response was removed, the analysis was based on 119 responses. 

The written responses to the consultation document for which the Scottish Government has been given permission to publish (110) have been placed on the Scottish Government website and can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/healthcare-quality-and-improvement/respiratory-care-action-plan/consultation/published_select_respondent. These include people who selected "publish without name". Responses given by people who selected "do not publish response" have not been published but have been included within the analysis. 

A complete list of organisational respondents can be found at annex C of this document.  General public individuals include those respondents who identified themselves as NHS staff and represented just under half of all individual responses.  Only one organisational response per organisation is allowed; where duplicate organisational responses have been received from different people, only one has been accepted as organisational. The other has been re-categorised as individual^[fn]. 

When analysing the responses, we have reported some of the findings in different formats.  This means that the breakdown of the responses to the question and the common themes charts appear twice within each question. In particular, we felt that including two different versions of the common themes chart would allow easy explanation of how the themes were weighted, allowing people to choose a chart that suited them for an easy, at-a-glance weighting of the themes with an additional descriptive breakdown underneath the charts. 

The consultation itself can be broken down into two main parts: the quantitative analysis of responses to closed questions, and the qualitative analysis of expanded responses to open questions.

A picture to show the quantitative analysis question 

An initial analysis was undertaken in relation to the closed questions asked as part of every question in the consultation paper. The questions asked respondents for either yes, no or don't know answers. 

Where a respondent did not select an answer, a fourth option, not answered, was created to assist in the analysis. Where the respondent had not answered the question but had offered an expanded response which clearly stated their position, the analysts input the missing data for the closed question. Where the question had not been completed and the expanded response was not clear or there was no expanded response, the closed question was not updated. 

In the analysis of every question, responses are broken down into the exact numbers of yes, no, don't know, and not answered. In addition, the type of respondent is broken down into NHS, third sector organisations, private sector and members of the public. No names are revealed.

A picture to show the qualitative analysis question 

The aim of the qualitative analysis was to identify the main themes and the full range of views expressed in the expanded responses received to each question. Overall, the responses were in favour of a respiratory care action plan and offered constructive views to help shape and inform the final plan. Within the analysis of each question the responses have been grouped into themes for the purposes of this report.

There was not always a clear link between respondents' choice of answer to the question and the expanded comments in the accompanying comments box. In many cases, those respondents who selected 'yes' to a question often expanded their response to explain why they agreed with the proposals or comment on the issue. Those who responded 'no' often went on to suggest further or different action.

The consultation received responses from a variety of individuals and organisations. Many of the individuals had specific interest in respiratory care either professionally or personally. The analysis ensures that the views from the perspectives of those who responded to the consultation are represented. 

Some respondents submitted responses which referenced current evidence, including reports and published research papers. It was not within the scope of this analysis to comment on the factual accuracy of responses or assess the quality of any evidence cited.

Engagement exercises

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the extension of the consultation period, planned engagement events were cancelled. The Scottish Government Clinical Priorities Team are currently considering how to safely engage with people to inform the final plan. 

Representation concerns

This report explores the entire range of views that were raised by respondents. It should be noted that respondents to a consultation are a self-selecting group and their views are not necessarily representative of the wider population.  This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the Scottish Government.

Overview of findings

In general, the respondents welcomed the respiratory action plan. They welcomed the intention of the Scottish Government to address this issue, highlighting areas to strengthen the plan to continue to support improvement in the diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory conditions in Scotland. The effects of Covid-19 were also noted by some respondents, and the importance of ensuring the final Plan plays a key role in responding to the implications and consequences for many aspects of respiratory care going forward.