It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we left the University campus and moved to working from home. Like many, we have had to deal with endless MS Teams and Zoom meetings, online teaching, virtual conferences and webinars. All this alongside the personal challenges of restrictions on seeing friends and family, limitations on where we can travel, home schooling and increased caring responsibilities and social isolation. It has indeed been a year like no other.
Whilst I look forward to returning to campus, and connecting in person with friends and colleagues, I’m amazed by what can be achieved virtually. As well as continuing with our core academic activities, generating research income, teaching our students, and supporting our colleagues, we have been reflecting on the relevance of our research to COVID-19 and conducted new COVID-19 related research. Below I summarise some of our reflections and contributions.
Understanding people’s preferences and behaviour
We have expertise in HERU at using health economics research methods to identify the preferences that individual people have. For example, for their care and treatment, or how their time and risk preferences affect their behaviour. Using a range of methodologies, we can study the preferences of healthcare professionals, patients, and the public. In this way we can understand what people want from treatments and services and why they behave the way they do. These are some of the projects where our preference research can help shape the policy response to the pandemic.
Making decisions about who to admit to intensive care – The COVID-19 pandemic increased the challenges that ICU doctors face when they decide who to admit to intensive care.
Do people's time and risk preferences reduce their social interactions in the pandemic? -At HERU, we have a strong record of research into time and risk preferences. The way that these factors influence the number and frequency of a person’s social interactions can help understand people’s behaviour. Measures to reduce the transmission of the virus are dependent on individuals meeting less often with people from other households. People who are more risk averse and more future oriented are more likely to reduce their social interactions during a pandemic. Marjon van der Pol, in collaboration with Dr Heather Brown of the University of Newcastle, is using data from a UK longitudinal household survey to test this association between time and risk preferences and the reduction in social interactions.
Understanding the workforce
Understanding individual and organisational behaviour within the workforce is an important aspect of our research. Our expertise in identifying the financial and non-financial incentives and constraints that shape behaviour can provide important insights for the wider COVID-19 response.
Public sector resource allocation following an economic crisis - Daniel was also involved, with Diane Skåtun and Bob Elliott in our work on the staff Market Forces Factor (sMFF). The sMFF is used to compensate healthcare providers in England and Wales for the higher costs some will encounter when hiring staff. The sMFF is based on estimates of private sector wage differences across different geographical areas.
Our research highlighted the effect of the 2008 financial crash on wages. A failure to account for the effect of the crash impacted on the allocation of government funding to the NHS. The research highlights how important it is that policy decisions are based on the best available data. As our blog post indicated, there are lessons for decision-making as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.
Whilst the pandemic is not over, the roll out of the national vaccination programme and easing of restrictions suggests the new normality is getting closer. I look forward to working with colleagues to address the challenges COVID-19 has placed on our health service as we transition to a new normal. I also look forward to sharing a coffee, and hopefully at some point in the not too distant future, a hug.
Thanks to HERU Director, Mandy Ryan, for writing this blog post.
HERU is supported by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates (SGHSC). The views expressed here are those of the Unit and not necessarily those of the CSO.