NEWS RELEASE

Earlier this year Cornwall Council and NHS Kernow (the Cornwall clinical commissioning group) ran a health and social care survey. A new report by Dr Peter Levin, a social policy researcher with West Cornwall HealthWatch, shows it was a classic example of how not to do it. 

·     The survey wasn’t based on a systematic sample of any kind. It was, however, addressed to all age groups, including children under 11! ·     All the questions were addressed to people receiving care: there were no questions you could answer as a parent or carer. ·     There were three versions of the questionnaire (on-line, paper and easy-read): they weren’t identical. ·     The questionnaires weren’t tried out among the general public, and the most important questions were hard to make sense of. And while Council officers will doubtless express their satisfaction with the 2000 or so responses received to the survey, this will represent only 1 in 250 of Cornwall residents. So what use will the responses be? This survey looks like being a complete waste of money! Peter Levin can be contacted at spr4cornwall@gmail.com and on 079 414 31503  Read his report here: