News

A group of Allied Health Professionals and friends from Northern Ireland and beyond have come together to share some Christmas cheer and mark the end of this exceptional year.

Health and social care staff across the country have stepped up to a massive challenge this year and AHPs wanted to find a way to express their sincere gratitude to their colleagues and acknowledge the hard work and commitment that everyone has shown. There have also been limited opportunities for everyone this year to meet with colleagues informally and engage in self-care in the workplace.

Being well aware of the power of music to unite people and bring them together in a , three local AHPs – Ceara Gallagher (Speech and Language Therapy), Heather Turkington (Dramatherapy) and Jenny Kirkwood (Music Therapy) – came up with the idea to hold a one-off “AHP NI Christmas Choir” to create a chance to combine connection and good cheer, albeit virtually.

The choir ‘met’ over Zoom on two evenings at the beginning of the month. There was an overwhelming response and in the end we were joined by about 120 Allied Health Professionals and friends from across Northern Ireland, from HSC, private practice and the community and voluntary sector, and even some colleagues from England, Scotland and Wales, bringing all of their enthusiasm and Christmas cheer. We were blown away by the commitment and energy of those who joined us to sing along with their families, with some stunning Christmas costumes and dance moves for good measure! After the rehearsal colleagues recorded themselves singing the songs, and BSL and Makaton versions were recorded as well. With the incredible support of local artist Copper Kelly editing and blending the voices, the final recordings were made.

The two songs were chosen to reflect the energy and positivity of Christmas, and to bring a message of respect and hope at this time. Feedback from those who attend was positive and, while the choir only got together this time as a once-off for Christmas 2020, there are plans afoot to try and keep going, to share the gift of music as a way for colleagues to meet virtually and support each other in the coming months, and perhaps even to meet as an in-person choir when circumstances allow.

The key aim of the Allied Health Professions is to ‘support people to live their best lives’. We hope that this message of joy, hope and gratitude to all our HSC colleagues is a fitting end to 2020, a year that has been like no other.

Dr Emma Berry, Lecturer in Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast

The Behaviour Change Group (BCG) was established in response to the escalating public health crisis posed by COVID-19. The BCG is chaired/led by Dr Nicola Armstrong (HSC R&D Division) and Dr Janice Bailie (Assistant Director, HSC R&D Division). The BCG comprises Behavioural Scientists, Public Health professionals, and academics with expertise in Health Psychology, Public Health and Medicine, and Computer Science.

Members of the BCG represent a wide range of organisations including the Health and Social Care Research & Development Division (HSC R&D) of the Public Health Agency (PHA), Health Intelligence, Health Improvement, and Health Protection and Communications, Department of Health, NI Innovation Lab, Ulster University, Queen’s University Belfast, and Northern Ireland Public Health Research Network

What does the BCG do?

The collaborative interdisciplinary work undertaken by the BCG is intrinsic to the HSC R&D Division to ensure that public health strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are rooted in the science of health behaviour. The BCG aims to understand how individuals in Northern Ireland can be supported to engage in and maintain transmission prevention behaviour (e.g. social distancing, hand washing, self-isolation) as well as staying mentally well across various contexts including HSC sites, schools and universities, public transport, workplaces, sporting venues and retail environments.

Central to the BCG is the gathering, analysis, interpretation, and application of scientific evidence to influence policy and practice. Projects have focused on exploring PPE wearing behaviour in HSC Trust staff; facilitation of transmission prevention behaviours in the retail sector; supporting transmission prevention behaviour in our schools and universities; exploring public perceptions of contact tracing; a rapid review of factors associated with distancing behaviours; and a scoping review of vaccine hesitancy.

Recent work undertaken by the BCG: social distancing in young people from Northern Ireland

In August 2020, members of the BCG carried out a survey, designed with young people, in response to the need to understand how young people from Northern Ireland aged 16-25 years were experiencing and engaging with social distancing.  The majority of respondents were aged 19-22 years, were female (73%) and were students (69%).

Our findings concluded that over half of young people said they frequently social distance when spending time with others outside their household. Factors that made it difficult to social distance more frequently include the influence of peers (60%) and finding it hard to remember (60%) social distancing rules. However, 1 in 9 young people felt worried about transmitting COVID-19 to a family member. Although many respondents felt restricted and lonely, half of respondents felt it was the ‘right thing to do’.

This research suggests that many young people play an active part in reducing the transmission of COVID-19, which counteracts the stigmatizing image of young people in Northern Ireland propelled by social media (e.g. Crawfordsburn Country Park ). Efforts should focus on engaging young people in the consultation and development of guidance. The survey findings were presented at the Joint Public Health Annual Conference 2020 in November: https://research.hscni.net/joint-public-health-annual-conference

The next phase of this research will investigate transmission prevention behaviour in young people, as vaccine rollout continues in early 2021.

Sharing knowledge and the road ahead

The BCG continues to evolve and adapt to address current HSC needs. The BCG has established links with relevant stakeholders to facilitate information and knowledge sharing. This includes sharing information and insights with relevant government departments, the Regulations Team, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Advisor and communications teams.

In 2021, the BCG will continue to inform strategies to maintain transmission prevention behaviour and will support initiatives to boost vaccine uptake, as the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out across Northern Ireland.