A new report explores ways to support people to manage risk around Covid-19 using a blended method of behavioural insights, academic research support and place-based testing, and considers how it could be applied to other challenges.
How can you implement person-centred policies until you’ve walked a mile in someone’s shoes? A co-designed Behavioural Insights approach is all about understanding the world from the perspective of people and communities, in order to create services and policies that deliver what matters most to people.
Keeping Wales Safe: Covid Behaviours outlines how In spring 2021 the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Cardiff University’s Y Lab, and People Powered Results at Nesta (PPR) formed a partnership to respond to the significant challenge faced by Welsh Government in supporting communities to manage Covid-19 risk.
In response, the partnership launched the Keeping Wales Safe: Covid Behaviours programme in June to work with national stakeholders and three cross-sector, place-based teams across Wales. The programme aimed to co-design and test interventions to increase Covid-safe behaviours around self-isolation and risk mitigation.
The programme was designed in phases to:
- Review existing evidence to explore and contextualise the challenge
- Build a foundational knowledge of Behavioural Insights and how it could be applied to identify and address local need
- Support the generation of ideas and design of interventions
- Inject pace and urgency with a short testing phase, generating insights in real time
- Provide policy recommendations to the Welsh Government
- Consolidate emergent learning and explore sustainability
Testing took place with three local areas in Wales and a national randomised controlled trial took place using the BIT’s online experiment platform, Predictiv.
The teams, echoing the conclusions of the evidence review, found official communications had limited impact on high-risk groups. Consequently they focussed on co-designing interventions to reach and engage high-risk groups where they were at greatest risk, for example farmers at livestock markets. Information and support offered was differentiated for those groups to maximise impact.
The national Predictiv trial found that existing Welsh Government messaging is communicating risk effectively, but that it is doing this best with people already mitigating risk of transmission. More needs to be done to reach those at higher risk of transmitting Covid-19. One intervention – a personal risk profile which can be used online – showed promise in communicating to these groups.
The report highlights the next steps for the teams and how the approach can be applied to systemic change, highlighting the potential to support:
- Policy professionals developing innovative ways to meet key government priorities and ministerial objectives.
- Public services strategists in health and public authorities, including Welsh Local Government Association, health boards and Public Health Wales, investigating ways to create a culture of innovation.
Phase 2 of the programme is currently underway, with placed-based teams being supported to apply the approach to non-Covid challenges, and research exploring existing capacity and capabilities around Behavioural Insights within Welsh Government, and how they might support the scale and spread of the approach.
To read the report click here.
Participant from Welsh Government said: “This has been an important piece of work to demonstrate the benefits of applying behavioural science in practice. Co-producing interventions based on behavioural insight to address issues identified in the community, and testing them at rapid pace, was at the heart of what we wanted the research to deliver.
“Welsh Government and its partners can learn a great deal from the findings set out in the report and the ongoing research. This will prove invaluable in shaping approaches to improving health and wellbeing in the future, across organisations and policy areas. We now look forward to building on this to tackle the various challenges facing us.”
Professor James Lewis, Director of Y Lab, said: “Y Lab has been delighted to be part of this partnership, itself an innovation in bringing together government, academics, behavioural scientists, and place-based practitioners, to explore different ways of supporting people to test and self-isolate for COVID.
“There is clear appetite and applicability for this approach in numerous other fields, and we look forward to being part of its further development.”
Dr Craig Johnson, Senior Advisor at the Behavioural Insights Team, said: “The Behavioural Insights Team was delighted to work in partnership with Nesta’s People Powered Results team and Y Lab at Cardiff University to inform the Welsh Government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The research highlighted important ways in which communications can be improved to support people to reduce their risk of Covid-19 transmission, as well as ways in which local communities can use behavioural insights to improve testing rates.”
Participant from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “Having worked with the team and colleagues within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region on the development of a behavioural change project in connection with Covid-19, the approach has fallen on open ears and minds.
“As a Local Authority Service Manager the approach felt new and positively impactful, and has led to a period of active reflection and the identification of further areas of work, not Covid related which will almost certainly benefit from a fresh approach, including some which remain stubbornly challenging and engrained”.
Mae adroddiad newydd yn archwilio ffyrdd o gefnogi pobl i reoli risg yn ymwneud â Covid-19 gan ddefnyddio dull cyfunol o fewnwelediadau ymddygiadol, cymorth ymchwil academaidd a phrofion ar sail lle, ac yn ystyried sut y gellid cymhwyso hynny i heriau eraill.
Sut gallwch chi roi polisïau sy’n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn ar waith cyn i chi gerdded milltir yn esgidiau rhywun? Mae ymagwedd Mewnwelediadau Ymddygiadol sydd wedi’i chyd-ddylunio yn ymwneud â deall y byd o safbwynt pobl a chymunedau, er mwyn creu gwasanaethau a pholisïau sy’n darparu’r hyn sydd bwysicaf i bobl.
Mae Diogelu Cymru: Ymddygiadau Covid yn amlinellu sut, yn ystod gwanwyn 2021, y ffurfiodd y Tîm Deall Ymddygiad, Y Lab ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, a Canlyniadau Pŵer Pobl yn Nesta bartneriaeth i ymateb i’r her sylweddol oedd yn wynebu Llywodraeth Cymru o ran cefnogi cymunedau i reoli risg Covid-19.
Mewn ymateb, lansiodd y bartneriaeth raglen Diogelu Cymru: Ymddygiadau Covid ym mis Mehefin i weithio gyda rhanddeiliaid cenedlaethol a thri thîm traws-sector ar sail lle ledled Cymru. Nod y rhaglen oedd cyd-ddylunio a phrofi ymyriadau er mwyn cynyddu ymddygiadau Covid-ddiogel o ran hunanynysu a lliniaru risg.
Cafodd y rhaglen ei chynllunio fesul cam er mwyn:
- Adolygu’r dystiolaeth bresennol i archwilio a gosod yr her yn ei chyd-destun
- Adeiladu sylfaen o wybodaeth am Fewnwelediadau Ymddygiadol a sut y gellid ei chymhwyso i nodi ac i fynd i’r afael ag angen lleol
- Cefnogi’r gwaith o gynhyrchu syniadau a dylunio ymyriadau
- Ychwanegu cyflymder a brys gyda chyfnod profi byr, gan gynhyrchu mewnwelediadau mewn amser real
- Darparu argymhellion polisi i Lywodraeth Cymru
- Atgyfnerthu’r dysgu sy’n datblygu ac archwilio cynaliadwyedd
Cynhaliwyd profion mewn tair ardal leol ledled Cymru a chynhaliwyd hap-dreial rheoledig cenedlaethol gan ddefnyddio llwyfan arbrofi ar-lein y Tîm Deall Ymddygiad, Predictiv.
Gan adleisio casgliadau’r adolygiad o’r dystiolaeth, canfu’r timau fod effaith cyfathrebu swyddogol ar grwpiau risg uchel yn gyfyngedig. O ganlyniad, buon nhw’n canolbwyntio ar gyd-ddylunio ymyriadau er mwyn cyrraedd ac ennyn diddordeb grwpiau risg uchel lle roedden nhw’n wynebu’r risg fwyaf, er enghraifft ffermwyr mewn marchnadoedd da byw. Cafodd y wybodaeth a’r cymorth a gynigiwyd ei wahaniaethu ar gyfer y grwpiau hynny er mwyn cael yr effaith fwyaf bosib.
Canfu’r treial cenedlaethol gan Predictiv fod negeseuon presennol Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyfleu’r risg yn effeithiol, ond eu bod yn gwneud hyn orau gyda phobl sydd eisoes yn lliniaru’r risg o drosglwyddo. Mae angen gwneud rhagor i gyrraedd y rhai sydd mewn risg uwch o drosglwyddo Covid-19. Roedd un ymyriad – proffil risg personol y gellir ei ddefnyddio ar-lein – yn dangos addewid o ran cyfathrebu â’r grwpiau yma.
Mae’r adroddiad yn tynnu sylw at y camau nesaf ar gyfer y timau a sut y gellir cymhwyso’r ymagwedd at newid systemig, gan amlygu’r potensial i gefnogi:
- Swyddogion polisi proffesiynol sy’n datblygu ffyrdd arloesol o fodloni blaenoriaethau allweddol y llywodraeth ac amcanion gweinidogol.
- Strategwyr gwasanaethau cyhoeddus mewn awdurdodau iechyd ac awdurdodau cyhoeddus, gan gynnwys Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, byrddau iechyd ac Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, sy’n ymchwilio i ffyrdd o greu diwylliant o arloesi.
Mae Cam 2 y rhaglen ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd, gyda thimau ar sail lle yn cael eu cefnogi i gymhwyso’r ymagwedd at heriau nad ydynt yn ymwneud â Covid, ac ymchwil sy’n archwilio’r capasiti a’r galluoedd presennol o ran Mewnwelediadau Ymddygiadol o fewn Llywodraeth Cymru, a sut y gallent gefnogi graddfa a lledaeniad yr ymagwedd.
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Dywedodd cyfranogwr o Lywodraeth Cymru: “Mae hwn wedi bod yn ddarn pwysig o waith i ddangos manteision cymhwyso gwyddor ymddygiadol yn ymarferol. Cyd-gynhyrchu ymyriadau yn seiliedig ar fewnwelediad ymddygiadol i fynd i’r afael â materion a nodwyd yn y gymuned, a’u profi’n gyflym, oedd gwraidd yr hyn roedden ni am i’r ymchwil ei gyflawni.
“Gall Llywodraeth Cymru a’i phartneriaid ddysgu llawer iawn o’r canfyddiadau a nodir yn yr adroddiad a’r ymchwil sy’n parhau. Bydd hyn yn amhrisiadwy wrth lunio dulliau o wella iechyd a lles yn y dyfodol, ar draws sefydliadau a meysydd polisi. Rydyn ni’n edrych ymlaen nawr at adeiladu ar hyn i fynd i’r afael â’r heriau amrywiol sy’n ein hwynebu.”
Dywedodd yr Athro James Lewis, Cyfarwyddwr Y Lab: “Mae’r Lab wedi bod yn falch iawn o gael bod yn rhan o’r bartneriaeth yma, sydd ynddi ei hunan yn arloesol gan ei bod yn dod â’r llywodraeth, academyddion, gwyddonwyr ymddygiadol, ac ymarferwyr ar sail lle at ei gilydd, i archwilio gwahanol ffyrdd o gefnogi pobl i brofi a hunanynysu ar gyfer COVID.
“Mae yna awydd a ffyrdd amlwg o gymhwyso’r ymagwedd yma mewn nifer o feysydd eraill, ac rydyn ni’n ymlaen at gael bod yn rhan o’r gwaith o’i datblygu ymhellach.”
Dywedodd Dr Craig Johnson, Uwch Gynghorydd yn y Tîm Deall Ymddygiad: “Roedd y Tîm Deall Ymddygiad yn falch iawn o gael gweithio mewn partneriaeth â thîm Canlyniadau Pŵer Pobl Nesta a’r Lab ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd i lywio ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i bandemig Covid-19.
“Amlygodd yr ymchwil ffyrdd pwysig o wella cyfathrebu i gefnogi pobl i leihau eu risg o drosglwyddo Covid-19, yn ogystal â ffyrdd y gall cymunedau lleol ddefnyddio mewnwelediadau ymddygiadol i wella cyfraddau profi.”
Dywedodd cyfranogwr o Gyngor Rhondda Cynon Taf: “Ar ôl gweithio gyda’r tîm a chydweithwyr yn rhanbarth Cwm Taf Morgannwg ar ddatblygu prosiect newid ymddygiad mewn perthynas â Covid-19, mae’r ymagwedd wedi disgyn ar glustiau a meddyliau agored.
“Fel Rheolwr Gwasanaeth Awdurdod Lleol roedd yr ymagwedd yn teimlo’n newydd ac yn teimlo fel y byddai’n cael effaith gadarnhaol, ac mae wedi arwain at gyfnod o fyfyrio gweithredol a nodi meysydd gwaith pellach, nad ydynt yn ymwneud â covid, a fydd bron yn sicr yn elwa o ymagwedd newydd, gan gynnwys rhai sy’n dal i fod yn styfnig o heriol a gwaelodol”.