Research · EP:IC / UKHSA
National TB Action Plan
“Good public health policy depends on understanding the people it affects - not just the data about them.”
The challenge
TB policy needed the voices of migrant communities and the voluntary sector
Tuberculosis disproportionately affects people with recent experience of migration, yet the communities most affected - and the voluntary sector organisations supporting them - were not consistently informing how TB screening policy was developed and communicated.
EP:IC Consultancy and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) needed rigorous qualitative evidence on migrant and voluntary sector attitudes towards TB screening - evidence that could meaningfully shape the development of the National TB Action Plan.
What we did
Interviews and focus groups with lived experience and voluntary sector organisations
Open Routes Research conducted a qualitative study on behalf of EP:IC Consultancy and the UKHSA. The research involved:
- In-depth interviews and focus groups with people with lived experience of migration and TB
- Interviews and focus groups with voluntary sector organisations working alongside migrant communities
- Close collaboration with TB Alert throughout the research process to ensure findings reflected the full breadth of community and sector perspectives
What changed
Reports used by Sir Chris Whitty in shaping the National TB Action Plan
The reports produced by Open Routes Research were used by Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, in shaping and informing the National TB Action Plan. A key set of recommendations centred on ensuring the meaningful involvement of people with lived experience of migration and TB in the design and delivery of services.
One direct outcome was the establishment of a Lived Experience Advisory Group as part of the National TB Action Plan infrastructure - embedding the community voice the research had foregrounded into ongoing policy governance.
Outputs
UKHSA qualitative engagement report; policy recommendations for the National TB Action Plan