Invitation to take part in the UK-REACH Study

Ambulance nurses to join EEAST

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) are currently inviting people to take part in the United Kingdom Research Study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 Outcomes in Healthcare Workers (UK-REACH) study, on behalf of the UK-REACH research team.

Please note anyone aged over 16, who lives and works within the UK as a healthcare worker or in a healthcare setting can take part in UK-REACH. You do not need to have had COVID-19 or work with patients directly.

UK-REACH want to hear from people of all ethnicities working in health and care. They are especially keen to hear from people from ethnic minorities to understand why some groups have been particularly affected by the pandemic.

What is the UK-REACH study and why is it being carried out?

UK-REACH is an urgent public health study funded by the UK Government to help understand why people from certain ethnic minorities are more likely to have severe COVID-19.

UK-REACH is led by the University of Leicester with several other UK universities. The HCPC, along with 6 other healthcare regulators, also support the study and encourage you to consider taking part.

UK-REACH will look at COVID-19 outcomes in people of different ethnicities working in health and social care, and how these relate to working conditions, job types, and general health and living circumstances. Findings will be used to make rapid recommendations to the Government to protect health and social care workers.

What does participating involve?

There are different ways which you can take part in UK-REACH. You can choose to take part in their online questionnaires which will take around 30 minutes. You can also choose to take part in a focus group or interview, which will take between 45-90 minutes to complete. You can participate in multiple parts of UK-REACH if you choose.

Once you have completed the survey UK-REACH will enter you into a prize draw in which 10 randomly selected respondents who complete each wave of the survey will win £250 Amazon voucher/cash,10 will win £50 Amazon voucher/cash and 250 will win £5 Amazon voucher/cash.

How will REACH-UK use information about you?

All the information you give the UK-REACH research team will be kept securely. Personal details such as your name and contact details will be kept separately from any other information you provide. No information will be shared with the HCPC or your employer. Taking part in the study is entirely your choice. 

How do I get involved?

Visit the UK-REACH website to sign up. You can also find out more about the study on the website. The UK-REACH team can also be contacted via email uk-reach@leicester.ac.uk, or telephone 07425 611865.

Published 11th February 2021