Research Participant Information

Health Needs in Nowra Community Survey

This is an invitation to participate in a study conducted by researchers at MIND the GaP and The Peregrine Centre. This project is hoping to understand better the healthcare needs of people living in Nowra and the surrounding area.

MIND the GaP is a service provider based at the Shoalhaven Campus of the University of Wollongong (UOW) in the Nowra area. MIND the GaP functions as a training and research centre as well as a place where people in the community can be helped with their health needs. We are conducting a consultation with the local community to understand better the kinds of health services that would make a difference in people’s lives. This will help us to identify community needs and priorities, to shape our research, training and development of future services.

This survey is completely anonymous and all questions are voluntary. It should take around 5-10 minutes. The survey asks questions about barriers to healthcare and needs. At the end of the survey, you can enter your email address on a separate form if you would like to enter a prize draw for a $50 store voucher. Apart from the time taken to complete the survey, we do not anticipate risks or burdens on participants. Results may be published in reports or journals. Because the survey is anonymous, you will not be able to withdraw your response once submitted.

The next stage of our research is to run a series of community consultations to help generate ideas about how we can improve healthcare in Nowra and the surrounding areas.

If you are interested in either

• Attending two half-day workshops to help generate ideas;
• Reviewing ideas online and voting for your favourites;

You can also enter your email address if you would like to receive more information about these. All parts of the research are voluntary and you can stop participating at any time.

If you have any questions about this research, please feel free to reach out to The Peregrine Centre Jessica.Holmes@theperegrinecentre.com.au or the researchers below:

This research has been reviewed and approved by the UOW Human Research Ethics Committee (number (2023/106). If you have any concerns or complaints about how the research is conducted you can contact the UOW Ethics Officer, +61 2 4239 2191 or email uow-humanethics@uow.edu.au.

If you have any concerns about your health, please speak to your health care provider. If you need support in a crisis you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.