I too would avoid the clutches of ethics committees if possible, as the research designs they would ultimately approve tend not to encourage the participation of hard to reach service user groups.  They can also take far too long for the findings to be relevant to commissioning cycles and changing trends in local drug markets.
Pete Hoey

Planning Development Officer
(Diversity & Substance Use)
Safer Stronger Communities Service,
Room G01, The Deighton Centre,
Deighton Road, Huddersfield, HD2 1JP
01484 226932 / 07966 459243
http://www.saferkirklees.co.uk/
 


>>> Michael Shepherd <[log in to unmask]> 22/08/2007 10:37 >>>
As it is not 'research', I' not sure that the 'mystery shopper' would go to an ethics committee -
that's not to say that it is not questionable whether it is ethical and I had a similar reaction to
Jane's.  Nonetheless, it raises some other really interesting questions.

I wonder about the cost-efficiency of mystery shopping - what is the marginal cost of the service -
and what is the cost of mystery shopping?  How does this fit into an overall strategy for quality
assurance? Is it seen as an alternative to other forms of user led monitoring?

Mike Shepherd

Dr Michael Shepherd
AWARD Senior Research Fellow
Cardiff Institute of Society, Health & Ethics
Cardiff University
53 Park Place 
Cardiff CF10 3AT

+44 (0)29 2087 0098
[log in to unmask] 
www.awardresearch.org.uk 
www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/cishe 



>>> Jane Fountain <[log in to unmask]> 22/08/07 10:11 AM >>>
Does it mean someone will go to services and pretend to need treatment?
How?  Or does it mean a current problematic substance user will be used
as the mystery shopper?  Although I like the idea, I would have thought
this plan raised some serious ethical issues:   I can't see it getting
past ethics committees.  
I once wanted to go to a particular private doctor pretending to be a
heroin injector, to show how easy it was to get prescribed drugs so long
as the client could pay (I had been told by drug users I was studying
that this was the case - back in the 1990s).  However, the university I
worked for at the time would not let me do this for ethical reasons.
However, the Daily Star did it using a reporter and it was front-page
news! 
Professor Jane Fountain

Centre for Ethnicity and Health

University of Central Lancashire

Preston PR1 2HE

UK

tel: +44 (0)1772 892 780

 

	-----Original Message-----
	From: Health of minority ethnic communities in the UK
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Deborah Carr
	Sent: 21 August 2007 11:46
	To: [log in to unmask] 
	Subject: Mystery Service Users
	
	

	Hi All 

	I'm tasked with writing an action plan on how we could include
the use of Mystery service users (Mystery customers) to monitor drug and
alcohol treatment services.

	Has anyone done this within a health/ treatment service? 

	If so, I'd be grateful for tips and or any reports that you may
have and would like to share. 

	With thanks 

	Deborah Carr 

	Diversity Officer 
	Suffolk Drug & Alcohol Action Team 

	Tel: 01473 265174 
	Mobile: 07834 006151 
	Fax: 01473 216889 
	E-mail: [log in to unmask] 
	Website: www.suffolkdaat.org.uk 




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