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Background Health and social care regulators ensure that professionals have the correct qualifications and experience to practice in their profession. Globally, there are over 130 regulators of nursing alone and 13 health and social care statutory regulators in the United Kingdom. The public are the largest source of concerns to regulators about the registrants' fitness to practise (FtP). Aim This study aimed to examine the amount, type and content of the information available from UK regulators and evaluate the usability of the process for members of the public considering raising a concern with a regulator about a registrant's fitness to practise (FtP) and the experience of those who had recently raised a concern. Methods The websites of the UK's 13 statutory health and social care regulators were searched between November 2021 and February 2022 for information about the process of raising a concern. Webpages and public-facing documentation were downloaded, and qualitative content analysis was conducted. The usability of regulator websites and the concerns referral form were assessed by 11 people using an adapted ‘system usability scale’. Seven interviews, a focus group (n = 5) and a survey (n = 62) of people who had raised a concern were used to explore their experiences to validate our findings and recommendations. Results Themes were identified related to format and layout, the process and support to raise a concern, with wide variation found between regulators. Focus groups, interviews and surveys validated these findings. Discussion and Conclusion Information and the ease of finding this information are fundamental in promoting public confidence and trust in regulator purpose and process. When raising a concern, it is important that information is honest, clear and accurate and available in a range of different formats so that it suits the diverse needs of members of the public. Improvements in these processes could support regulators to better achieve their

Background People with learning disabilities have the right to choose where they live. However, evidence suggests people's choices are limited due to a shortage of housing. Methods 200 Lives was a mixed methods research project, which evaluated supported living and residential care for people with learning disabilities in England; 107 people with learning disabilities took part, 77 from supported living and 30 from residential care. Findings Two-thirds of people in supported living compared to half of those in residential care chose the place they were currently living in; however, less than half of all participants looked at another property before moving to their current house. People in supported living were significantly more likely to have chosen who they lived with. Reasons for moving mainly consisted of reactive moves following an issue with the previous living situation. Many people had not considered moving in the future. Conclusion Findings suggest that people's choices about where to live were constrained regarding the properties on offer and who to live with. This suggests that people's housing rights were not being upheld. Support and housing providers should ensure that housing can adapt to people's changing needs and wishes over the course of their lives.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed the way we live, work, interact and do research. Many activities moved online, and digital inclusion became an urgent issue for researchers working with people with learning disabilities and other groups at risk of exclusion. This has generated new questions about how we conduct research and what it means to go into ‘the field’. Methods We discuss our experience working across four qualitative research projects involving 867 participants with learning disabilities, conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Findings Moving research online resulted in often-swift adaptations to research designs and practice, bringing new insights and benefits to our studies. The changing circumstances fostered innovation and greater flexibility and contributed to research becoming more accessible to many. However, doing research online also posed new challenges as well as amplified existing ones. Conclusions The pandemic has made it easier for some people with learning disabilities to participate in research, but more needs to be done to improve the reach and quality of that participation. Researchers should make the process of participation as accessible as possible. It is also their job to question and challenge the conditions that create barriers to participation in research and to look for ways to change these. We make some recommendations on how this can be achieved.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic changed the way we live, work, interact and do research. Many activities moved online, and digital inclusion became an urgent issue for researchers working with people with learning disabilities and other groups at risk of exclusion. This has generated new questions about how we conduct research and what it means to go into ‘the field’. Methods We discuss our experience working across four qualitative research projects involving 867 participants with learning disabilities, conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Findings Moving research online resulted in often-swift adaptations to research designs and practice, bringing new insights and benefits to our studies. The changing circumstances fostered innovation and greater flexibility and contributed to research becoming more accessible to many. However, doing research online also posed new challenges as well as amplified existing ones. Conclusions The pandemic has made it easier for some people with learning disabilities to participate in research, but more needs to be done to improve the reach and quality of that participation. Researchers should make the process of participation as accessible as possible. It is also their job to question and challenge the conditions that create barriers to participation in research and to look for ways to change these. We make some recommendations on how this can be achieved.