Newcom

Instructions for interviewers

Arrive early and arrange the room furniture so that people are sitting in a circle.
Make sure you have a working pen, a notepad and that your voice recorder is fully charged and working.
Test the voice recorder and before starting each session record the following:
- Your name
- The date and time of the session
Get people settled and relaxed before you start the focus group.
Do not start until everybody has arrived.
Begin by explaining how the information they give will be held both anonymously and confidentially, then move on to the ‘warm up’ exercise before starting the session proper.
Keep the flip sheets from the session and mark them with the date the group session was held and the ethnic group of the participants. Hand in the sheets when you return the tape recorder for transcription.
Spend no more than 5-10 minutes on the warm up exercise and try to keep the focus group to no more than 1 hour.
k the focus group questions exactly in the order given on the sheet below and allow people to talk freely and do not interrupt unless they stray too far off topic.
Ask the focus group questions exactly in the order given on the sheet below and allow people to talk freely and do not interrupt unless they stray too far off topic.

Just generally speaking, in your own view
- What is good mental health?
- What is poor or bad mental health?
Write down people’s responses on the flipsheet