Selected Case Studies

As the largest provider of independent healthcare in Britain, BUPA has been at the forefront of the Government’s new partnership approach to delivering greater choice under the auspices of the NHS.

With such a politically sensitive issue, BUPA sought a research partner who could establish how the public viewed independent healthcare providers, their emerging role within the Health Service and whether people saw the evolving partnership as desirable or sustainable.

In addition, BUPA wanted to use this research to promote a debate about the future shape of Health Service provision that would engage opinion formers from across the political spectrum.

The long term plan
BUPA commissioned Populus to conduct a three-year programme of qualitative and quantitative research among the general population and patients and to provide a neutral platform where the conclusions and consequences of this research could be discussed openly and impartially - a thought leadership programme.

This has resulted in two books Panacea or Placebo and What Patients Really Want published by Populus with the award-winning Profile Books which have included contributions from leading health commentators, patient advocates and the NHS Confederation alongside original opinion research and analysis.

These have variously been launched through a series of fringe meetings at the major party conferences and at London-based roundtable seminars, all facilitated by Populus.

The results
As a consequence BUPA has been able to engage a wide range of stakeholders, using the medium of independent research findings, to demonstrate its strategic leadership in a sensitive area of public policy.