CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“I was impressed by the professionalism and ease of working with Elliot.

In particular, because he works day in, day out so intimately with consumers, I felt he really grounded the work from the consumer perspective – both at the design and the analysis stage. His voice was fresh, different, constructive, warm and ‘real’.

The case studies were a valuable component of the final work. They provided a context and immediacy that brought some of the deeper understandings in the report to life for our stakeholders. It made it clear this was a genuine piece of research with real messages for public policy and professional ethics (and not just some piece of fancy-wrapped piece of lobbying). And it got people thinking more widely about choices at retirement than just the mechanics of annuities and pricing.

I’ve certainly used the overall work since then on a number of occasions – not least on shaping the Government guidance that begat their public PensionsWise service.

I’d happily recommend him!”

Client: AEGON

From: Nick Hurman – Consultant AEGON Corporate Affairs

Brief: How do people manage their finances in retirement? And what would help us plan more effectively?

“We were very pleased with the results.

The time Elliot invested getting to know and listen to some of the disabled and older people in Essex really paid off. We were able to see and hear directly the reality of people’s lives, and share the resulting in-depth insights with staff at all levels in the council.

Grounded in solid research, it was a powerful approach that helped create a strong case for making things better than we ever could have done alone.”

Client: Essex Coalition for Disabled People

From: Rich Watts – Director, ECDP

Brief: What are the impacts of personal budgets for adult social care? And what would make the budgets more effective?

“Elliot’s fantastic to work with – quickly getting to the heart of the brief and coming up with lots of great, creative ideas.

The video case studies he produced were really engaging and attractive, and his insights made a real contribution to our overall research findings.

I wouldn’t hesitate to commission Elliot again and to recommend him to others.”

Client: Anglian Water

From: Sophie Ahmad – Head of Research, OPM – commissioned research on behalf of Anglian Water

Brief: How does water usage vary between households? And how can conservation be promoted?

“Elliot was very flexible in meeting our needs, which weren’t altogether straightforward and did change over time!

He listened to our requirements and asked us a lot of good questions to help us think it through. We, and our exchange participants, liked and trusted Elliot, and he responded to our feedback very quickly and flexibly throughout.

The final product was excellent, and used at events, such as the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) conference, and as a member resource on our website.

I’d recommend Elliot to others to give an honest, in-depth look at work being undertaken. He asks good questions, and gives a polished final product.

He has a wealth of experience, really listens to the client, and provides excellent results which meet client needs.”

Client: Advancing Quality Aliance

From: Eleanor Peet & Adele Markland – Project Co-ordinators, AQuA

Brief: How well did an international exchange programme for healthcare professionals run? And what were the key ‘integrated care’ insights?

“Elliot’s work generated new insights into the multi-faceted and compound nature of rural exclusion. He always wants to understand the wider context of a project, so that his work complements and enhances it, rather than being just an add-on.

Elliot brings a very professional approach and cares greatly about the integrity of the work. His ability to grasp complex topics, distil what’s needed to be communicated, and present it in a creative and accessible way is impressive.

Elliot’s also great at meeting crazy deadlines.”

Client: Commission for Rural Communities

From: Diane Beddoes – Chief Executive, Dialogue By Design – commissioned research on behalf of CRC.

Brief: What are the socio-economic barriers faced by people living in rural England? And what policy measures could be made to help?

“Working in improvement within the NHS, I had been used to video case studies, but our work with Elliot took this to a whole new, much deeper and richer level.

Elliot’s deep skill in the field of video-ethnography, balanced with his naturally empathic and open nature, helped us to capture some incredibly personal insights into the everyday reality of people’s lives when living with chronic kidney failure. But more, beyond simple insight, his work helped provide a powerful evidence base that helped us engage with and work alongside patients and clinicians in a more open and dialogic way.

Elliot’s clear passion for his work shone through; both in the time that he was prepared to invest in really understanding what we were seeking to achieve and, most importantly, in the time that he invested in really getting to know the people who he would ultimately be capturing on film. Professional throughout, he was a joy and a delight to work with.”

Client: NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement

From: Alan Nobbs – Associate, Thought Leadership, NHS Institute for Innovation & Improvement

Brief: How do patients choose the right type of kidney dialysis for them? And what would help that decision-making process?

“Elliot was a joy to work with.

What I appreciate is that he invested time up front to really understand the brief and the wider context of our project. This meant that during the filming, analysis and editing he could drive the process forward and take initiative.

At the same time Elliot is always collaborative, giving us lots of opportunities to provide input and help shape the final project.

Elliot has fantastic people skills and is adept at putting participants at ease and getting the best from them. His focus is always on the needs of the end users, and he shows a real commitment to delivering clear, impactful and thoughtful output, with a highly professional finish. I can confidently recommend him.”

Client: General Pharmaceutical Council

From: Tim Vanson – Consultant, OPM – commissioned research on behalf of GPhC

Brief: Why do black-african pharmacy candidate perform comparatively less well in the registration assessment? And what would help them achieve more success?

“Elliot’s work surfaced really useful insights, which helped form the basis of how the family intervention team then designed their service.

The families themselves responded well to him, allowing Elliot into their home and being candid about the issues they faced, giving a real glance into their daily lives.

Elliot was key in helping us understand how families generally view the interventions available to them, which both challenged and complemented our other research methods.”

Client: The Young Foundation

From: Nina Mguni – Senior Associate, The Young Foundation.

Brief: What are the experiences of families affected by ‘entrenched disadvantage’? And what would help them become less dependent on services?

“Elliot’s sensitive approach to understanding the actual person, rather than just another consumer, brought the findings to life in a way that a written report can never do.

Rather than just reading about generic consumer attitudes, my policy colleagues were exposed to real views from real people.

The case studies were shared more widely with industry participants at workshops to demonstrate the impact of the scheme and the difference it can make to consumers’ lives.”

Client: OFGEM

From: Adam Knight – Senior Consumer Insight Manager, OFGEM

Brief: How effective has OFGEM’s ‘Warm Home Discount’ scheme been? And what would help improve its effectiveness?

“Elliot’s great to work with. He’s extremely professional and really takes the time to listen and understand our needs, balancing that effectively with providing expert advice.

We’ve had great feedback from all the participants, who say that Elliot asked extremely insightful questions and helped them to feel at ease in front of the camera.

The quality of the case studies has been consistently high, and they are now regularly being used to help people to understand personal health budgets and the results of more personalised care.

I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending him.”

Client: NHS England

From: Rebecca Tempest – Senior Communications Manager, NHS England

Brief: What’s been the impact on the lives of people receiving personal health budgets? And where do the budgets work best?

“Elliot was responsive to deal with, and able to build honest, trusting relationships with a range of people, providing a safe place for them to share their views and experiences.

The work helped us to get under the skin of the issue and informed a successful national pilot that we carried out in Lewisham.”

Client: Lewisham Strategic Partnership

From: Joel Hartfield – Principal Policy & Projects Officer, LSP

Brief: What have been the experiences of people accessing the welfare-to-work scheme? And what would help improve those experiences and the employment outcomes?

“Working with you was a really positive experience, and we really appreciated your flexibility and patience. I felt very confident sending you to Blackpool, knowing something good would come back. I think this encapsulates both your sensitive approach and level of trust when working with people from vulnerable backgrounds. We were very pleased with the results, and the school loved the film. The level of insight you got out from the participants was particularly impressive. I’d definitely recommend you.”

Client: Arts Council England

From: Dr Louisa Thomson – Head of Consultancy, Renaisi – commissioned the work on behalf of Arts Council England

Brief: What were young people’s experiences of a ‘Cultural Citizens’ programme? And what were the impacts?

“I would thoroughly recommend Elliot, and would not hesitate to use you again.

You quickly developed a sound understanding of the programme, and put the families at ease. Our end-client was extremely happy with the end results, emailing to say:

‘What a wonderful way to see the impact of programmes we’re trying to understand. Really highlights the importance of understanding the changes for the whole family – not just the child receiving the intervention and the parent(s) – but the siblings and others who might live at home. If ever there was evidence of holistic interventions – really great.'”

Client: Essex County Council

From: Beth Peach – Senior Consultant, Traverse – commissioned the work on behalf of Essex County Council

Brief: What were the impacts of a ‘Family Innovation Fund’ to help families in volatile situations build resistance? And how could the programme be improved?

“You were a pleasure to work with, warm in manner, organised, and able to provide constructive advice. The final product was high quality and effectively captured the complex programme that we were trying to implement. The film highlighted the importance of listening to our customers and involving them in decision-making, something we will build on with our new customer insight team and customer advisory council. We’ll be using the film to promote co-production both within the organisation and hopefully externally too.”

Client: Leonard Cheshire Disability

From: Simon Kitchen – Future Choices Strategic Lead – Leonard Cheshire Disability

Brief: How well did a ‘person-centred co-production’ approach go to running a residential home for adults with disabilities? And what were the impacts?’

“We knew that hearing from the people who chose to work this way directly would be more powerful than our survey findings alone.

The resulting case studies were excellent. You obviously made the subjects feel very comfortable and created an atmosphere of trust, so they were prepared to be filmed in their homes getting ready for work, and to talk about quite personal issues like family health problems, pay rates and retirement plans.

The case studies played an important part in our efforts to understand and communicate the role agency workers have in the labour market when engaging with key stakeholder organisations, including government.”

Client: Recruitment & Employment Confederation

From: Liz Banks – Director of Research – REC

Brief: Why do some people choose to be freelance, contract or agency workers? And what are their resulting experiences?