Working with the public

Public involvement is at the heart of all our research. Involving people makes our research more relevant, better designed and with clearer outcomes. From being involved in our management structure to advising on specific studies, there are many ways to get involved with us if you’re a member of the public.

Motif

We aim to

  • Embed public involvement in our management and governance
  • Continue working with and developing our Young People’s Advisory Group and our Plain Language Panel
  • Build partnerships with representatives and organisations in under-served communities
  • Develop innovative approaches and advance public involvement into new areas
  • Develop new training resources to support public involvement
  • Use accessible evaluation tools to improve involvement practice and assess its impact

Our public involvement is led by People in Health West of England (PHWE), a nationally-recognised regional collaborative network. PHWE brings together all the parts of the regional NIHR to enable better, more consistent public involvement.

PPI impact log

The patient and public involvement (PPI) impact log from People in Health West of England aims to improve PPI practices through regular reflection, learning and feedback. The log is a set of questions for researchers and public contributors about the PPI activities that took place.

Researcher coffee mornings

Take part in one of our regular researcher coffee mornings run by People in Health West of England, where members of the public can hear about local research projects and give researchers feedback on their work.

Coffee mornings are informal and designed to give researchers and public contributors a chance to interact. Public contributors are encouraged to ask questions, learn about, and get involved in projects in their area. Sessions usually take place on Thursdays between 10-11am.

Get in touch with Carmel McGrath, if you are interested and would like to take part.

Researcher coffee mornings were inspired by a similar initiative hosted by the Wessex Public Involvement Network and could not have been developed without their support.

An open diary with appointments next to a cup of coffee and a laptop

Upcoming researcher coffee mornings