Patient and Public Involvement

Patient and Public Involvement

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is an important part of designing a research study as patients and the public can help improve the effectiveness and acceptability of a research study. Furthermore, all NIHR-funded research is required to demonstrate good quality PPI and also to set out a clear pathway to demonstrate its impact beyond the world of research. There are several ways in which you can obtain input from service user and carer forums to help develop your study:

• The C2:AD Lived Experiences Group are able to comment on the resources, projects and ethical issues regarding your research proposal. If you would like your research to be reviewed by the C2:AD group please contact Caitlin Hitchcock. Group members are also able to provide support during the research application process, and through the writing and dissemination of findings.

• Iliana Rokkou is the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust User and Carer Research and Development manager. Iliana can provide advice on service user and carer involvement in research across the CPFT. She is also able to provide links to service user and carers who are willing to provide assistance with research projects by sharing their knowledge, experiences and expertise.

• INVOLVE is a national advisory group funded by the NIHR to support active involvement in NHS, public health and social care research. The group’s main focus is to bring together insights, expertise and experience in public involvement in research and ultimately maximise opportunities for public involvement. They also work in partnership with researchers, commissioners and the public.

• The Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) are a partnership of academics, clinicians, and managers who undertake high quality health research focused on patient and service user needs and translate this evidence into practice in the NHS and social care. The CLAHRC has several research themes and one is PPI in research, which is led by Professor Fiona Poland at the University of East Anglia. The PPI theme focuses on ways of enabling research to appropriately include the concerns and interests of patients and the public.

For further information and guidance about how to get involved or how PPI can help develop your research project, please contact Caitlin Hitchcock.