On 11 March 2022, we launched our Shared Commitment to public involvement in health and social care research with 12 other leading organisations.
Since then, the Shared Commitment has grown to include five more organisations, including NHS England.
To celebrate, we’re sharing stories about the work we’ve done since the launch to deliver on the Shared Commitment, and our reflections on what was challenging and what we learned.
This includes blogs from some of our partners organisations, one from our Public Involvement Lead Jim Elliott and a response from one of our public contributors Roger Wilson OBE.
Read our blogs to find out about the impact of the Shared Commitment
That difficult second album – a blog by Jim Elliott, Public Involvement Lead at the HRA
A year ago, there was much excitement, not least from me, about the launch of the Shared Commitment to public involvement. It was a very significant moment for patient and public involvement in health and social care research.
A response to Jim Elliott's blog – a blog by Roger Wilson CBE, HRA Public Contributor
As patient advocates, we focus on outcomes. We want to make things better, to deliver better outcomes for patients. We rarely get the opportunity (perhaps it should happen more often) to be reflective, accepting that outcomes will follow, whether clearly identified or not.
Where were we, where are we, where next? - a blog by Catriona Manville, Director of Research Policy at the Association of Medical Research Charities, and Simon Turpin, Policy Officer, at the Association of Medical Research Charities
One year ago today, the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and 12 other organisations comprising of funders, regulators and membership bodies published the shared commitment to public involvement. The statement represents a bold pledge to improve how patients and the public are involved in the research process. On its anniversary, we reflect on our experience over the past year and what we have learnt.
Nothing about us without us - a blog written in collaboration by Cancer Research UK's public involvement team and their public involvement network members
Excellent Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) plays an essential role in health and social care research. Members of the public, as those benefiting from research, should have a say in decisions that impact them. Their perspective and lived experience can increase the relevance, impact and quality of research. That’s why Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has been actively involving people affected by cancer since 2014 across many of our research funding activities, as well as across much of the charity’s work.
One year of the Shared Commitment to excellent public involvement in research – a blog by Peter Gee, Senior Public Involvement Manager at Health and Care Research Wales and Eirwen Malin, public contributor
10 March 2023 marks one year since funders, regulators and research organisations who play an important role in UK health and social care research came together, working with members of the public, to sign up to a new shared commitment to improve crucial public involvement in research.
Supporting the Shared Commitment - a blog byHSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland
It doesn’t seem like 12 months since we embarked on this journey in March 2022. Since then HSC Research and Development Division has been working hard to consolidate the Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) initiatives it had already begun but with the added momentum gained from signing up to the Shared Statement of Commitment to public involvement.
University research and development matters to everyone – but we need to get better at explaining why – a blog by Universities UK Policy Manager, Daniel Wake
In recent months, both the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition have rightly identified the critical role of Research and Development, much of which takes place in our universities, in addressing the challenges the country faces.
Involving public contributors doesn’t just make a study better, it makes it quicker – hear from a research team
How public involvement improved our study - a blog by Anna Howells a Public Health Fellow in the SARS-COV-2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation (SIREN) team at the UK Health Security Agency.
The SARS-CoV2- Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation Study, known as SIREN, was launched in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study monitors COVID-19 infections in NHS healthcare workers across the UK and is the largest study of its kind.
Find out how our partners are celebrating
- watch Cochrane's video on their new framework for engagement and involvement
- visit Health Data Research UK’s website for examples of the impact of patient and public involvement in research
- read the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's reflections on the Shared Commitment
- find out why NHS England joined the Shared Commitment
- hear about why National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement's patient advocate Stephen Hill got involved in the Shared Commitment
- read National Institute for Health and Care Research's (NIHR) blog from Director of Voice Jeremy Taylor on the improvements they’ve made to how they work with patients and the public
- read about NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria new pilot award which was launched as a way of promoting the voice of their public contributors
- learn about UK Research and Innovation's review into public involvement in research and their public engagement strategy
Embedding Public Involvement
When we talk about public involvement, we mean all the ways in which the research community works together with people, including patients, carers, advocates, service users, and members of the community.
Excellent public involvement is inclusive, values all contributions, ensures people have a meaningful say in what happens and influences outcomes, as set out in the UK Standards for Public Involvement.
Evidence shows that excellent public involvement improves the quality and impact of research. Examples of good public involvement include:
- inviting people with relevant lived experience of the health condition or social care situation being researched
- involving the right number of people
- involving them in as many aspects of the study as is feasible
Find out how to involve the public in your research.
Join the Shared Commitment
Organisations from across the health and social care research sector are invited to join our Shared Commitment. Find out how your organisations can get involved.