It’s important that trials and studies provide maximum benefit to people’s health.
That’s why the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) involves patients and the public in all they do. This helps drive research that is ever-more relevant to people’s needs, delivered faster and adopted more readily.
The centre is introducing a new governance model to strengthen public involvement further. It was launched in an event at the heart of Southampton this weekend.
Here, Annemarie Hankinson from University Hospital Southampton (UHS) shares her reflections on the event. She leads the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) team in the Southampton Centre for Research Engagement and Impact (SCREI).
Saturday’s half-day event was a fantastic opportunity to explore how we can build a more meaningful partnership between the NIHR Southampton BRC and the public.
We invited a diverse mix of people to come together, share their ideas and discuss a new way of working. This included young people. It was brilliant to hear so many different perspectives!
The day included many interesting discussions and a valuable networking lunch.
One of my personal highlights was hearing from Pam Holloway, the PPI lead for Ageing and Dementia at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) Wessex. She spoke about some of the exciting projects she’s been involved in and what she enjoys most about being a public contributor, including the satisfaction that comes with working with great people.
Bringing people together
Our event centred around an innovative new governance model. This is inspired by a Viking tradition.
When a Viking community needed to settle problems or make decisions, they would gather at a meeting called a Thing.
We are proposing a similar approach. Our version of a Thing will bring public partners and staff representatives together to make decisions about how the BRC is run.
Each of the BRC’s research themes will have dedicated public partners. They will work closely with staff representatives to co-develop and improve all aspects of our work.
Public partners will bring their lived experiences, insights and talents to the table. Their contributions will help change what is done and how it is done, for the better.
Looking ahead
We know that meaningful, purposeful public voice in governance can be challenging. We also recognise that not all formats work for all people.
But involving the public in our governance at strategic and operational levels encourages better working and supports transparency.
Saturday’s event reaffirmed just how much value comes from working together in this way.
I’d like to say a big thank you on behalf of the PPIE team to everyone who joined us. We loved hearing your ideas and came away with lots of valuable insight. We are excited about what lies ahead and look forward to shaping the future of health research together.
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