Patient and Public Involvement in Research
We need the views, experiences and expertise of people in our communities to help us to shape future research and improve services for local people
Our small group of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) volunteers, is already helping us to shape research that meets the needs of local people who need hospice care, and we’re now seeking more voices from our local communities. Our North East community is diverse, so we’re looking for people from a range of backgrounds, walks of life and ages to join our PPI group.
FAQs
When we talk about patient and public involvement, we mean the public being involved in the research process so that the research (or elements of it) is done with or by the public, and not to, about or for them. (This is not the same as taking part in research as a research participant, or subject of a research study).
As a member of our Patient and Public Involvement Group, you might be involved in some of the following.
- Identifying or prioritising research topics
- Being part of research advisory groups and steering groups
- Helping to make sure any written documents are easy to understand
- Helping to share the results of research.
Please note that there’s no expectation that you’d be involved in all of the above, it all depends on your interests, skills and time.
We ask that anyone who expresses an interest to join the group has a personal interest in local services supporting end of life and palliative care, and in helping to make research the best it can be.
We’re looking for a mixture of people who have experience of our services (either as a patient, or a family member/ friend of someone who has been cared for), or people who have no prior personal connection to us. You might have used another palliative care service, or have experience of caring for a loved one with a life-limiting condition. Whatever your reason, we’d love to hear from you.
Patients, families and members of the public bring an expert insight to individual research projects because of your experiences of living with a particular condition or using health services. Your views and experiences will help us to shape future research and improve services for local people, and beyond. Hearing and listening to the voices of local people will also help us to:
- Make research more relevant to the people it is trying to help
- Make research more streamlined for participants to be recruited to
- Improve the experiences of people participating in research
- Communicate the results of research to participants and the wider public.