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  • 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019
  • Project No: 420
  • Funding round: FR17

The aim of our test bed project will be to use the new National Standards for Public Involvement (Table 1) to assess and improve the quality of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) within the Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences and Keele Clinical Trials Unit, Keele University.  This project will build upon the learning and recommendations from the NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) funded study, ‘The Costs and Consequence of Patient and Public Involvement in Primary Care Research’, to improve the practice and delivery of PPIE in Keele. Our experiences of implementing the National Standards for Public Involvement across a primary care research institution can be shared with other SPCR members to further the role and quality of PPIE across the SPCR.

Table 1 The six National Standards for Public Involvement

Standard

Definition

1. INCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITIES

We offer public involvement opportunities that are accessible and that reach people and groups according to research needs.

2. WORKING TOGETHER

We work together in a way that values all contributions, and that builds and sustains mutually respectful and productive relationships.

3. SUPPORT & LEARNING

We offer and promote support and learning that builds confidence and skills for public involvement in research.

4. COMMUNICATIONS

We use plain language for timely, two way and targeted communications, as part of involvement plans and activities.

5. IMPACT

To drive improvement, we capture and share the difference that public involvement makes to research.

6. GOVERNANCE

We involve the public in our governance and leadership so that our decisions promote and protect the public interest.

 

The Research Institute already hosts an established infrastructure and resources for public involvement in research, supported by Centre of Excellence funding by Arthritis Research UK. It has been chosen by the NIHR Research Design Service West Midlands, the West Midlands regional public involvement network (PILAR), and the PPIE Lead for the NIHR National School for Primary Care Research as an exemplar of good PPIE. Keele has a 12-year track record of delivering and sustaining PPIE in research (Jinks et al. Research Involvement and Engagement. 2016;2(1):1) and has established practices and protocols for each stage of the INVOLVE research cycle. Our test bed would provide:

  1. An internal audit and improvement plan of current practice
  2. Cross fertilisation of findings with: NIHR School for Primary Care Research,Research Design Service West Midlands, National RDS Public Involvement Community and INVOLVE. Regional public involvement leads, public involvement groups and research organisations through PILAR Arthritis Research UK and our other partners.
  3. An internal review by a lay Steering Committee

Working in partnership with patient and public members, the NIHR School for Primary Care Research and PILAR, the co-produced project will have the following objectives:

  1. To work in partnership with patient and public members to implement and test all six National Standards throughout a Research Institute.
  2. To use the Standards as a mechanism for reflecting on current practice.
  3. To assess the impact of implementing the Standards on improving the quality and visibility of PPIE practices.
  4. To ensure successes and learning are shared with regional and national partners throughout the lifecycle of the project and beyond.

Amount awarded: £15 678

Projects by themes

We have grouped projects under the five SPCR themes in this document

Evidence synthesis working group

The collaboration will be conducting 18 high impact systematic reviews, under four workstreams.