Public involvement and engagement
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Public health research is about understanding and tackling issues that make a difference to the health and wellbeing of people across our population.
This means it is important for us to listen to what information members of the public need us to find. It is also important for us to communicate the results of our research in ways that are understandable and useful. This helps make sure the research we do is practical, and helps people live healthier and happier lives.
Our different public partners help us decide which questions we need to answer and how research can be designed to find those answers. They advise us about how research should be managed and help carry out research. They use their everyday experience to help us understand how the information we find can be shared and made to work.
People are all different, they have different skills, and face different challenges. Some people have more time to engage with us than others do. Some have a particular issue they want to address; others have a more general interest in health. To make sure as many different people as possible can take part in our research, there are different ways you can get involved.
- Reviewing project proposals and reports by email or post
- Taking part in meetings or workshops - in person or online
- Sharing information about research in your community or at conferences
As well as involving public partners in research projects, we manage two networks where we share information about research that is taking place. They have in person and online meetings where they can give us feedback and share information about the projects they are involved with.
Engagement across the School for Public Health Research
The Public Partners Advisory Network known as the ‘PAN’ for short, invites people involved in different projects across the nine different NIHR School for Public Health Research partnerships to connect with each other. It is an opportunity to find out what is happening across the school and to support each other. The network also provides opportunities and resources for learning, consultation, and co-production at a strategic level across SPHR.
Public partner and contributor Margaret Ogden tells us about her experiences of being part of the SPHR Public Partners Network in the poem.
Engagement in the South West
Here in the South West we work closely with the Health and Environment Public Engagement network (HEPE). This is a network of people interested in how people’s health and wellbeing are affected by the places they live, work and visit, as well as how those places are changed by the people using them.
Jo's story
Jim's Story
Teresa's Story
Mike Tresidder on decolonisation
Emma REACH project
