This year we held two events, the first in-person on Wednesday 13 November 2024 at The Foundry in Vauxhall, and the second online, on Monday 18 November. Both events aimed to bring people together to discuss how health and social care research in south London can be improved through the shaping of our ongoing work.
Photo: Rashmi Kumar welcomes attendees to the in-person event
The events were co-chaired by Dr Natasha Curran, ARC South London’s implementation and involvement lead and medical director of the Health Innovation Network, alongside Rashmi Kumar, chair of the ARC’s Involvement Advisory Group and an experienced public contributor who is also active in local communities.
Opening the events, Rashmi and Natasha emphasised the importance of using the day to explore different perspectives and forge new, meaningful connections with others.
Some of you have done research before, and others may be completely new to it. Today is all about looking at what is being done, and what we can do, to improve health and care services … how can we, our community and other partners, build on the local strength that we have in south London?
Members of the ARC’s senior leadership team, including Dr Jane Stafford, associate director of operations, Zoë Lelliott, co-deputy director, Professor Matthew Maddocks, co-deputy director and Professor Ingrid Wolfe OBE, director, set out the aims of the ARC’s work and the wider context for the event.
They introduced the ARC South London as one of the 15 National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded organisations working across England to address practical problems faced by local health and care services.
The specific goals of ARC South London are around conducting high-quality, evidence-based research, with the aim of benefiting people in south London and nationally. We prioritise the needs of people with multiple health conditions, and also better understanding health and care inequalities in our society, which is particularly relevant within south London, where there are real disparities
Photo: Dr Natasha Curran opens the in-person event
Photo: Professor Ingrid Wolfe OBE outlines the strategic priorities of ARC South London at the online event
Explaining that the NIHR has recently announced a funding call to enable future ARCs, the ARC South London senior management team outlined thinking around how a future ARC might work and invited contributions from attendees on what future priorities for research could be and how we can build on our local strengths.
The task for today is to share the things which are really important to you, and the priorities that you want to put forward for the next ARC
After the presentations, there were a series of smaller breakout discussions at both events. At the in-person event, attendees joined themed breakout groups to discuss:
At the online events, attendees were invited to feedback in small groups on what they had heard regarding ARC South London’s approach to future research. They were invited to share things they felt enthusiastic about, but also any concerns and suggestions for ways in which a future ARC could be strengthened.
Photo: A flip chart captures thoughts and ideas raised in the 'Prevention' breakout group
Discussions across all breakout groups were lively and thought-provoking, with the importance of dedicating sufficient resources and time to building mutually beneficial relationships with communities emerging as a key theme.
Barriers to receiving the best care, be they structural and technical issues within healthcare services, or challenges stemming from inequity and prejudice, were highlighted as a key area for future research. There was also enthusiasm for ARC South London to produce research that can support social care and help prevent illness throughout the life course.
I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion in our group. It was a really diverse group of people from all kinds of backgrounds and with different experiences. We learned an awful lot that we can take forward into our plans for future health and care research in south London
Closing the events, Rashmi and Natasha expressed excitement about the richness of discussions and information shared, thanking all participants, presenters and organisers for their valuable input.
Find out more about our involvement activities by subscribing to our quarterly Involvement newsletter – Together in Research.
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Read more about how we involve patients, service users, carers and the public in our work.