The 18th annual Health Services Research UK Conference, which addresses key issues in health and care services research, policy and practice, took place in Newcastle on the 2nd and 3rd of July.
Marion Sumerfield and Sarah Crabtree, patient and public involvement (PPI) and staff co-leads for the Cicely Saunders Institute (CSI) of Palliative Care's Public Involvement Strategy Group, attended and presented new resources at this year's conference. The work, which has been supported by ARC South London, was captured in a poster entitled "Development, Pilot and Evaluation of Public Involvement Resources in Palliative Care".
Marion Sumerfield and Sarah Crabtree present their poster at the conference
Both the 'Peer Buddy Scheme' and a series of research training videos had been co-created with PPI members, as part of the 'Support and Learning' Goal in the CSI's Public Involvement Strategy 2024-2026. The Peer Buddy Scheme connects new PPI members at the CSI with a more experienced member of the PPI community who can help them understand the research process, offer guidance and answer any questions they may have.
The research training video series explores the five stages of the research process - from identifying the topic to dissemination of the work. The training video was co-produced by members of the PPI community as well as researchers who shared their knowledge of what PPI is, providing examples of how public involvement has supported and benefitted the research conducted within the CSI.
The balance of contributions from both PPI and researchers reflects the value of collaboration.
I heard some of the same spirit and desire to give back that that I felt in my own experience