Across two events – an in-person session at the Foundry on 28 October 2025 and an online session on 11 November – those taking part shared their experiences of patient and public involvement in applied health and social care research in London.
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.
Attendees listening and applauding in a conference hall
In her introductory talk, Dr Jane Stafford, associate director of operations at ARC South London, highlighted the value of meaningful public involvement. “If you effectively involve people from the start, research becomes more relevant, impactful and makes a real difference to communities,” she said.
Jane outlined examples of ARC South London’s work – from co-designing involvement strategies with over 100 public contributors and other stakeholders, to supporting peer researchers and building networks with community organisations such as Mosaic Clubhouse and Ladies in Waiting.
Dr Jane Stafford delivering her introductory talk
At the in-person event, Ganesh Sathyamoorthy, assistant director for ARC Northwest London and deputy director of the Ethnicity and Health Unit at Imperial College London, spoke about engaging communities where they are. He highlighted the Integrated Care Systems Research Engagement Network (ICS REN) programme, which over three years engaged more than 3,000 people across Northwest London, providing health checks and pathways into research.
Trust is everything. If communities know you will stay with them, listen and respond, research becomes meaningful and powerful.
Ganesh Sathyamoorthy shares work from ARC Northwest London
Speaking at the online event, Cherelle Augustine, engagement coordinator at NIHR ARC Northwest London and co-founder of Broken Silence, emphasised that inclusion must be built in from the start, noting there’s no such thing as “hard to reach – only people too often ignored”. She urged organisations to move beyond tokenism and involve diverse communities as genuine partners in their work.
We need to focus on different communities and within those communities there are different ways that people engage with health services. Some cultures are told not to be open about their health needs, so we need to be conscious about that and focus our attention on creative ways to engage with communities such as working with faith leaders, or community leaders. We also need to empower people within the research community to include diverse communities and community organisations from the start of grant proposals.
Attendees then joined breakout discussions designed as spaces to share what has worked well either in ARC or in other settings and create shared learning to inform future applied health research. The groups explored:
Discussions generated practical examples and insights. One individual highlighted the importance of familiar, safe spaces for involvement: “It works well when we go to the community and meet people where they are, in places they know and trust, rather than always expecting them to come to us.” Another described the value of sharing knowledge in ways that are useful to both parties, emphasising how researchers and community groups can learn from each other to make involvement fairer.
Small skill-sharing sessions make involvement mutually beneficial – communities get support with forms, data or funding applications, while researchers gain insight from lived experience and local expertise.
Vita Moltedo, co-founder of Maternity Voices Matter and a peer researcher working in the ARC’s maternity and perinatal mental health theme, Abigail Mensah, founder of Ladies in Waiting CIC and also a peer researcher within the same theme, and Smarajit Roy, a member of our Public Research Panel
Attendees networking in a light, open space
Networking was a highlight of the in-person day, with lunch and breaks providing opportunities to exchange ideas and build connections across sectors. Both sessions concluded with a plenary, allowing facilitators and notetakers to feedback from the groups and attendees to raise discussion points. Those present celebrated the energy, enthusiasm and appetite for further collaboration, building contacts to harness opportunities to continue learning beyond the events.
AIRD 2025 showcased the value of inclusive, collaborative research and the shared commitment to sustaining public involvement across London. Insights from both events will be shared with those leading plans for applied health and care research in London, ensuring communities and public contributors remain central to research design, delivery and impact.
Savi Hensman, involvement coordinator at ARC South London, thanks everyone for their attendance and valuable contributions
If you have any questions or follow-up comments about this event, you can also email ARC South London’s involvement coordinator: savitri.hensman@kcl.ac.uk