Launch of the North West People in Research Forum

18 Apr 2011

Join this new organisation that aims to support patient and public involvement (PPI) and public engagement (PE) in health research

The Forum, which is jointly sponsored by NHS North West and the Research Design Service NW, recently held a series of launch events, which included a workshop where people were asked to think about the barriers to PPI/E and how the Forum could help to address these.

Barriers included fear, language (e.g. jargon), lack of time, funding and training, and difficulty accessing patients and members of the public to involve.

People who attended the launch felt that the Forum could help by showcasing good practice in the region and providing things like mentoring and training. They also felt that the Forum could facilitate links between patients, the public and health researchers.

The Forum welcomes interested people living or working in the North West to join us; local organisations may also join as Corporate Members.

If you are interested in becoming a member, or would like more details on the Forum, please contact:

• Marisha Palm on 07554 413269 or at marisha.palm@northwest.nhs.uk

An exciting opportunity to get involved in the work of the Forum

The Forum is currently looking for professionals and interested members of the public from the North West to join a Training Working Group. The Working Group will meet on a monthly or bimonthly basis over twelve months, and the remit of the group will be:

1. to review the PPI/E training that is already available;
2. to identify additional training needs for patients/members of the public and researchers;
3. to explore how these needs can be met. Working Group members will be reimbursed for their time and expenses.

If you are interested joining the Working Group, please contact:

• Marisha Palm (details above)

The deadline for applications is 6 June 2011.