Involvement is where members of the public are actively involved in research projects and in research organisations.

Involvement in the management of science

We have successfully recruited a number of PPI Advisors following a national advertisement of a PPI Advisor job description. We received a wide number of applications and held interviews over a two-day period, where candidates were asked to comment on our CLAHRC BITES and answer a series of questions. There was PPI involvement at all stages of the recruitment and selection processes.

We were particularly interested in the PPI Advisors who have similar roles in other health and social care organisations to bring together the people who inform service development with those who inform the research and evaluation of those services. The CLAHRC team is impressed with the skills, knowledge and expertise of PPI Advisors selected to join CLAHRC who come from a range of backgrounds.

All PPI Advisors come together three times per year to form the PPI Supervisory Committee. This Committee has outlined its own ways of working through the development of Terms of Reference.

Meet our PPI Advisors.

Involvement in the design of service interventions

CLAHRC WM operates within an intellectual framework, which we term ‘the IDEaL model’. This model aims to describe the stages involved in applied health research and illustrates how the CLAHRC Identifies, Develops, Evaluates and Leads service innovation. The model demonstrates that there are opportunities for service users, patients and the public to be involved in all stages from the identification of service needs, to the evaluation of the implementation of evidence into practice.

The research aspects of PPI are led by Dr Sophie Staniszewska and include studies specifically focusing on PPI and studies within the service themes that may include some aspect of PPI. The research strategy is being developed and will aim to respond to some of the recommendations outlined in ‘NIHR Going the Extra Mile’, the response to the NIHR Breaking Boundaries review recently published. The following two studies are currently underway:

1. Understanding the experience of patient and public involvement in research implementation – a longitudinal study of the role of public advisors, led by Dr Alison Hipwell. This study aims to explore the PPI Advisor role within CLAHRC West Midlands, how the role might develop over time and how involvement influences the implementation of research evidence.
2. A conceptual mapping of PPI in implementation research, led by Dr Lee Gunn. This study aims to outline previous work that has explored PPI in the implementation of research evidence, to understand gaps in the current knowledge base, which will highlight further areas to study.