Marking Milestones: Celebrating Public Involvement on the Shared Commitment Anniversary

Today marks the third anniversary of the launch of the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement. As recent signatories, we at the School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) are proud to join over 30 other research organisations in advocating that public involvement is ‘important, expected and possible in all types of health and social care research’

To mark this occasion, we reflect on our achievements, progress and aspirations for the future of public involvement within the SPCR and the broader health and care research landscape.  

Involving the public in decision-making  

One of our most significant achievements in the past year has been the establishment of the SPCR Public Steering Group. This group supports the SPCR in making decisions related to public involvement and engagement from a public perspective. This includes informing and monitoring progress against the SPCR Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Strategy and holding the SPCR accountable for its delivery.

With 19 diverse members bringing a range of backgrounds, experiences, and community connections, the Steering Group has already made a meaningful impact, contributing to several key initiatives:

• Co-developing our Ways of Working, outlining the group's goals, collaboration methods, and expectations for involvement.
• Shaping the scope of our recent funding round, advocating for the inclusion of public involvement in research applications and prioritising projects focused on health inequalities.
• Reviewing presentations for our Bite-Size Impact Showcases to ensure accessibility for a public audience.
• Setting objectives for the final two years of this phase of the SPCR, with an emphasis on inclusion, engagement, and sharing our learnings and achievements.

To strengthen the link between the Steering Group and SPCR leadership, two members have been appointed to represent the group at SPCR Board Meetings. This ensures that discussions at the Steering Group level influence decision-making at the highest level of governance.

Amanda Threlfall, SPCR Public Steering Group Member and Board Member, reflected on her involvement:

“As a member of the steering group it is good to meet and learn from other members, especially good to have met in person, and it feels like there is a real commitment to identify and implement improvements. This is clear in the Board meetings and working groups, such as for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). I feel like our voice is heard and valued, and I hope that funding for the school will continue beyond the current extension.”

Joining the Shared Commitment has also opened up further opportunities for our Public Steering Group to drive change and influence policy. Going forward, two Steering Group members will join the Shared Commitment public contributors meetings and quarterly Shared Learning Group meetings as representatives of the SPCR. Having public partners attending these meetings provides invaluable opportunities to bring forward insights and issues raised by the SPCR Public Steering Group, contributing to wider discussions with organisations that, together, have the power to drive significant change.

Building capacity for public involvement

A continuing area of focus for the SPCR is providing opportunities to build capacity for public involvement. We are dedicated to ensuring that researchers, members of the public and all those involved in research have the skills, knowledge and support they need to deliver meaningful public involvement activities.

This means providing spaces—both formal and informal—to share learning around PPIE, as well as funding initiatives that explore new, inclusive ways to meaningfully involve communities that are underserved by research.

A few highlights from the past year include:

• Launching our ‘PPIE in Practice’ video series -  this series features candid conversations with researchers about their experiences with public involvement in their research. Each episode offers practical examples of how the public can be involved in research, as well as learnings on how challenges to involvement can be navigated.

• Funding for creative and novel public involvement activities  - in its second successful round, this fund has supported six projects exploring creative ways to involve underserved communities in primary care research. We are also celebrating the completion of projects funded through our first round during an online showcase (open to all) on 12^th March. During this event researchers and public partners will share insights and lessons learned from these projects which included innovative and creative approaches to involving children and young people, women with lived experience of extensive trauma, those with chronic pain, and other underserved communities. This year, we are also planning to launch a PPIE Enablement Fund, to continue to providing support for researchers to expand  their public involvement and engagement activities – whether it be working with a new community, making involvement plans more inclusive, or disseminating their research in more accessible ways.

• Facilitating public involvement and engagement meetings for SPCR undergraduate interns  - providing them with first-hand experience of obtaining feedback from the public on their summer research projects and practicing communicating research to a public audience.

Looking to the future

As we look ahead, we envision a future where public involvement is more inclusive, impactful, and embedded at every level of decision-making. Although we are still in the early stages of our Shared Commitment journey, we already see opportunities to strengthen public involvement within SPCR by learning from others and identifying new avenues for collaboration.

Reflecting on our commitment, SPCR Director, Professor Christian Mallen shared:

“Joining the Shared Commitment has opened up opportunities for the SPCR to connect with other leading health and care research organisations and share insights on public involvement. It’s still early days, but we’re excited to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and work together on new approaches to involvement. Looking ahead, we hope to apply what we learn and put new ideas into practice at the SPCR, helping us lead by example in strengthening public involvement.”

In pledging to the Shared Commitment, we have outlined our key priorities for the future, which include:

• Providing opportunities for public partners to meaningfully influence the SPCR’s decision-making. This includes sustaining our Public Steering Group, ensuring public involvement in our Board, and incorporating public voices in our funding panels. We will continue to seek new opportunities to involve the public in influencing the direction of the SPCR.  

• Facilitating opportunities for training and knowledge-sharing within and beyond, the SPCR community (including researchers, public partners and support staff) to build skills for, and promote, inclusive and innovative public involvement.

• Providing dedicated funding for public involvement to support researchers in trialling new and creative approaches, and  enhancing our understanding of involving communities underserved by research. 

• Fostering a culture of reflection and improvement by regularly evaluating how we involve the public and providing opportunities for constructive feedback. Through this, we strive to enhance our public involvement activities and processes.

As we celebrate this milestone alongside other organisations, we reaffirm our commitment to championing public involvement in health and care research. By working together, sharing insights, and embracing innovation, we can create a more inclusive and impactful research environment for the future.