Working in Partnership with People and Communities

Our Involvement and Engagement Strategy 2026–2029

NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) > Public Involvement > Public Involvement & Engagement Strategy

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Working in partnership with patients, carers, service users, communities and the public has been central to the SPCR since its inception. These partnerships help ensure that primary care research addresses issues that matter to people, is informed by lived experience, and produces evidence that is relevant, meaningful and improves health and care. We are committed to building long-term, respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with people and communities. We recognise that meaningful partnerships take time to develop and are strengthened through trust, shared learning and ongoing collaboration.

Our strategy sets out what we want to achieve by 2029 and the key activities that will support delivery. Some activities are delivered directly by the SPCR Directorate, while others are supported by researchers, public involvement and engagement leads and departments across the School. The strategy therefore sets out how SPCR will lead, support and promote involvement and engagement across the School, while helping researchers and departments to strengthen their own involvement and engagement practice.

It aligns with the UK Standards for Public Involvement, the NIHR Strategic Commitment to Public Partnerships and complements the SPCR Research Inclusion Strategy.

Building on our strengths

Following our previous strategy, the SPCR has strengthened involvement and engagement across its leadership and decision-making, funding and research activities. We have developed strong partnerships with public partners, expanded opportunities to influence decisions, supported collaborative working between researchers and communities, and created ways to share learning across the School.

Over the next three years, we will build on this by continuing to:

strengthen practice, identify opportunities for improvement and innovation, and maximise our legacy (long-term impact and benefits) for public involvement and engagement in primary care research.
invest in people, partnerships, learning and funding opportunities that help create inclusive and meaningful opportunities for people and communities to be involved in primary care research.
develop and sustain long-term partnerships that continue to strengthen public involvement and engagement across SPCR and beyond 2029
contribute to the wider future of involvement and engagement by sharing learning, building skills and confidence, and strengthening partnerships across and beyond the SPCR.

Our Ambitions

By 2029, we want involvement and engagement to be more inclusive, more influential and more visible across SPCR research, decision-making and activities. We want a broader range of people and communities to be involved, stronger and more sustainable partnerships, and clearer evidence of the difference that involvement and engagement make. We will do this through the following five ambitions

Five-step infographic showing involvement and engagement priorities: making participation more inclusive and accessible; building stronger public partnerships; developing skills, confidence and leadership; improving communication and public engagement with primary care research; and enabling public involvement in commissioning.

Find out more about each of our ambitions below:

UK Standard: Inclusive Opportunities

We will work to broaden the range of people involved in primary care research and reduce barriers to involvement and engagement. We will work to create opportunities for people and communities who are currently under-represented within SPCR activities, face barriers to being involved in research, or have not previously had opportunities to contribute to research. We want involvement opportunities to be inclusive not only in who takes part, but also in whose perspectives help shape research, priorities and decision-making.

What success looks like by 2029
- Better understanding of who is involved in SPCR research, governance and decision-making activities and which communities may be under-represented or face barriers to involvement and engagement
- Opportunities available for a broader and more diverse range of people and communities to be involved in SPCR research, involvement, engagement and decision-making activities.
- Involvement and engagement activities are accessible, flexible and inclusive, and identified accessibility barriers are addressed
- Stronger partnerships between SPCR, researchers, community and voluntary organisations.
How we will achieve this

We will:
- understand who is currently involved and who may be missing from SPCR research and activity
- review accessibility across SPCR involvement and engagement activities and develop recommendations to improve inclusivity
- provide accessible formats, interpretation, translation and other support where appropriate
- work with community organisations to reach people who are less likely to be involved in research
- continue funding initiatives that support inclusive involvement and community partnerships
- share learning from successful inclusive approaches across SPCR
- provide training, resources and examples of good practice in inclusive involvement
- strengthen relationships with community and voluntary organisations and support collaboration across SPCR departments
UK Standard: Working Together, Governance

We will strengthen meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with public partners, ensuring their perspectives continue to inform SPCR governance and decision-making. By meaningful involvement, we mean involvement that genuinely influences research or organisational decisions. Governance refers to the ways decisions are made and how SPCR’s work is overseen and held accountable. We want public partnerships to be influential, valued and embedded across all aspects of the School’s work, ensuring a wide range of public perspectives help inform research, decision-making, and future research priorities.

What success looks like by 2029
- Public partners can identify examples where their views have influenced SPCR decision-making, funding processes, SPCR-funded research and primary care research priorities
- Public partners feel valued, recognised and well supported, and report positive experiences of involvement.
- The quality of involvement is regularly reviewed and improved
- Public partners have opportunities to share feedback and influence future practice
- Public partners can see how their feedback has been used and receive updates on resulting actions
How we will achieve this

We will:
- continue and strengthen the role of the SPCR Public Steering Group
- support public partner involvement in Board meetings and key decision-making forums
- provide regular communication and updates for public partners
- gather feedback on experiences of involvement and use learning to improve practice
- review involvement and engagement activity reported through SPCR-funded projects
- celebrate and recognise public partner contributions through communications and awards
- promote opportunities for public partners and communities to inform future primary care research priorities
UK Standard: Support and Learning

We will build capability, confidence and leadership across the SPCR community, providing the skills, support and resources needed to deliver high-quality involvement and engagement. We will support researchers, public partners and PPIE leads to develop their knowledge, skills and confidence and make the most of opportunities available to them. Building capability will help ensure that high-quality involvement and engagement become a routine part of primary care research.

What success looks like by 2029
- Researchers are confident in embedding meaningful involvement which adds value to their work
- Public partners feel equipped to contribute to research and governance
- Learning and development opportunities are routinely available to researchers, public partners and PPIE leads across the SPCR
- Early-career researchers develop involvement skills from the start of their careers
- SPCR expertise, learning and resources continue to be shared and recognised across the wider research and involvement community
- Public partners have opportunities to develop their skills, confidence and experience in ways that reflect their interests and aspirations
- Public partners report increased confidence, knowledge and skills as a result of their involvement
How we will achieve this

We will:
- deliver involvement and engagement training for researchers, public partners, PPIE leads and other members of the SPCR community
- maintain and develop guidance, resources and tools
- support departmental PPIE infrastructure through annual funding
- provide development opportunities for public partners that help build knowledge, skills and confidence, and reflect their interests, aspirations and preferred ways of contributing
- promote learning opportunities through SPCR communications
- support trainee researchers through dedicated PPIE activities and funding opportunities
- facilitate sharing of expertise, learning and resources across SPCR
- contribute to national conversations and leadership in involvement and engagement
UK Standard: Communication

We will make primary care research accessible, visible and relevant to people and communities. We want people and communities to understand how research contributes to improving health and care, and to see the difference their involvement can make.

What success looks like by 2029
- SPCR-funded research findings are communicated in accessible formats
- More people have opportunities to engage with primary care research, including those who do not usually engage with research
- Researchers are more confident and effective in sharing findings with public audiences
- Public understanding of primary care research increases
How we will achieve this

We will:
- share accessible summaries of SPCR-funded research
- require Plain English summaries within project reporting
- create opportunities for public engagement through events and collaborations
- support creative and innovative engagement activities through funding
- provide dissemination and knowledge mobilisation training and guidance for researchers
- showcase SPCR research through public-facing communications and events
UK Standard: Impact

We will capture, demonstrate and share the difference that involvement and engagement make across SPCR research, governance and wider activities. We will focus on understanding and evidencing the outcomes and changes that result from involvement and engagement, rather than simply recording activity. We will also ensure that the knowledge, relationships and learning developed through SPCR continue to benefit primary care research and involvement and engagement practice beyond the lifetime of this strategy.

What success looks like by 2029
- The impact of involvement and engagement is routinely captured, evaluated and used to inform future practice.
- Learning is actively shared across SPCR and the wider research community
- Examples of good practice are recognised and celebrated
- SPCR contributes to the evidence base for involvement and engagement in primary care research
How we will achieve this

We will:
- require reports on involvement and engagement activities for all funded awards
- review annual and final reports to identify impact and learning
- develop case studies highlighting both successes and challenges
- facilitate learning and knowledge exchange of good practice through events, webinars, blogs, case studies and showcase activities.
- recognise outstanding contributions through awards and recognition schemes
- contribute learning to relevant national and international involvement and engagement networks through membership, presentations, publications, collaborations and shared learning activities

Working in Partnership with People and Communities

Building on our strengths

Our Ambitions

Find out more about each of our ambitions below:

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Working in Partnership with People and Communities

Building on our strengths

Our Ambitions

Find out more about each of our ambitions below:

1. Making involvement and engagement more inclusive and accessible

2. Stronger public partnerships

3. Building skills, confidence and leadership for involvement and engagement

4. Improving communication and public engagement with primary care research

5. Capturing and sharing learning and impact of involvement and engagement

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