Getting the ducks in line: Public involvement in research and organisational development

2014 Conference

Abstract: The Quality and Outcomes of person-centred care Research Unit (QORU) is a Policy Research Unit funded by the Department of Health formally launched in January 2011. QORU aims to improve the health and social care of people with long-term conditions through research.

This paper describes the journey so far in ensuring that public involvement is embedded in the work of the Unit. The means developed to deliver this was through the establishment of a Public Involvement Implementation Group (PIIG) to develop, oversee and monitor the implementation of public involvement and the setting up of a group of lay research advisors to support individual research projects. This initiative combines an over-arching planning function with practical elements to help move involvement forward. There are a number of key features. The PIIG is made up of researchers and the public working side by side to come up with solutions to issues. The Group has identified and piloted different ways to pro-actively connect with researchers. Twenty-five research advisors support a varied collection of research studies including economic evaluation, which has been considered a more challenging area to involve the public. It has been a mutually beneficial experience to share and learn from this public/researcher collaboration which was introduced across three universities where no existing systems for involvement were in place.

This exciting work is on-going and raises multiple issues for discussion including monitoring the consistency and representation of involvement, measuring impact and the resource implications of establishing a fully effective public involvement programme.