Watch this short film which explains why patient and public involvement in mental health research is so important.
Involvement is where members of the public are actively involved in research projects and in research organisations. It is where research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them’. Involvement might include helping researchers identify the most important questions to ask or the most important outcomes, helping design projects that make it easy to take part, helping to make sure any written materials are easy to understand, and helping to share the results of research. As a member of the public, a specialised knowledge of the research area is not needed in order to be involved in it. Neither are you required to be a medical expert. You may be asked to speak about your ‘lived experience’. This might be of a condition or illness that you have, or have had. It may be of caring for someone with a condition or illness. It might also be of your experience of using treatments or services, or your view as a public member. What is important is that as a PPI Contributor you are able to bring your own knowledge and experience to the research process, whether as a patient or from your work or personal life. Examples of patient and public involvement include:► What does involvement mean?
If you are a patient, carer or member of the public who works with us on the design and planning of research, or in a strategic advisory role, you are entitled to receive payment for your time and expenses. We have developed a Payment Policy in keeping with NIHR guidance and in line with other local policies. You can download the Payment Policy for the Public. The NIHR has published PPI payment guidance for member of the public who are involved in research. This includes important information if you are receiving state benefits, are receiving a retirement pension or are liable for income tax and National Insurance. If you are receiving state benefits, receiving any form of payment may affect your benefit claim, and therefore it is vital that you also get expert advice from a benefits advisor regarding your personal circumstances. You can chose whether or not to accept payment for involvement activities and can also ask to be paid a lower amount.► PPI Payment
In partnership with the Oxford BRC and Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley, we are hosting a series of PPI webinars. You can watch a recording of the webinars on the links below:► PPI Webinars
We partner with local health and research organisations to deliver a range of PPI related training. Current training includes: Each workshop and webinar covers a research-related topic, and discusses ways in which patients and members of the public can get involved. All events are free to attend and take place in Oxford or online. Visit our events pages for details of future workshops and webinars. Learning for Involvement: A website dedicated to learning and development for public involvement in research, hosted by the National Institute for Health Reearch. It brings public involvement resources and training together in one place. Public Reviewing with the National Institute for Health Research: An interactive course for PPI contributors who are providing feedback on a research document.► PPI Training
Whether you are currently involved with research, or are interested in getting involved, you might find the following of interest: If you come across any other resources that you think would be helpful to others, do please send the link to involvement@psych.ox.ac.uk and we will do our best to include them. Please also let us know if you find that any of the links have stopped working.► Useful resources
Visit the ‘Work with us to shape research‘ web page for details of our current involvement opportunities.