Research Involvement Group

There are a number of ways that service users and patients and carers are involved in research within the Trust, not only as a potential research participant.

A new Research Involvement Group (RIG) has recently been set up in the Trust. The group meets on a monthly basis and gives researchers the chance to come along and get advice from service users and carers. The group discusses the potential patient benefits of their research ideas, help with the recruitment process and ways to ensure their research is more ethically sound.

The RIG also meet up to review mainly student research projects (non-portfolio studies) and review around three projects per month looking at participant sensitive issues such as the recruitment and informed consent process.

Keith Hardcastle from Barnsley has been a member of the RIG since it was set up and thinks it’s a great way for people to get involved and help others.

“I decided to join the RIG after I received a letter asking if I would be interested in being a member. I decided to go for it; I had an interview and was told I’d been successful.

“I wanted to be in the group so I could help other people, I used to be involved in a cardiac care network group and enjoyed that. Being on the RIG means I can help others to get better care, whether that’s now or in the foreseeable future. Even if I help one person I will have achieved something.

“Being in the RIG has taught me a lot of things. We get to meet researchers who are looking to set up studies. As a group, we look at the studies and give our feedback and comments. We then get to see how the study is going and the results afterwards.

“Being in the group is great, I’ve got to meet others and I am now a representative for the Trust Action Group, which looks at all research and development projects across the Trust. I’ve been to lots of different meetings and met professors to talk about research.

“I think the RIG is a great move for the Trust, it’s a way of getting service users and carers’ perspective on things, asking them how they feel about the research taking place. The group helps the Trust to understand our feedback.

“I would encourage others to join if they get out of it as much as I have they will really enjoy it. Being a member has really opened my eyes. I’ve learned a lot about Trust services and have got to discuss different things as part of a group.”

If you would like to attend a meeting to discuss your research idea or current study with the group, please contact the research and development team at research@swyt.nhs.uk or call 01924 316289.

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