Blog by Peter Smith
Before retirement I worked as a registered social worker for over 40 years. On retiring I involved myself in Public Patient Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) work due to having long term health conditions and a continuing interest in adult social care. One of my volunteering roles is to work with the social work team at Teesside University. We celebrate World Social Work Day annually and this year, on the 18th March 2025 we held a morning session at the university for MA and BA students, practitioners and PPIE representatives on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Work.
My wife, Debbie and I (another PPIE representative and registered social worker) gave a 30-minute presentation on our involvement with AI in health and social care. I was able to draw on the research I had been involved with through AI MULTIPLY and other universities research, such as AIM-CISC at Edinburgh University. I talked about the definition of AI and its subset, Generative AI. I explained how researchers are using AI and large datasets to identify effective medical treatments using information obtained from our individual health records. I talked about how researchers, clinical specialists and public contributors are coming together to share findings and discuss how research should be developed further. I was able to explain how researchers are now able to identify commonalities between family members, how AI helps identify detailed correlations between conditions and outcomes and how two or more health conditions can interact and create issues for medication prescribing. We talked about the ethical considerations of using AI, how data is gathered, public perception and the concerns being expressed regarding where the use of AI may lead.
The remainder of the event focused on how AI is being introduced to local authority social care departments as a way of assisting with recording of assessments, supporting supervision sessions and identifying appropriate legislation. We concluded by considering how AI would influence our lives over the coming years in the same way computers did when introduced 60+ years ago.
AI MULTIPLY PPIE GROUP members and researchers attend the Participatory AI Research & Practice Symposium in Paris, February 2025
AI-MULTIPLY PPIE group members and researchers attended the Participatory AI Research & Practice Symposium, organised to coincide with the AI Action Summit, in Paris on February 8th. Here, they showcased a range of the PPIE work which has been taking place on the project, videos and posters of which can be viewed at the links below:
Duncan Reynolds (Research Associate WP4) and Victoria Bartle (PPIE lay member) presented work on how everyday decision makers have been targeted to improve PPIE voices being heard in the talk “Democratising research through PPIE and ECR collaboration in an AI-in-Healthcare research project”.
Elizabeth Remfry (PhD student) showcased her use of creative methods to involve traditionally excluded voices in AI research in her talk “Using arts-based methods to include the perspectives of underrepresented groups in the development of artificial intelligence tools in healthcare research”.
Alex Thompson (PPIE member – Post-doctoral research fellow) exhibited a poster evaluating the PPIE activates so far on the project, with recommendations for the future. The poster was titled “Evaluating public and patient involvement and engagement in AI-driven healthcare research project”.
All the research was very positively received.
Susan Mountain – PPIE member awarded British Empire Medal (BEM)
Congratulations to Susan Mountain, one of our PPIE members, for being awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) as part of the New Years Honours List, for sharing her story of becoming addicted to cigarettes as a teenager, getting cancer and the impact it had on her loved ones.
This related to Susan’s tireless work and services to Public Health and supporting people to give up smoking through the “stop smoking campaigns”. Ms Mountain has been part of anti-smoking TV campaigns and has addressed parliamentary groups on the issue many times.
It’s really great to see this important work recognised nationally through such awards.
She said: “It’s an honour – when I first found out I was running around crying.”
“I think most people given the opportunity to help others would do the same,” she said.
Blog by Olivia Grant
I attended the first AIM RSF conference, my first foray into the world of medical-related events. As someone new to research and the realm of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE), I found the experience both stimulating and fascinating. Having been a caregiver to my husband as he battled multiple health issues in his final years, I was acutely aware of the complexities that come with managing various conditions and issues.
Victoria’s introductory talk at the conference was nothing short of brilliant. Her insights resonated with me and many others in attendance, shaping the discussions and interactions over the next two days. It was inspiring to see how her words were referenced and used to explain the importance of engaging PPIE members in research projects.
Listening to the conversations between PPIE members and researchers, including those involved in AI Multiply, filled me with hope. The commitment to meaningful engagement and the collaborative spirit displayed by all involved reinforced my belief in the potential of the PPIE project structure we had planned. It was clear that the groundwork laid during the first two years of our research was leading us in the right direction.
Overall, the conference was a valuable learning experience for me as a relative newcomer to this world. I am excited to continue exploring ways to support and enable medics and researchers in their efforts to improve patient experience and outcomes through effective PPIE initiatives.
Please read the AIM RSF newsletter with insight to the AI MULTIPLY project from Sue Mountain and Dave Taylor, members of AI-MULTIPLY’s patient advisory group.