How can I help?

You can make a difference at every stage of this project. You won’t be expected to have technical knowledge of how research works – you will be contributing with your experience of being a patient, family carer or interested member of the public. We would like people to become active partners, influencing and shaping our research.

We need your experiences and perspective on:

How the research is designed and how it happens – this means things like helping us to decide which questions to focus on
Making our research and findings easy to understand for everyone
How our results can make a difference to patients and their families
Making sure our findings are accessible to everyone – not just doctors and other researchers

What are we asking for?

There will be different ways of getting involved, depending on how much time you can spare. You might find yourself responding to questions, giving us feedback on ideas (or helping us write the next version of this leaflet!) You might talk to us on the phone, join a group call, or come to a meeting with other people like you who are supporting this project.

What support will I receive?

We want to make sure you have the training and support to have your say. We will be guided by your individual needs. For example, we can help you to use technology to take part in meetings, if that is a barrier for you. When face-to-face group meetings are possible again, we will make sure these are easy to get to and pay your travel expenses.

We want you to see the difference you’re making to the project: you will receive a regular newsletter updating you on the progress of the research and we will feedback after every meeting, on how your input has influenced our work. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend online events and educational sessions where we discuss the science underlying our research. Topics will include things like how artificial intelligence works.