Less research-engaged audiences 

Please allow at least 2-4 months (minimum) for the completion of the recruitment process.  This will ensure that you have the right person, at the right time, for the right opportunity. 

Stakeholder mapping

Next, you need to consider where and how to recruit the people you will need. 

Some prompts for you to consider are: 

• Where do you want to recruit members of the public and why? 

• How many people do you need to recruit? 

• What links or connections do you or partner organisations already? (e.g. NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, Healthwatch)

Non-traditional methods of recruitment will increase the likelihood of recruiting a greater diversity of participants and a more 'general public' viewpoint. If you cannot easily explain why you want a specific type of individual to take part, then you should reconsider your recruitment plan. 

Less research-aware audiences tend to be groups we don't know very well and have less direct access to through existing channels. We often need to engage with or seek out new partnerships with groups and organisations that already have established connections. 

You will need to consider who are your stakeholders, where are they and who they are already linked to. Some useful tools for you to use are provided below:  

• • The  Community Mapping Toolkit is a guide to community asset mapping for community groups and local organisations.

  • You will find an editable alternative template for stakeholder mapping on the NIHR Google Hub Lucid Spark app

  • There are a range of data tools available from Public Health England and The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. 

Accessibility and Inclusion 

You will need to consider if Public Partners need any additional support or have any accessibility needs to allow them to contribute or attend an activity. We have provided a few template examples and information below to assist you in your planning. Also, consider if you might need translation or interpretation as part of your planning for participants:  

• About me - template 

• Practical checklist for public engagement activities (UCL - content not managed by NIHR)

• Guidance on video calls with Zoom

• Online meeting etiquette

• List of NIHR acronyms

• Genomics England plain language guide and descriptors 

• The NIHR Reaching out Guide (2021)  

• INCLUDE Ethnicity Framework 

• Generation R and European YPAG Network joint toolkit for young people's advisory groups

• How to run accessible, inclusive hybrid events using Zoom, Teams and more

• Being inclusive in public involvement in health and care research (NIHR guidance )

Engagement methods

There are a number of different ways to engage or involve the public in your activity. If you are looking to gain insights from people who are less-research aware or those who have not taken part in health and care research before then you will need to think about what type of engagement method is best for the activity. 

Some examples of methods that work well are:

• • Online/in-person focus groups 

  • Online/in-person interviews 

  • Workshops 

  • Co-production or co-design 

  • Surveys 

Some useful resources about the different methods and how they work 'in action' are provided below (please note that we cannot be responsible for content external to NIHR): 

• • NIHR Toolkit - Increasing participation of Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups in health and social care research

  • Health Improvement Scotland's Toolkit has a wide range of different approaches to engaging and involving people;

  • Co-production Network for Wales has guidance on facilitating online in virtual spaces;

  • Good Things Foundation report on Digital Inclusion in Health and Care (2020);

  • Cancer Research UK - Choosing your patient engagement method;

  • NHS England - A bitesize guide to running focus groups;

  • Wellcome Trust - Step-by-step guide to planning public involvement 

  • Checklist for Public Engagement 

Support 

Public Partners, whether experienced or not, will still need a considerable amount of support to fulfil their role. This includes: 

• Admin support to organise payments, travel, accommodation and papers for meetings/events; 

• A point of contact for questions, technical queries (if online) and support before, during and after the planned activity; 

• A peer or 'buddy' to help them plan for their role and share responsibilities (consider recruiting 2 Public Partners as a minimum for any activity);  

• An induction meeting with the organisers before the event to ensure they have all the information they need; 

• An assessment of accessibility needs to allow them to contribute fully; 

• Assessment of content - Is it potentially triggering, or upsetting for the participant? 

Some content in user testing or larger consultations may involve sensitive topics and need special consideration before planning the activity. This is particularly true for health and social care-related projects. Many Public Partners will have personal experiences of many of the things we ask them about and may have lots of emotions attached to words/scenarios/disease types.  Some questions you might want to consider before planning your activity are: 

• Would it be considered sensitive outside of the context of your work? 

• Does the topic ask about private issues that could be stressful? e.g. marriage, death, illness

• Do any of the questions involve individuals revealing information that could be seen to be stigmatizing? e.g. gender  

If you find that the content is sensitive, then you should consider ongoing support for participants and provide them with signposting information if required. 

Thank you

Always follow up with participants and provide them with a thank you. This should be done as soon as possible after the event and as a minimum by the next working day. 

It is important to show public contributors that you appreciate their contributions. If you can, provide further information on any related follow-up activity where appropriate to do so.

Payments 

Please follow the advice of your host organisation/finance team as a first step. 

NIHR RDNCC teams hosted by the University of Leeds should follow this guidance Process for payment of public contributors for the University of Leeds hosted teams (NIHR RDNCC).

Some key considerations for Public Partners before and after their activity include: 

• Before recruitment - inform them of how much to expect and predicted payment time scales; 

• As soon as possible - provide the forms and information for people to claim for their time and expenses, including a named point of contact. Offer support to complete this process if needed;  

• As soon as possible - confirm receipt of the claim form. You will need to check claims have been completed correctly and remind Public Partners of the expected timeframe for reimbursement;

• Don't delay - some people will respond faster than others so don't delay submitting payments until you have them all. Submit as soon as they are received and checked;

• Follow up - send an email or call those who are delayed in submitting their claims. They may need some help to complete them.  

Remember that some Public Partners cannot receive payments or do not wish to due to personal circumstances or preferences. Please discuss this with your participants and contact the RDNCC PPIE Team with any queries in this instance.