Patient and Public Involvement

What is Patient and Public involvement?

Patient and Public involvement (PPI) is about researchers working in active partnerships with members of the public, working together to reach a collective outcome. Members of the public work alongside the research team and are actively involved in contributing to the research process as advisers and sometimes co-researchers. This approach is built on the principle that those who are affected by a service/health condition are best placed to help design research about it.

Patient and Public involvement is at the heart of all our partnership activities and we are keen to ensure representation from across the North West Coast region (Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside). Andrea Partridge is the project PPI lead and is being supported in her role by researcher Lesley Dunleavy. A PPI group has also been formed to support the work of the partnership.

The type of activities that the PPI lead and group will be involved in during the project includes:

• Prioritising studies

• Designing and managing studies

• Collecting and analysing data

• Disseminating and reporting findings.