PSP093: Research Ready Communities

The Research Ready Communities Programme aims to work in partnership with communities to make health and care research more inclusive and responsive to their needs.  

The outcomes of the Research Ready Communities Programme are to: 

• Build a long-term, reciprocal partnership with people from under-served communities and organisations working in these communities.

• Improve NIHR’s understanding of the under-served community needs and demonstrate how NIHR can best facilitate their involvement and participation in health and care research; 

• Increase local research awareness and engagement within under-served communities.

The Research Ready Communities Programme provides a framework and methodology for RRDN staff to engage with under-served communities in their region. The methodology and activities have been designed using established and evidence-based community engagement practices and techniques. 

The Programme involves the following steps:

1. Partner with local organisations working in and with relevant under-served communities; 

2. Together with Partners, recruit and train Community Champions from the community; 

3. Support Community Champions to hold listening conversations with people in their networks and to map community assets;

4. Review findings from Community Champions’ listening conversations and asset mapping. With Community Champions and Partners, use these findings to plan the next steps for improving inclusion in research for the community; 

5. Implement agreed next steps in partnership with local organisations and Community Champions; 

6. Identify a pathway for continued engagement with Partners and Community Champions.

A detailed overview of the Framework and methodology is provided on the Public Engagement toolkit. A copy of the report from the pilot year of the Programme can also be found on the toolkit.

The Programme should be implemented with a flexible approach. Networks should consider appropriate adaptations and timelines and develop these according to the local context and the needs of the community. Given the time-intensive nature of this work and to support the development of meaningful engagement and long-term relationship building, RRDNs are encouraged to focus on the continuation of existing programmes during 2024/25. 

Research Ready Communities requires a considerable amount of both human and financial resourcing in order to achieve the Programme’s intended outcomes. This is the only way to ensure that engagement is effective, meaningful and sustainable.

A lasting commitment to community engagement is encouraged. 

Continued engagement activities and resourcing needs to facilitate community engagement programmes should be agreed with host organisations and linked delivery organisations so that communities are kept informed of what to expect and what comes next during the programme.

This approach also needs to be considered and incorporated into annual budget planning for RRDNs and reported into the 2% ring fenced under served communities budget datasheet for the RRDN region. 

For 2024/25 we recommend that RRDNs award a one-off payment to their chosen delivery organisation/community partner of between £2000-£5000 per annum. The payment should be used to cover costs related to the delivery of the Programme (e.g. the use of meeting venues, event costs, staff time). The amount awarded and the breakdown of specific activities to be included in this arrangement should be agreed in advance and tailored according to the delivery organisation's needs and financial process.

Delivery organisations are advised to use this award to provide recognition payments or other forms of recognition (e.g. vouchers) to their Community Champions, this will depend on Partners' volunteer/staff payment policies, and Community Champions' individual circumstances. For example, special arrangements may be needed if volunteers are in receipt of welfare benefits, or if they are a member of staff that needs their time to be funded during their contracted project hours. Regardless of whether a recognition fee is deemed appropriate, funding should be offered in advance of any activity. This ensures that Community Champions' expenses related to their involvement in the Programme can be paid upfront (e.g. travel expenses) where possible, so that they are never out of pocket for taking part. 

The Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre (RDNCC) recommends that this amount is allocated to the programme and its activities to ensures that community engagement is meaningful, impactful and sustainable. However, we recognise that local capacity and available resources will determine the level that RRDNs are able to commit to this recommendation. 

Reimbursement or payment for Community Champions

Where delivery  organisations or RRDNs work with Community Champions as part of the programme or it's activities,  recognition payments or reimbursement should be offered. The appropriate involvement fee rate should be agreed in advance and in line with RRDN or delivery organisations' finance processes and rates. NIHR guidance on involvement fee rates can be used to support this process where useful. RRDNs should also share information about available sources of information of support and advice related to payments for involvement activities. 

The Coordinating Centre will provide ongoing access to a comprehensive toolkit of resources that RRDNs can use and adapt for implementation of their local Programmes. This resource will be kept updated  as required. 

RRDNs are actively encouraged to capture learnings, challenges, successes and impact from the delivery of local Research Ready Communities Programmes.  Due to the nature of the Programme, qualitative methods, such as, case studies and interviews with Community Champions and delivery organisations are likely to be most effective and appropriate. Impact and learning should be reported using  available communication platforms, monthly meetings and drop-in sessions and on request for the collection of data for impact reporting.  Throughout the programme, we recommend that Community Champions and delivery organisations should receive updates and feedback on the impact of their activities.  

Community Champions can be recruited by RRDNs or delivery organisations, and every Community Champion is required to be registered with one of these organisations. There should be a clear record of, and Community Champions themselves should be clear about, which delivery organisation they are registered with. Regular contact should be maintained with Community Champions and delivery organisations in a way that is appropriate to the local context. 

Research Champions, Community Champions, JDR Champions and other Public Partners will receive the same basic induction training for their role. 

This training will cover: 

1. An introduction to health and social care research 

2. Ways to take part in research and potential benefits to taking part 

3. An introduction to the NIHR and its role in research

4. Inclusion in research and under-served groups  

5. Methods for engaging and talking to people about research 

6. An introduction to Be Part of Research and Join Dementia Research 

7. Overview of the NIHR and own organisation e.g. RRDN or delivery organisation

8. Induction to the data privacy and safeguarding protocols relevant to their role and signing of the Data Privacy and Confidentiality Agreement

9. Overview of the Community Champion role description

10. Induction to recognition and payment policy and processes and to expenses protocols how to claim expenses and what expenses are covered

11. Introduction to the staff contact for the Community Champion during their volunteering 

12. Signpost to People in Research website to find out about opportunities for involvement in health and social care research

13. Signpost to the MOOCs: What is health research? and Improving Healthcare through Clinical Research 

Additional training that provides the knowledge and skills required for specific roles (e.g. Community Champion, JDR Champion) will be provided by RRDNs to relevant individuals and will be in addition to this induction training. 

The Research Ready Communities Programme will interact with and support the RRDN Research Champion Programmes in a number of ways. For example: 

• Research Champions may join the Research Ready Communities Programme as a Community Champion, in order to address lack of research awareness in their community; 

• Community Champions may become Research Champions as a result of their involvement in the Research Ready Communities Programme; 

• Members of the local community may be recruited as Research Champions as a result of Research Ready Communities Programme activities e.g. awareness raising events;

• Existing Research Champions may like to use methods and resources from the Programme to engage members of their own communities and networks about research;

• RRDNs may facilitate peer exchange and learning opportunities between Community Champions and Research Champions, to help share skills and provide networking opportunities amongst Public Partners. 

Interaction between the two Programmes will depend on local context, opportunities, RRDN capacity and set up of local Programmes.

The organisation with whom an individual Community Champion is registered as a volunteer (this could be a delivery organisation or the RRDN) is responsible for ensuring that the Community Champion is aware of, and supported to comply with the relevant policies and protocols for volunteers within their own organisations. This includes policies on, but are not limited to:

• Safeguarding

• Data Privacy and Confidentiality

• Health and Safety

• Expenses, payment and recognition

Organisations registering Community Champions should make them aware of such policies as part of their induction. Any breaches of such policies should be dealt with in accordance with the organisation’s own processes. 

As the Research Ready Communities Programme is an NIHR initiative we retain responsibility for the safe and high-quality implementation of the Programme, regardless of whether it is a delivery organisation that actually registers a Community Champion as a volunteer. 

RRDNs need to ensure they can demonstrate they have provided reasonable support to delivery organisations who are recruiting Community Champions to mitigate any safety, quality or reputational risks that may arise. 

If an RRDN is aware of another possible risk not included here this should be raised with the RDNCC via rdncc.ppie@leeds.ac.uk.

RRDNs are responsible for informing the RDNCC of any issues they are aware of involving a Community Champion that they believe immediately constitutes, or could constitute in the future, a risk to the reputation of the NIHR. They should do this by contacting the Head of Public Engagement, Angela Polanco at angela.polanco@nihr.ac.uk at the earliest available opportunity.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions each year by carrying out DBS checks (previously known as Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) that result in certificates being issued to an individual. Employers can then ask to see this certificate to ensure that they are recruiting suitable people into their organisation. DBS also maintains the adult’s and children's Barred Lists and makes considered decisions as to whether an individual should be included on one or both of these lists and barred from engaging in regulated activity. 

Whether a Community Champion needs a DBS check depends on the types of activity they will be doing in their role and which patients and the public they will be engaging with through those activities. As the national role description for Community Champions doesn’t specify the exact activities and groups a Community Champion  might engage with, RRDNs will need to make decisions locally about when a DBS may be required. The Disclosure and Barring Service has extensive guidance on eligibility for DBS checks, and the different levels of checks that can be run, as well as a tool for helping work out if an employee or volunteer needs a check.

1. The DBS has a phone line that anyone can call for guidance on DBS checks. RRDNs are encouraged to use this service if they need advice because the RDNCC (meaning both the RDNCC PPIE team and all other functions) does not have specialist knowledge about the DBS. 

Some delivery organisations may require that any volunteer working on their premises needs a DBS check. This is understandable, due to the vulnerability of people the Community Champions may come into contact with while volunteering there. Therefore, where Community Champions are recruited by delivery organisations, those organisations should follow their own policies on DBS checks. If RRDNs are recruiting Community Champions that they wish to ‘place’ within settings like hospitals it is worth checking if those settings will require Community Champions to have DBS checks to do volunteering activities on site. 

Angela Polanco

National Head of Public Partnerships 

Email: angela.polanco@nihr.ac.uk

Gwynneth Cracknell

Senior Manager for Public Partnerships

Email: rdnncc.ppie@leeds.ac.uk

CRB: Criminal Records Bureau

DBS: Disclosure and Barring Service

INCLUDE: Innovations in Clinical Trial Design and Delivery for the Under-served 

NIHR: National Institute for Health and Care Research 

POF: Performance and Operating Framework 

PPIE: Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement 

RDN: Research Delivery Network

RDNCC: Research Delivery Network Coordinating Centre

RRDN: Regional Research Delivery Networks

There are many existing tools and guides around public engagement and involvement in research that RRDNs may find useful to consult when planning their Research Ready Communities Programmes. Please refer to the PPIE Toolkit for further information and resources.

Version number: 4.0 

Effective from date: 01 October 2024 

Changes from V3.0:

• Updates to language and terminology from CRN to RDN and from LCRN to RRDN and Partner organisation to Delivery organisation 

• Removal of PPIE impact framework reporting requirements

• Removal of reference to LCRN level funding for the programme 2024/25