Embedded Files
15 May 2025
Dr Bronia Arnott, Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Methodologist from NIHR Research Support Service Hub delivered by Newcastle University and Partners, and Kasia Kurowska, Public and Community Partnerships Manager from the SCPH, led a Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) workshop earlier this month, with colleagues from NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRC) Blackpool and North Yorkshire.
REM is a participatory, qualitative, evaluation tool and requires active stakeholder input to capture wider (intended and unintended) impacts of a project or programme. REM studies how an intervention or action contributes towards change.
The REM process is an effective way to get information from participants and on to paper in a visual way.
Bronia initially worked with community co-researchers from NIHR HDRC Blackpool to understand the role of community co-research on an NIHR PHIRST Fusion evaluation of the Cosy Homes in Lancashire initiative. They wanted to understand the difference that they made to the evaluation, and the impact that being a community co-researcher on the project had on them.
Bronia and the community co-researchers then presented their findings at a keynote presentation at the NIHR HDRC Blackpool annual learning event in Autumn 2024. They also hosted a workshop on REM, which a member of HDRC North Yorkshire participated in. They recognised the potential of the method and requested support with training their staff on REM.
On Thursday 1 May, Bronia, along with colleagues from HDRC Blackpool including their community co-researcher and the co-research officer, and Kasia, led localities leads from North Yorkshire Council and HDRC North Yorkshire colleagues through a REM training workshop. The group evaluated one of their flagship community anchor projects and considered the intended and unintended impacts of the funding and identified how it had made a difference to community resilience in local areas of North Yorkshire.
Following the session, Charlotte Hunt, Research Involvement Officer from NIHR HDRC North Yorkshire said: “I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for teaching us and sharing your knowledge and experience. The feedback following the session has been incredibly positive, and we will take this learning forward.”
Dr Arnott will be speaking about REM and its use in evaluation at our next training webinar ‘Evaluating public and community involvement’ on Thursday 29 May – there are limited places available!
The SCPH are now considering how we can develop further REM sessions to spread skills and learning for local authorities across England.
If you’d like to be involved in this work, please let us know: nihr.rss.publichealth@newcastle.ac.uk
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse