Setting up a journal club

I set up the journal club after I ran a workshop on ‘Critical Appraisal of Evidence’ as part of Harrow Council’s ‘Population Health Management Training’. I wanted to create a space where colleagues could keep those skills alive and use them in practice. That’s how the Population Health and Care Inequalities Journal Club came to life.

From the outset, the aim was clear: make it inclusive, engaging, and useful. Whether you were a seasoned researcher or someone who’d never read a journal article before, you were welcome. The vibe was relaxed, people brought their lunch, I wanted everyone to be able to ask any questions they had, and to come along even if they hadn’t read the paper. There was no pressure.

We met monthly, every first Thursday, in a hybrid format to accommodate different working styles. Each session was chaired by a rotating volunteer, who selected the article and led the discussion. We used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist to guide our critical appraisal, but the sessions were mostly free-flowing conversations. Topics ranged widely, from housing insecurity and mental health to the impact of dance on older adults’ cognition. The diversity of articles helped keep things fresh and relevant to different teams.

One of the strengths of the club is its cross-departmental reach. We had attendees from public health, adult and children’s social care, housing, the voluntary sector, and Integrated Care Board colleagues. This mix brought rich perspectives and helped bridge gaps between research and practice. The rotating chair model gave people a chance to build confidence in presenting and leading discussions, skills that are often hard to develop in day-to-day roles.

About 6 months in, I ran a survey to check how attendees were finding things. Feedback showed people wanted more teaching on research design and epidemiology basics, so we adapted to that. Myself and a public health consultant in the team ran teaching-style sessions, which were well received and helped build foundational knowledge.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. One challenge was getting volunteers to chair sessions; there was a fair bit of chasing involved. Attendance was steady but growing the club sustainably and achieving more and broader participation and attendance was challenging. More promotion and senior-level support could have helped broaden engagement. Another aspect I found challenging was trying to realistically gauge the extent to which the skills practiced and discussed in these sessions were actually transferable to real-world delivery. A primary worry being that many colleagues central to decision making, where rigorous evidence appraisal is critical, tended to be too busy to attend.

Despite these hurdles, the journal club has become a valuable space for learning, reflection, and connection. It’s helped as a starting point for embedding evidence-based thinking into our everyday work and given people a platform to develop new skills. If you’re thinking of setting up your own, my advice is: keep it simple, keep it inclusive, and be ready to adapt. The impact and feedback you get might surprise you.

This learning story was prepared with support from NIHR RSS Specialist Centre for Public Health delivered by Newcastle University and Partners. With thanks to London Borough of Harrow for providing the content.