Working Together in Research

The Innovation Hub has worked with the South Yorkshire VCSE Alliance, the ICB Engagement Team, the Yorkshire and Humber VCSE Alliance, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, and the Applied Research Collaborative to deliver a programme of work to diversify public participation in research, called ‘Working Together in Research’. 

In partnership with the VCSE Alliance Programme Director and voluntary community sector partners, we led on the co-design of a series of successful bids to NHS England for funding to encourage closer collaborations between voluntary community sector partners, research partners and our communities to ensure that no-one is excluded from research. 

As Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer of the ICB says, “it is important for us to build our connections with citizens from different backgrounds, some of whom may not have heard of or been involved in research previously. It’s only with participation from all the population that we serve that we can fully understand their needs and plan services to meet them”. 

Thanks to this funding, we have invested in two VCSE partners to lead the delivery of this programme, DiverseCity and the South Yorkshire Community Foundation. Thanks to their efforts, networks and knowledge of South Yorkshire’s communities, we have delivered: 

• A grants programme to invest in VCSE partners to capture and share their knowledge about the needs of the communities they serve, and how communities want to be involved in and approached around research, with 10 community organisations receiving funding 
• A series of co-design workshops, that have been designed and facilitated by community researchers, to bring together researchers and community groups to share knowledge and ideas about how to overcome barriers to research 
• Showcase workshops in different places in the region to showcase good practice that already exists in the region to make research more inclusive, and creating opportunities for voluntary and community organisations to participate in this activity. 

From this, we have developed a set of inclusive research principles and recommendations for future activity to diversify public participation in research – insights that have wider relevance to innovation and the engagement of the public in health and care more broadly. 

For the Hub, this has been a fantastic opportunity to build closer partnerships with voluntary and community partners, and a great example of what collaborative working between different partners can achieve in breaking down barriers and make the way we work more inclusive. 

To find out more please contact the hub team at sy.innovationhub@healthinnovationyh.com