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The Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) joins public involvement pledge
The Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR), Research Centre at the University of East Anglia, has joined the Health Research Authority (HRA) the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and a host of other leading organisations to improve public involvement in research.
Dr Jurgen Grotz at IVR said:
“We believe that Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement is volunteer involvement. Signing this pledge reinforces our commitment to strengthening ethical, high‑quality volunteer involvement research and ensuring that the contribution of volunteers is recognised and supported.”
IVR has signed up to the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement, which aims to drive up standards by improving the quality of public involvement across the health and research sector.
The Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) joins over 30 leading health and research organisations including, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK Research and Innovation and Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
Dr Matt Westmore, HRA Chief Executive, says:
“It’s great to have the Institute for Volunteering Research (IVR) join our Shared Commitment to Public Involvement.
We launched the Shared Commitment with other leading organisations, to raise the profile, value and importance of public involvement in health and social care research.
Together we are sending a very strong message to the research system that public involvement in the design and delivery of research is essential and must be taken seriously.”
The evidence is that better research results from involvement, and better research delivers benefits for patients.’
For over 25 years, the Institute for Volunteering Research has developed research to provide evidence about the involvement of volunteers and the difference volunteering makes for those involved with volunteers and for the volunteers themselves.
Professor Fiona Poland at the School of Health Sciences - University of East Anglia said:
“The public involvement pledge aligns closely with IVR’s current programme of work, continuing its mission to support and undertake high quality volunteer involvement research to bring about a world where the power and energy of volunteering is recognised and where volunteering involvement research can thrive, with a clear focus in strengthening ethical involvement.”
The Shared Commitment was developed in partnership with the HRA, leading health and social care organisations and members of the public. It launched in March 2022.
It builds on work led by the HRA in response to the reduction in public involvement seen in studies submitted for approval at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Shared Commitment which was partially funded by the UK Clinical Research Delivery Programme includes a joint pledge to help improve the quality of public involvement, which each organisation signs up to.
Public involvement refers to all the ways in which the research community works together with people including, patients, carers, advocates, service users, and members of the community.
Excellent public involvement is inclusive, values all contributions, ensures people have a meaningful say in what happens and influences outcomes, as set out in the UK Standards for Public Involvement.
Evidence shows that excellent public involvement improves the quality and impact of research.
Embedding public involvement in health and social care research
The Shared Commitment statement, signed by leaders at each organisation, reads:
'Public involvement is important, expected, and possible in all types of health and social care research.
Together our organisations and members fund, support and regulate health and social care research. This statement is our joint commitment to improve the extent and quality of public involvement across the sector so that it is consistently excellent.
People have the right to be involved in all health and social care research. Excellent public involvement is an essential part of health and social care research and has been shown to improve its quality and impact. People’s lived experiences should be a key driver for health and social care research.
When we talk about public involvement, we mean all the ways in which the research community works together with people including patients, carers, advocates, service users, and members of the community.
Excellent public involvement is inclusive, values all contributions, ensures people have a meaningful say in what happens and influences outcomes, as set out in the UK Standards for Public Involvement.
Working together we will support the research community to carry out excellent public involvement. We will provide or share guidance, policies, systems, and incentives.
We will:
· listen to and learn from the people and communities we involve and apply and share that learning
· build and share the evidence of how to involve the public and the impact this has
· support improvements in equality, diversity, and inclusion in public involvement
· promote the UK Standards for Public Involvement.
We will embed this commitment into the decision-making processes of our organisations.
Organisations who have signed the Shared Commitment can be found here: The Shared Commitment to Public Involvement in health and social care research partners
Join the Shared Commitment
Organisations from across the health and social care research sector are invited to join our Shared Commitment. Find out how your organisations can get involved.
Let us know what you think by emailing info.ivr@uea.ac.uk