Examples of our public and community involvement

Across the Centre for Public Health, our public contributors help inform our research, improve how findings are shared, and ensure our work makes a difference. Here we explore some examples of this collaborative work.

NIHR PHIRST Insight

Our five-year programme, PHIRST Insight, evaluates public health interventions delivered by Local Authorities. Public contributors are embedded throughout the programme, serving as members of the Steering Committee, Management Group, and individual evaluation teams.

One of our long-standing and valued public contributors, Christina Stokes, reflected:

“I have been involved with PHIRST for several years and I have enjoyed the experience of evaluating a wide range of Local Authority health projects. I have also enjoyed being part of the wider team.”

Examples of our work include:

  • PHIRST webinar: Working with under-served communities in public health research

In this webinar, we highlighted the importance of working with public partners to engage older adults in the evaluation of a falls prevention programme. Watch the webinar here.

  • Co-produced infographics for young people

Working with younger public partners, we co-created two infographics to share findings from school-based studies in accessible and engaging ways. Explore the outputs: Universal Free School Meals and Healthier Advertising.

  • Publishing lessons learned from public involvement

We published a paper reflecting on the first five years of PHIRST Insight, exploring both the benefits and challenges of embedding public involvement within Local Authority public health evaluations. You can read the paper here.

Connecting Community Mental Health Study

The Connecting Community Mental Health Study aimed to identify practical ways to improve links between NHS mental health services, social care, and voluntary sector services in England. Public members on the project co-designed and created a policy report for local decision makers. Find out more about the study here.

The RISE Study

The RISE Study aims to improve young people’s pathways into adulthood, by working in partnership with young adults and those who provide services to young people and young adults. As part of the study, researchers collaborated with four young adults in Northamptonshire to explore creative ways of sharing experiences from the life stories project. Click here to see the wonderful, musical results!

 

If you would like any further information about our work with the public, please email the Public and Community Involvement and Engagement Manager at nina.pugh@bristol.ac.uk