Welcome to the March edition of Partners with People

Welcome to the March edition of Partners with People.

Last month, one of our Lived Experience Partners at the HIN, Aurora, attended a webinar hosted by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). They showcased an innovative storytelling approach that amplifies the voices of those directly involved in health and care research. Researchers and community members came together to explore how storytelling can make research more inclusive, impactful, and reflective of lived experiences.

The session highlighted the growing importance of Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI) in research. The NIHR’s Global Health Research (GHR) portfolio has increasingly prioritised CEI, recognising its vital role in ethical research and the broader ‘leave no one behind’ agenda of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This pilot storytelling project enabled community members to share their experiences in their own words and languages, ensuring their perspectives are valued and visible.

Aurora’s key takeaways from the session were:

Storytelling as a research tool: personal narratives provide rich insights that traditional data collection methods may overlook.
Ethical and inclusive research: community-led involvement ensures that lived experiences and challenges are fully acknowledged.
Bridging the gap: storytelling fosters stronger connections between researchers and participants, making findings more relevant and accessible.

Speakers included expert facilitators and community representatives from global research projects, who shared firsthand experiences of how storytelling has shaped their work. Their contributions underscored the importance of co-production in research and the transformative power of lived experience.

For those interested in integrating storytelling into research, the session provided valuable insights on effective implementation. It reinforced the need for inclusive, community-driven research practices that go beyond data to truly capture the human impact of healthcare initiatives.

Kate Lambe
Involvement Manager

Content

Partner updates

Knowing your rights and accessing support as a patient
Getting the most out of your appointments

Upcoming events

Event: NHS England “Shine a Light on Co-production”.
Webinar: Emotions in Public Involvement

Partner updates

The Patients Association have created two brilliant animations to help patients know their rights when accessing support as well as getting the most out of appointments:

Knowing your rights and accessing support as a patient

Many patients are unaware of their rights and the additional support available to them as they navigate their healthcare journey. Alongside dealing with your medical condition, you may also face non-medical issues, such as worrying about everyday essentials like healthy food, household bills or housing. All these things can have a negative impact on your health.

The Patients Association has developed a factsheet and an animation covering what patients need to know about their rights, how to manage healthcare appointments and care, and what benefits and support may be available.

These resources were developed as part of our project on how social and economic factors affect the health of people living with blood disorders and/or cancer. However, the guidance developed from the report is relevant for all patients.

Read the blog on Knowing your rights and accessing support as a patient

Getting the most out of your appointments

Millions of patients continue to wait for care and therefore patients need to be prepared when their appointment finally arrives. Although every patient’s journey is unique, we see repeated issues across our work that mean patients lose out because they don’t know what to expect, what to ask, or what might be asked of them.

This applies before, during, and after patients have engaged with health and care services. Helping patients prepare for these issues can make a huge impact, particularly for those experiencing health inequalities.

The Patients Association wanted to provide patients with the tools they need so they are prepared. So they have created an accessible guide and animation to support patients to be better prepared in terms of what they can do to prevent things from going wrong.

Upcoming events

NHS England “Shine a Light on Co-production” event

These events aim to shine a light on the potential of co-produced improvements and demonstrate what can be achieved when people working in the NHS and people with lived experience partner together.

At each event, discussions will focus on the difference co-production made to them and their organisation, their top tips, what went well and the challenges they faced.

For further information, or if you would like to be a speaker and share your story, please contact NHS England here.

NHS England Co-production Week resources

Date: Tuesday 25 March, 10.30 - 12.00 pm

Where: Online.

Book your place.

People sitting around in chairs talking.

Webinar: Emotions in public involvement

What role do emotions play in public involvement? To what extent is PPI labour emotional labour?

In this webinar, Lauren Asare, Naomi Morley and Kristin Liabo of the ARC South West Peninsula PPI team will discuss their research on this topic.

When: Wednesday 26th March, 3:00-4.30pm

Where: Online.

Book your place

Thank you for reading the March 2025 edition of Partners with People.

If you would like to learn more about the HIN's involvement work, please get in touch with Kate Lambe.

Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested.

To sign up to receive involvement updates and learn how to get involved, fill out this short survey.

Additionally, you can find previous editions of the Partners with People bulletin here.