Welcome to SURF 09 Involving Patients and the Public in HCAI Research

Simon Jones - SURF Coordinator Department of Health National HCAI Research Network,

Richard Wells Research Centre, Thames Valley University (London)

An Introduction to SURF Involving Patients and the Public in HCAI Research

SURF

Who are we and why do we exist?

What have we achieved so far?

Funded by the Department of Health (DH) England and hosted by Thames Valley University, the Healthcare-Associated Infection (HCAI) Research Network was established in 2006.

The key objectives of the Network are to: - contribute to the strategic development of the UK’s national

HCAI research agenda; and - support and manage DH funded HCAI-related research.

The Network aims to act as a forum for encouraging high quality HCAI research to provide the best available evidence for practice aimed at reducing HCAI throughout the NHS.

The National HCAI Research Network

UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UK CRC)Challenge Workshop (2007)

All participants agreed that patients and the public should be involved in HCAI research - and that the field would benefit from their experiences.

It was agreed that lay perspectives were required in HCAI research on order to:

- improve the quality and scope of their research; and

- address the concerns and issues most important to patients and the public

What about public involvement in HCAI?

However, unlike other fields of healthcare where service user involvement is relatively well established, most researchers in the field of HCAI often have had little or no experience of public involvement.

In particular HCAI researchers expressed difficulty finding:

- people to be involved; and

- people with the capacity and capability to make a valid contribution (in all stages of the research process)

Making involvement a reality

In 2007 the HCAI Research Network established the HCAI Service User Research Forum (SURF).

The HCAI Service User’s Research Forum

The key objectives of SURF are to:

- facilitate stronger public involvement in HCAI research;

- provide a forum for members of the public to find out more about HCAI research;

- support their involvement by ensuring they feel able to make a meaningful contribution to the research process.

Its core functions are to:

- lead the identification of public concerns and priories for HCAI research;

- contribute to the research commissioning process;

- bring together service users and HCAI research groups and other national or PPI research groups to contribute to the design and where appropriate conduct of research;

- develop, design and conduct public involvement research; and

- develop the skills of lay members so they feel comfortable contributing to research within the field of HCAI.

What does SURF actually do?

What have we achieved so far?

Unlike most other healthcare service user groups, SURF is open to all members of the public, with no specific connection to a condition or group of conditions required as a prerequisite for membership.

As such, the Network initially advertised for members through a very wide range of existing national user groups such as:- INVOLVE;- Patients Association;- National Concern for Healthcare Infection;- Infectious Diseases Research Network;- National Patient Safety Agency’- MRSA Action UK;- National Council for Voluntary Organisations; and - UCL Primary Care and Populations Sciences.

Building a Membership

Since its establishment SURF has held two London workshops

SURF Meetings

We have developed a new logo

Our members have presented at national conferences such as those organised by the Infection Prevention Society and INVOLVE:

SURF branding and building awareness

And we have created a website to promote an online presence:

SURF website

In our first year SURF Members have been primarily involved in the commissioning and lay peer review aspects of the research process.

SURF Members have taken part and been involved in projects for organisations such as:

- Health Technology Assessment Programme;

- Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme

- Health Foundation

- National Institute for Health Research

SURF Member Activities

The HCAI Network has recently received funding for a further three years. Our second year objectives are to:

- increase the number of SURF members;

- identify research priorities in terms of the patient experience;

- focus on service user initiated projects;

- provide online research training modules for service users;

- network and build links between service users and the HCAI research community to increase public involvement in HCAI research.

Next Steps for SURF

Contact details

Simon JonesSURF Coordinator / Senior Lecturer

THAMES VALLEY UNIVERSITYFaculty of Health and Human Sciences

Richard Wells Research CentreParagon House

Boston Manor RoadBrentford, Middlesex TW8 9GA

tel: 020 8209 4053email: simon.jones@tvu.ac.uk

website: www.hcaisurf.org