Two former colleagues of mine - Rachael Litherland and Steve Milton - who run an incredible organisation called Innovations in Dementia have been awarded a Big Lottery Grant to run this new initiative which will provide people with dementia the opportunity to research their condition. So good to see this happening. Who better to DEEP … Continue reading Fantastic! Ground-breaking initiative gives people with dementia the chance to lead their own research about their condition @Innov_Dementia
Author: simondenegri
Healthwatch opens national conversation on future of health and social care #NHS100 @HealthwatchE
Once upon a time a nation would be spurred into action by a jolly good book. Take the NHS for example. This year is its 70th birthday. But it's origins can be traced back to books by A.J.Cronin and Dr Benjamin Moore in the early 20th Century. Among other things. These days national debate is … Continue reading Healthwatch opens national conversation on future of health and social care #NHS100 @HealthwatchE
Public involvement: do your parents know where you are? #CochraneForAll
Over a thousand people will be converging on Edinburgh in Scotland today for the Cochrane Colloquium. From the outset the organisers have committed to running the event according to 'Patients Included' principles. It shows. The public involvement content in the programme is more filling than a Scotch Broth. Attendees will need to pace themselves that's … Continue reading Public involvement: do your parents know where you are? #CochraneForAll
‘White hot heat’ is not good for a tech-driven NHS but patients and health profs could be – comment #AI
There's a part of me that's warming to the new Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock. At least he has a passion - technology. So much so, that the health tech sector and techies must be drooling at the prospects. Last week Mr Hancock set out his 'vision for a more tech-driven NHS' at … Continue reading ‘White hot heat’ is not good for a tech-driven NHS but patients and health profs could be – comment #AI
I support the new organ opt-out law but……..
A beautiful, sunny, Saturday morning walk through Glasgow streets with my wife some years ago brought us to the wonderful Kelvingrove Musueum and Art Gallery and something of a surprise. The 'Loveseat' - as shown above - is a Scottish memorial for organ donors. It was established in 2000 and, until April 2014, a silver … Continue reading I support the new organ opt-out law but……..
We must all sharpen our pencils if we are to burst the biomedical bubble @jameswilsdon @RichardALJones
One good thing about sleepless nights in this weather is the opportunity to catch up on your reading. In the wee small hours of this morning I decided to read a report entitled 'Bursting the Biomedical Bubble' authored by Richard Jones and James Wilsdon and published by the excellent Nesta just two weeks ago. It … Continue reading We must all sharpen our pencils if we are to burst the biomedical bubble @jameswilsdon @RichardALJones
If research funding can sometimes appear like a poker game, what cards do we hold as a patients and the public?
I once went to Las Vegas. It is a long, long time ago now. But I remember it being a very strange experience. Everything is turned in on itself. Away from the inhospitable heat of the sidewalks. Or, more accurately, everything - from hotel bedrooms to burger joints and cocktail bars - is turned to … Continue reading If research funding can sometimes appear like a poker game, what cards do we hold as a patients and the public?
‘Monsters Inc’ holds the key to assessing research impact #REF2021 #OxfordImpact
(Warning several spoiler alerts!) If the sight and sound of research institutions and organisations bellowing about their impact on life and the universe has a familiar ring to it, you’d be right. The reference point you are looking for - but have understandably mislaid - is ‘Monsters Inc.’ The brilliant 2001 Pixar animation in which … Continue reading ‘Monsters Inc’ holds the key to assessing research impact #REF2021 #OxfordImpact
Billy and Charlotte Caldwell’s story highlights wider issues to do with patient experience
I was delighted to see that Billy Caldwell had been discharged from hospital yesterday. This, after the Home Office granted a 20-day licence for the cannabis oil that alleviates the seizures associated with his epilepsy. The substance had been confiscated on his arrival in the UK from Canada with his mother, Charlotte, last week. Shortly … Continue reading Billy and Charlotte Caldwell’s story highlights wider issues to do with patient experience
NIHR publishes latest data on patient experience in research, provides patient pathway to study success @NIHRCRN @NHSRDForum #clinicaltrials
Hats off to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Networks who published the latest data on patient experience in research this week. They have now been tracking patient views on participation for three years and with each report we gain a more informed picture of what matters to them. And with the … Continue reading NIHR publishes latest data on patient experience in research, provides patient pathway to study success @NIHRCRN @NHSRDForum #clinicaltrials
What have Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) ever done for you and I? #AHSNs
I have written a fair bit about Academic Health Sciences Networks (AHSNs) in the past. Not always favourably I'll admit. But that was then and this is now. I am pleased to report that, as of May, the 15 AHSN have been re-licensed/re-designated/re-booted (select as necessary) for another five years with NHS Chief Executive, Simon Stevens, … Continue reading What have Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) ever done for you and I? #AHSNs
Thought for the day: a schoolfriend’s untimely death highlights the importance of choice to our dying day
A dear schoolfriend of mine, Sara, will be laid to rest today. We found each other on Facebook three years ago after a 30 year hiatus. I enjoyed our mutual 'likes' of one another's quirky musings, the various photographs of holidays and birthdays, and the occasional sharing of news about our respective families. I had … Continue reading Thought for the day: a schoolfriend’s untimely death highlights the importance of choice to our dying day
Public involvement will be crucial to new NIHR ARCs and the research implementation agenda #CLAHRCs #ARCs @OfficialNIHR @NIHRINVOLVE @ClahrcP
It doesn't matter where you are in the world patients and carers have the same questions about research. This week I am in Sydney, Australia, at the invitation of the Australia Dementia Forum hosted by the National Institute for Dementia Research. It has been a fascinating two days. Most of all I have enjoyed meeting … Continue reading Public involvement will be crucial to new NIHR ARCs and the research implementation agenda #CLAHRCs #ARCs @OfficialNIHR @NIHRINVOLVE @ClahrcP
Some thoughts on the new ‘NHS Assembly’
So it looks like there's going to be a new NHS Assembly. It's all part of a larger management shake-up being posited that will mean NHS England and the NHS Improvement agency working more closely together under a new NHS Executive Group. The aim is to improve planning, co-ordination and, at the end of the day, … Continue reading Some thoughts on the new ‘NHS Assembly’
They think it’s all over – it’s not yet! #IAmResearch #ICTD #ClinicalTrials
A few weeks ago I was walking down Euston Road in London and bumped into a friend who I respect and admire very much. They have been part of the public involvement movement for years. We chatted for a while and they worried loudly what was happening in 'PPI.' We parted on good terms as … Continue reading They think it’s all over – it’s not yet! #IAmResearch #ICTD #ClinicalTrials
Fighting talk does not improve lives @macmillancancer @DyingMatters
Macmillan Cancer Support has today drawn attention to the negative impact of 'fighting talk' on people living with cancer. The charity says the findings of its latest survey show that people find it more difficult to talk honestly about their experiences because of the pressure they feel to be positive. One in four people said that they … Continue reading Fighting talk does not improve lives @macmillancancer @DyingMatters
Hey Prof! We need to talk about feedback. It’s not about ‘closing the loop’ but learning together. #PPIFeedback #NewGuidance @CRIPACC1
If you haven't read Elspeth Mathie (@elspeth_mathie) and colleagues' excellent paper 'Reciprocal relationships and the importance of feedback in patient and public involvement: A mixed methods study' in Health Expectations then I highly recommend a read over the next few days. Their small but significant study - which was funded by the National Institute for Health … Continue reading Hey Prof! We need to talk about feedback. It’s not about ‘closing the loop’ but learning together. #PPIFeedback #NewGuidance @CRIPACC1
Comment: @ABPI_UK survey reaffirms gap between public appetite for, and patient perceptions of access to, health research and innovations
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is shaping up for its annual conference later this week. I see from the programme that the heavy-hitters of British science such as Sir Mark Walport from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will be out in force to give their perspective on the big picture. As a … Continue reading Comment: @ABPI_UK survey reaffirms gap between public appetite for, and patient perceptions of access to, health research and innovations
‘Sticking with it’ – retention issues in public involvement and health research
This week I had the good fortune to be on the judging panel for the NIHR Clinical Research Networks/McPin Foundation/MQ 2018 award for service user and carer involvement in mental health research. It was a brilliant field to choose from. The winners will be announced very shortly. One of the reasons I readily take up … Continue reading ‘Sticking with it’ – retention issues in public involvement and health research
UK public involvement in research standards launched today – seeing the wood and the trees. #PatientsFirst2018
Today, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Chief Scientist Scotland, Health and Care Research Wales and the Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, launch UK-wide standards for public involvement in health research. You can find them here: https://sites.google.com/nihr.ac.uk/pi-standards/standards Building on INVOLVE’s values and principles for public involvement published several years ago, the standards have been … Continue reading UK public involvement in research standards launched today – seeing the wood and the trees. #PatientsFirst2018
Simon Denegri's Lay Review 