Research and practice in health and social care needs patients to be meaningfully involved in gathering evidence and making the decisions that impact their lives. This approach improves decision making and delivers better outcomes.

Professor Jules Pretty speaks to Senior Research Officer Tracey Johns, Research Officer Sally Burrows and Professor Peter Beresford from the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Essex.

As Sally and Tracey say: "Our work is about brokering conversations between everyone who has an interest in health and social care, especially those with the greatest needs and vulnerabilities. We listen to people in the streets, in cafes and in community centres. We listen to people through their trusted intermediaries."

You can read more about their work in their blog at: www.essex.ac.uk/blog 

Peter adds that COVID-19 has not helped patient involvement: "Among the many massive consequences of COVID-19 is its highlighting of the fragility of public and patient involvement in health and social care research. When we most needed the crucial evidence that comes from inclusive involvement, it wasn’t being collected."

Again read more at: www.essex.ac.uk/blog