Wales Council for Voluntary Action

Involving People Officer

£24,708 – £26,187

Developing the involvement of patients, service users and carers in Health and Social Care research in Wales.

For further details call 029 2043 1741, email: [log in to unmask] or visit our website.

Registered charity number 218093

www.wcva.org.uk

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the development of patient, service user and carer involvement in the development, governance and dissemination of research in health and social care in Wales.

The role of patients, service users and carers is to be mainstreamed at all levels of the different structures. This will be coordinated by a Cynnwys Pobl: Involving People advisory group, supported by the Involving People Officer, and members will be recruited for various management groups within the TRNs and  ISSs. In addition, the Involving People function will recruit, train and support a Patient, Service user and Carer in Research Network of people who are able to be involved in the inception, development, governance and dissemination of individual research projects supported by CRC Cymru.

The Involving People Network will be supported through an interactive website and an annual conference/training event. The involvement of voluntary groups that provide support or campaign on behalf of patients, service user and carers will be a key element of the project.

The Involving People work will be carried out under the direction of the advisory group and two Associate Directors of CRC Cymru: Professor Lesley Griffiths, University of Swansea and Dr Bryan Collis, Wales Council for Voluntary Action.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Welsh Office for Research and Development in Health and Social Care (WORD) has funded nine Thematic Research Networks (TRNs) and five Infrastructure Support Services (ISSs), which are responsible for developing clinical and other research in health and social care in Wales. These are supported by the Clinical Research Collaboration Cymru (CRC Cymru), and have links with similar thematic research networks and collaboration in England and the UK (UK Clinical Research Networks and UK Clinical Research Collaboration)

CRC Cymru is a collaboration of academics, NHS researchers and other partners that will develop a structure to support clinical research within the NHS and universities. The coordination centre and a number of subgroups will do this by establishing:

• A Research Professional Network (RPN) of research professionals based in different institutions who will recruit and monitor subjects for research.
• A Training group which will plan and deliver training for all involved in CRC Cymru.
• Cynnwys Pobl: Involving People: a Patient, Service user and Carer Involvement in Research group.
• A Thematic Research Networks lead group that will link CRC Cymru with the nine research networks.
• A Methodology group, made up of staff from AWARD, North and South Wales Trials Units and WORTH: researchers based in Universities supporting clinical and social care research.
• A Portfolio Group that decides which research proposals receives support from CRC Cymru.

Gill Coward
Office Manager/PA to Associate Director, Wales Cancer Trials Network
3rd Floor 12 Cathedral Road Cardiff CF11 9LJ
Tel: 029 20316241
Fax: 029 20196817
Email: [log in to unmask]s.uk