How to Get Involved

We run several types of studies in mental and cognitive health.

Some studies involve people with a specific diagnosis and others are open to people without a diagnosis.

There are many ways you can get involved in research at OH CRF.

If you are interested in taking part in research, please email us: oxfordhealth.CRF@nhs.net

What is PPI?

We believe your voice matters.  We are fully committed to working with patient and public contributors.  Contributors include patients, potential patients, carers, research participants and advocacy groups.

PPI aims to ensure that research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them.

PPI improves the quality of our research by making sure that research is delivered and communicated in accessible, person-centred ways.  This practice helps develop research that better serves the needs and interests of our community.

How can I get involved?

The Engage group aims to improve the experience of research participants, supporting our researchers to develop a friendly and comfortable environment.  We usually meet every two months.  Our meetings are hybrid, with some people attending in person and others joining via Teams.  We are always keen to hear from people who are interested in joining our group.

Here our PPI contributor Kate Brunwin tells us about her experience being involved with the Engage Group:

“I first heard about the Engage group through a forum I attend called ‘Our Voice’. The forum is for Experts by Experience with Oxford health. I thought it sounded interesting and a new way to use my experience to inform research. So, I came to a meeting and enjoyed it so much I stayed for almost 2 years now! I support by lending my voice to different projects and to supporting the CRF in their work. I give ideas to various projects based on my experiences and bring a live experience viewpoint to the meetings.”

“I am always keen to use my lived experience to further services and research. I love to use what could often be negative experiences for something positive and good. I particularly like to support research further so that we can all find better ways of helping people with their mental health. I enjoy hearing the different work of the CRF as it is very engaging and interesting.”

“I would encourage anyone wanting to join the Engage group to go for it! It is very interesting, your voice is needed and important, there is always something new to learn. It has been a great experience, and I would highly recommend it.”

“I recently supported a research project at the CRF. They wanted some help with a study they are doing, looking at using different anti-psychotic medications. They specifically wanted someone to help to check it would run well and made sense for the participants and was tailored to their needs.  I met with the researchers, and we went through all the research questionnaires together and how the research will work for participants. I was able to give some advice about the running of the project for those taking part and to draw on my own experiences of mental health to ensure the project worked well.”

There are also ad-hoc PPI opportunities, for example reviewing information sheets, supporting on staff interview panels, and attending mock research visits to share your perspective before research participants attend these visits.

Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation strategy

You can download our Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation strategy  here.

111 participants completed our 2023 participant feedback survey

Quotes from participants and contributors