Inflammation is a critical pathogenic driver in common chronic multi-morbidities, including cancer, representing a huge challenge for patients and the healthcare system, with a prevalence of 5-7%. More than 50% of deaths are attributable to long-term inflammation-related diseases, rendering them a major NHS and global priority. Our region covers around 6 million people, ~10% of the UK population. Our regional population is socially diverse, multi-ethnic with significant health inequalities and life expectancy lower than the UK average. The ethnic and socio-economic diversity of our population will ensure the global relevance of our research if we work in effective partnership. We will test and deliver new treatments for these diseases, most of which have no cure or treatments to improve quality of life, by addressing critical scientific and clinical challenges via our access to populations and patient cohorts. By addressing national and global health needs – and crucially, by working with our local and national communities to ensure their involvement drives our actions – the BRC will offer new hope for patients, new innovative approaches to therapy, and new ways for health providers to embrace transformative innovation in a cost-effective manner.

The post holder will be a core member of the NIHR Birmingham BRC central coordination team, as well as working closely across all regional partners. The post holder will guide and mentor other staff involved in patient and public involvement, engagement and participation activities and contribute to activities in the wider community and academic environments where this delivers demonstrable benefit to the local and national research initiatives/infrastructure. They will also be a key member of the Research Delivery team within the College of Medicine and Health’s (CMH) Research Office, which oversees a number of high-profile programmes, including the Health Data Research UK Midlands Community, NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration and major portfolios of work around areas such as women’s health, traumatic brain injury and global surgical networks.

Role Summary

This post will act as a central co-ordinator for PPIE in the BRC. It will work closely with all 11 themes to provide PPIE support and guidance to the researchers and PPIE Co-ordinators and support the overall ambitions of the BRC’s PPIE strategy. The post will also work closely with the wider CMH Involvement and Engagement team to collaborate on PPIE projects to avoid duplication of effort and ensure consistency across the wider College, while supporting the individual needs of the BRC.

As part of the core BRC PPIE team, this post will work to increase and improve public involvement in the NIHR BRC by building, developing and maintaining excellent relationships with diverse groups of patients and carers, patient and carer organisations, third sector organisations, faith organisations, and other stakeholders in the local and national health and social care economy, as well as a wide range of research and professional services colleagues.

It will play a lead role in providing advice, guidance and training to the BRC community (clinicians, academics, patient and public contributors) on all matters relating to public involvement and engagement.

The role involves:

• Working with the core BRC PPIE team and public contributors, the post holder will take an active role to maintain and implement a Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Strategy.
• Co-developing communications, events, collaborative approaches and other activities to promote patient and public involvement, as well as implementing and contributing to current and future initiatives from the NIHR and wider stakeholders in health and social care research around good practice in PPIE.
• Building capacity, skills and expertise in PPIE in the NIHR BRC Community and West Midlands region.
• Contributing to the evidence base of public involvement through evaluating and reporting on public involvement activities.
• Working in partnership with regional and national Public Involvement Leads from NIHR Centres and other key national stakeholders as part of the One NIHR Initiative.
• Ensuring that NIHR Centres and the research community work in a more coordinated and consistent way to engage, involve and collaborate with community organisations in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Also liaising with the University Public and Cultural Engagement team on shared initiatives.
• Working with the wider Involvement and Engagement Team at UoB, develop initiatives/activities to increase the diversity of communities engaged and involved in health and care research. Build strong relations with service users, third sector organisations and diverse, local communities. Identify barriers to public involvement and engagement and develop inclusive strategies to overcome these barriers.
• Maintaining up to date knowledge of national PPI initiatives and disseminating information across the organisation as appropriate.
• Working in partnership with the wider core NIHR BRC PPIE team to promote a positive culture of public involvement in all activities. These activities may take place at project, theme and programme wide level.
• Developing and maintaining close working relationships with colleagues at the University of Birmingham, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and in local NIHR infrastructures and other BRC partners.

Main Duties

The post holder will be required to:

• Support a diverse central NIHR BRC Patient and Public Advisory Group (PPAG), creating an inclusive and supportive environment for mutually beneficial collaboration and involvement of public contributors in the governance and operations of the NIHR BRC.
• Support PPIE Co-ordinators and researchers in the NIHR BRC Community in matters relating to Public Involvement and Engagement.
• Support the internal BRC PPI Community of Practice group and build excellent working relationships with members. Work to understand barriers to PPIE, provide central BRC PPIE guidance to each theme to enable them to deliver