Episode 15: Patient Involvement Improves lives

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Episode Fifteen

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."

Peter adds that COVID-19 has not helped promote 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."

Discover more on Essex Blogs

Read more about the work of Peter, Sally and Tracey on Essex Blogs:

• Providing better care by listening to those who need it
• Why inclusive involvement is no fair weather friend  

The Louder Than Words Podcast

Professor Jules Pretty has created the Louder than Words podcast to encourage difficult discussions, to offer a platform to people making a difference and to explain how you can take action on issues you care about.

This is the first podcast from the Centre for Public and Policy Engagement and was originally developed with CommsConsult. The latest series is being produced by Ali Walker from the University's Media Centre team.

The Louder Than Words Podcast shows how research delivers solutions to global problems, how we can improve people’s lives and how we can inspire people to take action now. Each episode of Louder Than Words will look at a key global issue or research challenge and give you a chance to hear from leading researchers, policy makers, thinkers and campaigners plus those directly affected by the issue.

The third series is looking at the web of life, saving the seas, the baby lab, patient involvement and improves lives, indigenous voices, our bodies and images, immersion in theatre and Black History.

The first season looked at climate change, migration, mental health, inequality and nature as therapy. The second season looked at the Warner Textile Archive, telecommunications pioneer Marconi, disasters and how we prepare for them, our planet and crop production and surveillance technology. Join us and subscribe to upcoming podcasts.