Health research project awarded extra £150,000 for expansion

The Raising Voices in Research partnership in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight was granted the extra money following a successful application to expand the project designed to increase the number of people taking part in health research.

This brings the funding to just under £250,000.

The first phase of the project, which launched in November last year, brought together the local NHS, voluntary sector, community and research organisations to work with Hampshire people to find out how research can better involve a range of communities.

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Raising Voices in Research celebration event (Image: Hampshire and IOW ICB)

A series of workshops and events were held from November to March to hear from local communities about what matters to them when it comes to taking part in healthcare research.

The results from the workshops have been developed into a Local Research Plan, which includes key recommendations for all health researchers on how to recruit residents in an inclusive and diverse way.

Project partners included Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, Action Hampshire, University Hospital Southampton research organisations, University of Winchester, University of Southampton and 11 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations from across the county.

Partner organisations celebrate together (Image: Hampshire and IOW ICB)

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Chief medical officer at the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), Dr Lara Alloway, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this additional funding in partnership with local organisations.

“Increasing the number of people involved in health research is really important to help ensure that findings are representative of all our population and have an impact across as many communities as possible.

“Phase two of the project will allow us to create a Research Adaption Programme which will match underserved communities and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) groups with researchers to embed these recommendations into specific, existing research.”

Nicky Judd, from Action Hampshire, said: “Raising Voices in Research followed Action Hampshire's approach of working with communities by partnering with the voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations from those communities. Diverse communities shared how research could better involve them to make research findings more reflective of our communities.

“We're really excited to be embarking, with our partners, on phase two which will bring researchers and communities together to act on those recommendations and develop 'community approved' research opportunities."