Partnership in Research (PÂR)

Partnership in Research (PÂR) is a public involvement group, giving people with lived experience a voice in shaping mental health research in partnership with researchers. Members either have experience of a mental health condition themselves or care for a family member or friend who has.

PÂR also provides a general advisory function for all researchers who wish to seek advice in the development and implementation of lived experience guided research. The group can help to discuss research ideas, prioritise research topics and develop research questions, as well as review draft applications.

Two research clinics are held each year (currently online) for PÂR to advise researchers developing mental health research project applications for the Research for Patient and Public Benefit (RfPPB) scheme. Group members will have the opportunities to take an active role in the research processes; from design to dissemination as participants, advisors, collaborators or co-investigators.

Membership

PÂR-NCMH is made up of a number of individuals from both North and South Wales, including individual service users and carers, mental health researchers and representatives from NCMH, third sector organisations and the Health and Care Research Wales Support Centre.

Guiding principles

We operate based on three key principles which promote:

• Partnership: PÂR-NCMH will include members with different experiences and perspectives of mental health services.
• Reciprocation: all members will be treated with the utmost respect and differences in opinion will be solved in a professional manner.
• Confidentiality: any personal information, protocols and findings will remain confidential.

Upcoming research clinic dates

We host a series of advice surgeries in Cardiff and Bangor for researchers to present ideas or draft proposals and receive a lived experience perspective on their research plans.

Please note: research clinics are currently being hosted online using Zoom.

5 October 2021, 2pm – 4pm – Online research clinic for researchers applying for the Research for Patient and Public Benefit (RfPPB) scheme

The group is free to access, but places are limited.

If you would like to attend a surgery to discuss your research please complete and return the researcher request form. Please contact par@cardiff.ac.uk to register your interest and for further information.

Publications

The group has published the following papers:

• Priority setting in research: user led mental health research, which explores the research priorities of people with experience of mental health services which include people with a lived experience of mental ill health, their carers, and professionals. The paper is available (open access) at BioMed Central.
• Hitting the spot: Developing individuals with lived-experience of health and social care as facilitators to deliver a course to enhance public involvement in research – a Welsh perspective. This paper is available (open access) at BioMed Central.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss PÂR, please contact us at par@cardiff.ac.uk.