Healthwatch and academic research – Healthwatch Blackpool & Research Funding Opportunity
I spoke with Beth Martin, the manager of Healthwatch (HW) Blackpool, after seeing this article about the partnership research work happening in Blackpool.
Beth described engaging with the National Institute of Health Research in 2019, as they approached HW Blackpool to support them in understanding local people’s views in getting involved in research. At the time, HW Blackpool completed a number of focus groups to understand community perspectives. You can read this work here.
Following this, the NIHR was inspired, and wanted to collaborate and co-produce a blue print of community research, directly with local people in Blackpool. This was where the ‘Research Ready Community Pilot’ was born.
A number of young co-researchers were recruited for this work. The co-researchers all brought their lived experience of growing up and living in Blackpool, whilst continuing to drive and shape the priorities as young inspiring professionals. HW Blackpool, alongside partners from Blackpool Council, Citizens Advice Blackpool and Boingboing Foundation, continue to support the collaboration. The group recently looked at how to write research proposals that come from the needs of local communities; not decided by researchers themselves. The next phase of the project involves recruiting a researcher to support the priority area defined by the group, which is really exciting.
Including young people in research and engagement across health and care is a real priority for HW Blackpool. It has driven their most recent engagement piece, in collaboration with Public Health Blackpool, gathering feedback regarding children and young people’s attitudes towards vaping.
The work with the NIHR has been a positive experience for Blackpool. It has provided possibilities for further research, and the town was successful in winning a five million pound funding bid to explore and understand health inequalities through research. What makes this research project different, is that the day to day experiences of Blackpool residents will inform how council and health services are designed and delivered, with the aim of ultimately improving people’s health.
The Blackpool community are at the heart of this project. As recruited and supported co-researchers, they will ensure that people’s lived experience of facing health inequalities in the town are understood. They will be part of finding solutions that will make a real difference to people’s lives. There is close collaboration on this project with the community and other partners such as Blackpool Council, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, BoingBoing Foundation, the wider voluntary sector and research specialists from Lancaster University. The co-researcher recruitment has been very popular with a wide range of people applying who want to give something back to their community.
The additional resource has supported HW Blackpool to transform its approach to engagement. As Beth states, ‘we’re not at many behind a table events anymore’. The team recently undertook a project knocking on people’s doors in targeted neighbourhoods experiencing high health inequalities. The team were initially anxious about the reception they would get on the doorstep, but they actually found it a really positive experience.
HW Blackpool are continuing to work in a different way than they have traditionally, and this is enabled by a number of factors:
They have a low level of core resources but these are now being supplemented by the research funding and other commissions that complement their core work.
Their board, advisory group members and commissioners understand the approach and are comfortable with trying new ways of working.
Blackpool has a lot of good partnership working and relationships are good between stakeholders and commissioners. Place arrangements in Blackpool by the Integrated Care Board feel like they have real momentum.
When Beth started, she went to system partners to better understand their issues and where their priorities complemented those of HW Blackpool. This enhanced relationships and she can now speak to those partners very quickly if needed. It also means they can track recommendations and actions to evidence impact.
In turn, the value of their work to wider stakeholders has brought them more attention and is reinforcing those system relationships. By taking some risks in how they are engaging and with whom, it has attracted more attention.
HW Blackpool have also looked at offering apprenticeships and have had a huge response when recruiting. They are enhancing the salary and the apprentices have one day per week in further education to ensure they have qualifications and experience for the future. Beth told me that the apprenticeships were easy to set up, so it might be something other Healthwatch want to look into.
Beth's reflection on working with NIHR highlights the alignment in approaches and the positive impact on the Healthwatch Blackpool team. This collaboration has provided a robust foundation for sustained work. “Our town partnership, like the one with NIHR, enable community-focused projects that drive significant impacts”.
HW Blackpool’s experiences demonstrate the potential for resources and impactful projects in research, fostering a pathway for collaboration and change.
Thanks to Beth for taking the time to talk to me.
Funding Opportunity
Health and social research holds a lot of opportunities for Healthwatch. NIHR want to encourage research from the ground up, and knowledge of local communities and expertise in engaging with them is very valuable to researchers. As can be seen in Blackpool, it can also be a route to resources to do focussed projects that can bring about significant impacts.
There are opportunities for funding which you can find out about here: ICS Research Engagement Network (REN) development programme - FutureNHS Collaboration Platform (you’ll need to create a Future NHS login if you don’t already have one) which is available in a number of Integrated Care Systems:
The following ICBs have not previously received funding and are eligible to apply for this cohort. A maximum of one award will be made in each ICS area. So if your area is on the list below, get in touch with them and encourage them to apply!
Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes
Birmingham and Solihull
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West
Cheshire and Merseyside (in partnership with Lancashire and South Cumbria as previous joint recipients of REN funding.)
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Coventry and Warwickshire
Dorset
Frimley
Gloucestershire
Herefordshire and Worcestershire
Kent and Medway
Lancashire and South Cumbria (in partnership with Cheshire and Merseyside as previous joint recipients of funding.)
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
Lincolnshire
Mid and South Essex
North Central London
Northamptonshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin (can apply in partnership with Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.)
Somerset
South West London
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (can apply in partnership with Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.)
Suffolk and North East Essex
Surrey Heartlands
Sussex
West Yorkshire