Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme and Lancaster University collaborate on joint research venture
Date posted: 2nd March 2023
A collaborative research project between the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme and Lancaster University (opens in new window) ran from March to July 2022, specifically looking into engaging with underrepresented people within the Lancashire and South Cumbria region. This culminated in the publication of a new joint academic report in February 2023 titled ‘Engaging underrepresented people in a regional transformation project: co-production of a framework’.
What was the purpose of the project?
Discussions between the NHS New Hospitals Programme and Lancaster University teams identified that, whilst there had been engagement with regional stakeholders, local people, patients, staff, and some health inclusion groups, there was still a gap in the engagement of those who were routinely underrepresented. This research project aimed to:
- Fill a gap in knowledge on good practice engagement with underrepresented people
- Produce a framework for future engagement practice
- Provide evidence to inform the New Hospitals Programme’s engagement practice
- Inform engagement approaches for future transformation projects.
About the project
The project was awarded project funding from Research England (opens in new window) through the Lancaster University Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Participatory Research (opens in new window). This meant that the New Hospitals Programme team were able to work with academics from Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine (opens in new window): Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone OBE, Dr Lisa Ashmore and Dr Laura Wareing.
The goal of the research project was to co-produce a best practice framework to facilitate engagement with underrepresented groups in the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme. As a regional transformation project that will impact on future generations of citizens, the importance of hearing a wide range of views and opinions to shape plans and ambitions is critical. The more people know about and get involved in the New Hospitals Programme, the greater benefit there will be to those who will use the local NHS hospital facilities in the future.
The co-production method used meant that there were opportunities to share knowledge and ideas on practice throughout the project, which provided the chance to incorporate learnings into the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme’s approach in real-time. The outputs of this project provide the programme with a framework to hear from a much wider range of people and perspectives, and support informed decision-making. The co-produced framework highlights how the New Hospitals Programme could move towards active collaboration with underrepresented people and health inclusion groups.
Rebecca Malin, Programme Director for the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme, said:
“It has been brilliant to be able to link up with Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone, Dr Lisa Ashmore and Dr Laura Wareing on this collaborative project between Lancaster University and the New Hospitals Programme.
“We have come away from this research project with new ideas and approaches to engagement with underrepresented people and the wider community. We have also been able to look closely into specific changes to engagement practice which could be made that will undoubtedly help us to have the best possible impact on local people and future generations. We look forward to sharing the learnings captured from this project with local and national NHS colleagues.”
Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone OBE, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medicine, said
“We have enjoyed working with the New Hospitals Programme team to help inform future engagement plans. This research project has served to consolidate the relationship that we have with the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme, which provides the platform for a series of workshops to develop a research project pipeline. It was great to see the first two of these, held in September and December 2022, which brought together academics from across the university with colleagues in the New Hospitals Programme to develop fundable research areas and questions on the theme of sustainability.”
Read the report
- Read the published report, ‘Engaging underrepresented people in a regional transformation project: co-production of a framework' (opens in new window)
- View the publication details for the Lancaster University research report (opens in new window)
Share your comments with us
To share your thoughts, please email the Lancashire and South Cumbria New Hospitals Programme team at LSCNHP@lthtr.nhs.uk.