Patient and Public Involvement Group for Obesity Research

Patient and Public Involvement Group for Obesity Research

Post: Member of patient and public involvement (PPI) group for research into causes, treatments and prevention ofobesity

Duration: March2016 -on-going

Meetings:The aim is to establish the first PPI group for obesity. During this “set up” phase it is anticipated that 4 meetings will be held to (i) establish the group ii) provide a review of current obesity research initiatives, iii) assess training and support needs and iv) provide an overview of research methods and terminology. After this time, PPI meetings will occur according to the needs of specific research initiatives. We anticipate that with on-going support and training PPI group members will play a key role in shaping the UK’s research agenda and take up active roles on stakeholder groups.

Background:Obesity is one of the greatest healthcare challenges faced by the NHS, with over 60 percent of the adult population either overweight or obese and more than 2.7 million people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. More research is needed in this area and a number of healthcare funding institutions have indicated their intention to make obesity a priority area over the next year. Patient and public involvement will be essential for the success and quality of these research initiatives;however, at present there are no obesity-focused PPI groups in the UK.

University College London Hospitals (UCLH) has one of the largest obesity services in the UK and University College London Partners (UCL-P) has research expertise across all areas of obesity prevention and treatment. The aim now is to establish an obesity focused PPI group that can help to guide and direct the research activities of these institutions and in the longer term help support the development of obesity PPIs across the country.

We would like to recruit people who have an interest in obesity and an understanding of the effects of prejudice against people who struggle with weight, to form the first obesity PPI group. Members would need to be willing to learn about biomedical research and to contribute to discussions around all aspects of the research process from identifying the research priorities through to implementation. Prior experience is not necessary as support and training will be given. The main ongoing duties will be to attend and take an active role in obesity research meetings, managed by Professor Rachel Batterham, Head of UCLH Centre for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery and Head of the Centre for Obesity Research, University College London. Participants will also asked to read a small amount of material prior to meetings and would need to be willing to discuss issues arising from this (not in excess of 2 hours preparation).

PPI members will need to sign a confidentiality agreement and declare any potential conflicts of interest.

Dr Jacqueline Doyle, Clinical Psychologist, UCLH Centre for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery will lead on the establishment of this PPI group. Support will also be provided by Professor Batterham, Professor David Haslem, National Obesity Forum and Ms Rosamund YU (PPI manager, University College London).

Main responsibilities:

1. In the first phase of the development of this PPI, members would need to attend 4 half day meetings in order to, i) establish the group ii) provide a review of current obesity research initiatives, iii) assess training and support needs and iv) provide an overview of research methods and terminology. After this time, PPI meetings will occur according to the needs of specific research initiatives.
2. To read material prior to meetings. This may include research summaries of minutes of previous meetings.
3. Key activities of meetings with include:

-Discussion of research agendas

-Development of patient information

-Study design

-Comment on initial results

-Ideas about analysis, presentation and dissemination of results

Payment and expenses:

PPI members will be paid at an hourly rate of £12.50 per hour. You may therefore need to take advice regarding payment of income tax or how this might affect benefit payments. We would be happy to direct you to relevant bodies that will be able to advise you on this.

Travel and subsistence expenses can also be claimed for, as long as the appropriate receipts are available. Funding is also available for child care/carer costs if this is needed in order for you to take part in the project. Please discuss this with Dr Doyle prior to incurring such expenses. Payments will be made retrospectively, usually within four weeks. It is not possible to provide payment in advance of meetings or travel.

Person specification:

Criteria / Essential attributes / Desirable attributes
Experience / None / Experience of taking part in committees
Knowledge / An understanding of prejudice and discrimination in relation to obesity.
Skills / A willingness to familiarise yourself with medical and research language / To have some understanding of research methodology
Personal qualities / Ability to listen to others and express own views
Openness to other people’s views.
Willingness to adopt a “non-blaming” approach to this complex area of healthcare.

Application process:

In order to apply for the Obesity PPI group, please submit a single page cover letter and CV via email to Dr Jacqueline Doyle (see below), quoting Obesity PPI.

Closing date: Monday 7th March by 5pm

Telephone selection process: 9th March

Meeting 1: Monday 18thApril

Contact details:

Dr Jacqueline Doyle, Clinical Psychologist, University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Centre for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery

(please quote PPI)

0203 447 9419

Closing date for applications: [Monday March 7th2016)

*Copyright INVOLVE May 2012

This document is the copyright of INVOLVE. We are happy for our materials to be downloaded, printed out, copied, used and distributed free of charge for non-commercial purposes. Where our materials are copied, used or distributed, the source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged. Reproduction or distribution of materials either in whole or in part for a commercial purpose is prohibited without the prior written permission of INVOLVE.