Time for change! Co-producing peer research with diverse communities

Join us for this webinar sharing early findings from NIHR ARC South London research on how 'research cafés' can increase the diversity of participation and involvement in research, making it more accessible and inclusive.

About the research

Working as part of the Southwest London Health Research Collaborative, the ARC research team aimed to build local, diverse participation in the design and delivery of health and care research in southwest London, initially focusing on mental health.

They aimed to do this through piloting ‘research cafés’, informal spaces where diverse communities can talk about their experiences of health and care.

About the webinar

This webinar will present some early findings from the research and feature perspectives and insights from peer researchers involved in co-producing this work.

There will be a chance for attendees to ask questions and discuss the findings in an informal Q&A.

Who should attend?

• Anyone interested in improving mental health services and making research more inclusive
• Experts by experience and people working in mental health services research and quality improvement
• Clinicians, team managers and researchers
• Public health commissioners and policymakers working in local authorities, health and social care and third sector organisations

What is the health problem?

People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups experience stark inequalities within the mental healthcare system and remain underrepresented within mental health research.

Dr Josephine Ocloo, senior researcher on the project at King’s College London, said: “People from Black and Asian backgrounds are less likely to be invited to get involved with health research – both clinical and qualitative – but are more likely to have a worse experience of healthcare and to be disproportionately affected by health inequalities. That ultimately impacts on the services we provide”.

Piloting the research café model

Four research café sessions were piloted in Croydon, Wandsworth, Kingston and Sutton. The evaluation highlighted high satisfaction with the inclusivity and experience, enhanced understanding of research and strong interest in being involved in research.

Following this success, in May 2024 the South West London Research Support Network was launched to help build awareness of and expand opportunities to take part in research. Additional funding came from the NHS Research Engagement Network programme.

Our collaborators

The partnership is led by the Southwest London Integrated Care Board. It includes Southwest London's academic institutions, acute and community NHS trusts, NIHR ARC South London, Clinical Research Network South London, Health Innovation Network as well as colleagues from the South London Partnership and local voluntary sector organisations through the South West London Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Alliance.

The study used a community peer research approach, working collaboratively with four voluntary sector organisations - Centre of Change in Croydon, Tooting Community Kitchen in Wandsworth, MIND's Magpie Café in Kingston, and People Arise Now in Sutton - to organise the community research café sessions.

Find out more about the research