We are pleased to announce the launch of the Public Involvement Front Door, a new online resource developed by the NIHR North West London Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) to help researchers navigate, improve, and embrace public involvement.

The Public Involvement Front Door combines a values-based approach with practical tips and resources to open up the world of public involvement and empower researchers of all disciplines and experience levels to meaningfully involve public members in their work.

This project is funded by NIHR SafetyNet, and throughout the site you will find guidance specific to the challenges faced in patient safety research, and well as case studies of projects where patients and public members have been safely and meaningfully involved in patient safety research.

How can you use the site?

The Public Involvement Front Door is designed to support you throughout your public involvement journey. The site is split into five stages, allowing you to easily jump to the content most relevant to you at any given moment:

1. Understanding public involvement: Learn about what public involvement is, why it matters, and how it can help your research.
2. Planning your involvement: Plan the who, what, when, where, and how of your public involvement – plus consider how much time and money you’ll need and how you’ll track impact throughout the project.
3. Reaching public members: Explore how to engage with communities and form reciprocal relationships with community organisations to reach public members and involve diverse groups in your work.
4. Involving public members: Understand how to support public members leading up to, during, and after an activity, including tips on how to safeguard public members and yourself.
5. Disseminating your findings: Consider how you will share your findings with the public members you involved and how they can help you share those findings with the wider public.

Throughout the site, you’ll find general guidance, graphics and illustrations, tips from public members, and frequently asked questions. You can also visit the Resource Hub for easy access to the many downloadable resources found across the site.

We hope that the Public Involvement Front Door will be a useful resource for researchers and healthcare professionals hoping to carry out meaningful public involvement. We’d love to hear how the site has helped you with your work, and we’re always open to feedback and suggestions on how we can improve the resource. To get in touch, please contact us here.

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