Public Involvement Groups

We are looking for members of the public to help us improve the care we provide to adults attending the Emergency Department with abdominal pain.  

We would like to hear from you if, 

• you have a diagnosed abdominal pain condition, or you are still under investigation  
• you have attended A&E once or multiple times due to abdominal pain
• your abdominal pain is not as a result of a specific injury

Why we need you

We want to explore your experiences of attending the Emergency Department and the treatment you received, with a view to improving the help we provide. We are interested in developing services so that we are better equipped to respond to abdominal pain. 

Our previous work has shown that providing more information to patients about their pain, is beneficial in terms of how they manage and respond to their pain in the future.  

 How you can help

We would like you to meet with us via Teams/Zoom or similar for an initial talk about the research study and why we feel it is important to carry out this research.

• We would like you to help us to ensure that the patient information we give to our research participants is easily understood
• We would like to make sure we are asking the right questions in our research, and we would like to hear what you think the right questions are to explore 
• Share your experience of attending an emergency department with abdominal pain 

 We will provide you with a Love-to -Shop Gift Card that can be spent on-line as a thank you for your time.

If you would like to be involved, please email: jodaniels@nhs.net   

Dr Jo Daniels, Senior Lecturer, University of Bath and Clinical Psychologist, North Bristol NHS Trust

Our team does not just involve patients as Research/Trial participants. We are also committed to involving the public in every stage of a research project’s journey. From the development of an idea, through to the sharing of a project’s findings, we feel strongly that consistent involvement and engagement with our public partners in our research will result in high quality projects that are focussed on patients, and with outcomes that are important to them. We want to address real world healthcare challenges and improve care, but we can only do this by understanding and listening to a wide range of opinions and by ensuring we have a culture that encourages patient driven ideas.

We are always keen to expand our Public Involvement Group and have new members join us!

Who is this opportunity for?

Patients with experience of Obstetrics/Gynaecology/Maternity services or members of the public with an interest in improving Women & Children’s Health and Care through research. We also have project-specific groups whose members may have a particular condition or experience – please contact us and we can keep you up to date with any relevant projects.

How you can be involved.

The Research Unit will host face-to-face meetings, video chats or can discuss projects via phone or email, if you prefer. We like to encourage discussions with researchers about their project ideas and research approaches; we ask for help reviewing research summaries and other research documentation; and also want to hear your  general “lived experience” perspective to advise our research staff and clinicians on how best to deliver our projects. We can provide training to support your involvement in our projects, as required.

When?

The dates and times of all the meetings/activities will be agreed in advance and we will endeavour to give as much notice as we can. Timings will be varied and flexible to accommodate the group.

Where?

Face-to-face meetings are sometimes held in the Learning & Research building at Southmead Hospital. However, we also like to choose the most suitable venue for the group that is meeting – these can be less formal and, for example, more child-friendly, if required.

If you are interested in being involved in our general and/or or a specific project’s Public Involvement Group, would like to register your interest, or would just like some more information please email us via wchresearch@nbt.nhs.uk.

Have you or someone close to you, been affected by a ruptured brain aneurysm - Subarachnoid Haemorrhage? - (SAH)

A subarachnoid haemorrhage is most often caused by a burst blood vessel in the brain (a ruptured brain aneurysm).

A brain aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall, usually at a point where the vessel branches off.  As blood passes through the weakened vessel, the pressure causes a small area to bulge outwards like a balloon.  Occasionally, this bulge can burst (rupture), causing bleeding around the brain. More than 8 out of every 10 subarachnoid haemorrhages happen in this way.

5 to 10 people in every 100,000 in the UK suffer from SAH. Sadly, people who survive may be left with physical disabilities, including speech, balance, sensory or visual perceptual problems, which affects their ability to care for themselves.

It can happen at any age, but are most common in people aged between 45 and 70. Slightly more women are affected than men. It can also lead to further problems, due to the brain aneurysm bursting again after it has sealed itself.

We are the Bristol Neurovascular research network, a team of doctors and researchers who are working together to improve research into SAH. We need your views to find out what is important to you to help us to improve future care.

When: We will be meeting on-line in early 2024.

To find out more, please email BristolNeurovascularResearchNetwork@nbt.nhs.uk

You will receive a £25 Love to Shop Gift card as thank you for your time.