Collaborative workshops - the importance of allyship in health and social care research

To promote collaboration between the public and researchers, Health and Care Research Wales, along with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), are working with communities across Wales to ensure inclusive involvement in health and social care research.  

This initiative aims to establish comprehensive public involvement in health and care research, through a series of workshops and will help in the development of a new public involvement guide due to be launched next year.  

Following a meeting focused on the shared commitment to public involvement, Health and Care Research Wales joined forces with the NIHR with the goal of enhancing allyship, which is when someone not belonging to an under-served group actively supports and fights for equality in research. 

Health and Care Research Wales developed a series of workshops to amplify the voices of often overlooked under-served members of the community including the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team (EYST), Taff Housing, Disability Wales, Fair Treatment of Women Wales and the North East Wales Chinese Women’s Association.

These workshops delved into allyship, establishing trust and positive relationships with under-served communities as well as acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges faced by these communities. Kalsum Akhtar, NIHR public contributor who participated in this joint event, said:

I felt empowered, motivated and encouraged by the efforts and conversations as there is a real will to achieve better outcomes through becoming better allies. One of the most important points highlighted during the meeting included how communication, especially active listening, should not be underestimated.” 

Peter Gee, Senior Public Involvement Manager at Health and Care Research Wales, added:  

“It was useful to hear how people from across different communities just simply want to be embraced with empathy, honesty and openness. These workshops also reflected on questions from the attendees and provided a careful insight into how allyship can be incorporated within health research.” 

The public involvement guide, which will be created based on this initiative, will contain information on how to achieve a person-centred approach and aim to address accessibility challenges. The goal is to enhance researchers' understanding and competence in engaging with diverse populations, highlighting the importance of tailored guidance, effective collaboration and communication. 

If you’d like to know more about how you can become an ally email the Health and Care Research Wales team to set up a chat or if you would like to help with research sign up to Today’s Research bulletin to keep up with the latest opportunities.