Supporting equality, diversity and inclusion in research at Health and Care Research Wales Conference

Supporting equality, diversity and inclusion in research will be a key topic for the 7th annual Health and Care Research Wales Conference, which will take place online on Thursday 14 October 2021.

The pandemic has brought the stark issue of health inequality into the spotlight but research can play a key part in ensuring treatments and care are tailored to reduce these inequalities in the future. Health and Care Research Wales is focused on bringing equality, diversity and inclusion to the forefront of the Welsh research community to make sure that people from all groups, reflective of the entire Welsh population, feel they can play a part in research.

As well as this, at the Discover Your Role Public Engagement and Involvement Forum in May sessions explored examples where researchers have focused on increasing the diversity of people who get involved and participate.

One example of how our research community puts equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of its work is the Born in Wales research study, which is led by the Centre for Population Health (NCPHWR). This ongoing study aims to understand and improve the health and wellbeing of Welsh families with young children. A key aspect of this project is encouraging ethnic minority families to take part by reaching out to organisations such as the Race Council Cymru and the Ethnic Minorities & Youth Support Team (EYST), as well as using tailored messaging that is directly aimed at engaging these groups.

The Talking Trials project, led by the Centre for Trials Research, explored perceptions of clinical trials among ethnic minority communities in Riverside, Cardiff. Through creative online workshops the team have learned more about how to overcome barriers people from these communities may face when taking part in research.

As well as this, the ALPHA group, which stands for ‘Advice Leading to Public Health Advancement’ and is run by DECIPHer, provides opportunities for a diverse group of young people to get involved with research. The group helps researchers to plan studies they want to carry out in Wales by discussing issues with the research from a younger perspective. Each of these three projects are led by research organisations funded by Health and Care Research Wales.

Reshma Raycoba, Acting Head of Public Involvement at Welsh Government, who chairs the Public Engagement and Involvement Forum, said: “We will continue to explore the barriers for people getting involved in health and social care research and work together as a community to find the best solutions. For the results of our studies to be effective and representative of people in Wales, it is vital that everyone is included.

“Our new public engagement strategy focuses on reaching out to people in their own communities and communicating consistently to build trust in research. As well as this work, at our upcoming online Health and Care Research Wales Conference there will be a discussion panel looking into ways we can increase inclusion, diversity and equality in Welsh studies, which we encourage all people in research to join us for.”

If you are interested in joining this discussion, register to attend the online Health and Care Research Wales Conference on 14 October 2021 for free.

The deadline to sign up to the conference is 4 October.

You can also register to attend the next Public Engagement and Involvement Forum in November, which is a regular event where people can share good practice and get support with public involvement and engagement in research.

If you missed out on the Forum event in May, you can view the presentations

Photo caption: Visitors at the Riverside Festival 2021 (Cardiff) learn more about the Talking Trials project (credit: Martina Svobodova and Sarah Bridges)