The foundation of meaningful public involvement and engagement is sustained relationships . Individual Keele staff have , over many years , established and developed authentic relationships with members of the public : informing people about how they can be involved in activities at Keele , encouraging , and supporting their involvement . Clear communication is key to sustaining relationships with user and carers . This has particularly been so through the pandemic , as feedback from users and carers shows :
“… most impressed with the considerable time and efforts the team , have put into keeping us informed and involved . Some excellent initiatives have evolved e . g ., E News Bulletins , IT Guide ...”
( Feedback from a Research User Group Member )
Our staff act as the first point of contact to respond to queries and question , actively listen to respond to individual needs and concerns , and support their ongoing involvement in research or education . With a strong sense of a ‘ duty of care ’, our staff look after the interests of the public members when they are involved in University activities . To ensure the inclusivity of activities and enable a broad range of people to be involved , it is not uncommon for meetings to happen outside of normal office hours , often in the evening .
Relationship building and sustaining relationships in public involvement and engagement takes time , commitment , and the right skills , irrespective of whether there is a pandemic happening or not . It requires dedicated individuals and teams who possess empathy , compassion , respect , and the ability to actively listen and communicate clearly . Some of our staff who work in public involvement and engagement are , themselves , people with lived experiences of health conditions . As such , their support of user and carers is done with empathy , understanding , compassion and respect . This has been appreciated by the users and carers the Faculty works with , as shown in the feedback received :
“ The virtual meetings enabled " life " to carry on and feeling involved and valuable was a great benefit .”
( Feedback from a Research User Group Member )
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