Research User Group newsletter 2019 RUG newsletter FINAL version 30.10.19 | Page 11

LINK member
11 SPOTLIGHT ON
LINDA
PARTON
When I retired and returned to Leek, after 14 years
working in development in Africa and SE Asia, I
wanted to use the skills I had gained working for the
benefit of disadvantaged and stigmatised groups and 
communities. Also, my husband and I had found that, being distanced from modern world
standard healthcare services, we had to become more responsible and knowledgeable about our
own health. Initially I wasn’t sure how I could support my own community and voluntarily
supported a small Scottish charity, Cerebral Palsy Africa. Not long after, I became a member of
our GP practice PPG (Patient Participation Group) and as a hearing aid user, volunteered with
Action on Hearing Loss. As a PPG member I became involved in mounting Health Promotion
displays at the surgery and training staff on communicating with those with a hearing loss. It was
through the PPG that I became aware of LINK. A small group of us met with Laura Campbell and
Sue Ashby as we planned to mount an information display about the pilot project to offer
physiotherapy, at the surgery, as a treatment for osteoarthritis. This was the first time I had heard
about patient involvement in the accelerated implementation of research findings.
I was delighted to be invited to join LINK and I am so glad I did. The group is very friendly and
welcoming and the meetings are fascinating. These meetings are not a talking shop as there are
always positive outcomes. I particularly like meeting with researchers and inputting to their
research and implementation plans. I feel that lay members are really listened to. It is also very
satisfying to contribute to the development, revision and dissemination of information for
patients. Through my involvement with LINK, I was asked to be a co-applicant on a Keele Global
Health research project to reduce the stigmatisation of people with Leishmaniasis in three Lower-
and Middle-Income Countries. The results of this research have the possibility of changing
the lives of millions.
I was on the NICE guidance committee on Hearing Loss. That guidance
LINK GROUP was published in 2018 and I am now a lay member of the Tinnitus
Guidance Committee. I am also a standing member on a NICE Quality
Lay Involvement in
Standards committee and part of MTRAC (Centre for Medicines
Knowledge
optimisation) at Keele. My latest venture is to be appointed to the NIHR
Mobilisation - the
Health Service and Delivery Research (Commissioned) Prioritisation
Impact Accelerator
Committee. I am very busy but feel I am making the most of my skills
Unit's dedicated
and experiences for the benefit of others. I am able to take my learning
PPIE group for
from each of the groups I am involved with to other organisations. This
implementation
is one the best times of my life and LINK is at the centre of my
and impact work
activities. I look forward to being involved for some time to come.