Steering Group terms of reference

  1. ​Purpose

​Funders, regulators and research organisations who play an important role in UK health and social care research have come together, working with members of the public, to sign up to a bold new Shared Commitment to improve and extend public involvement in research.

​The Shared Commitment aims to address gaps identified in leadership and communication, by bringing patients and public contributors and leaders in health and social care together. Together we actively set out the importance of public involvement in all health and social care research, with the ambition of delivering better health and social care.

​We have committed to the following actions in the published Shared Commitment to Public Involvement in Health and Social Care Research on 11 March 2022:

​Working together, we will support the research community to carry out excellent public involvement.

​We will provide or share guidance, policies, systems, and incentives.

​We will:

  • ​listen to and learn from the people and communities we involve and apply and share that learning.
  • ​build and share the evidence of how to involve the public and the impact this has.
  • ​support improvements in equality, diversity, and inclusion in public involvement.
  • ​promote the UK Standards for Public Involvement.

​We will embed this commitment into the decision-making processes of our organisations.

2. ​The Steering Group’s role will be to:

  • ​make collective decisions about how to take the aims of the Shared Commitment forward.
  • ​agree our objectives for the Shared Commitment, for example, celebrating and demonstrating change, continuous clarification and amplification of the message, collaborative working and develop an engagement plan.
  • ​establish a process for signing up to the Shared Commitment.
  • ​consider what partners have to do to satisfy the Shared Commitment and any evaluation of this.
  • ​drive activity to deliver our shared and individual organisation’s commitments, for example, sharing best practice, building the evidence base and supporting greater equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • ​communicate and engage about the Shared Commitment and its objectives to keep raising the profile and importance of public involvement in health and social care research.
  • ​make strategic decisions including:
  • ​reporting structures and accountability.
  • ​ongoing steering group structure and membership.
  • ​communications and engagement strategy, including proposals for an annual conference.
  • ​funding applications.
  • ​developing a web presence for the Shared Commitment.
  • ​areas of focus for collaborative working.

3. Your role as a member of the Steering Group will include:

  • ​attending bi-monthly meetings and feedback to colleagues in your organisations
  • ​supporting partners of the Shared Commitment to achieve their objectives.
  • ​championing the Shared Commitment across the sector, sharing your expertise and experience.
  • ​sharing experience of the various ways in which implementation of our commitments will impact stakeholders.
  • ​exploring ways to increase awareness and confidence in public involvement.
  • ​participating in knowledge exchange between Steering Group members who represent stakeholders from across the research sector.
  • ​cross-sector working with members and strategic partners represented from across different stakeholder groups.

4. ​The HRA’s and NIHR’s role as facilitators of the Steering Group will include:

  • ​providing updates on implementation of the Group’s commitments.
  • ​providing support where required to enable participation.
  • ​co-ordinating the development and dissemination of best practice.
  • ​providing updates on implementation of the Group’s commitments.
  • ​considering the various ways in which implementation of the commitments will impact stakeholders.
  • ​jointly exploring with members ways to increase awareness and confidence in public involvement.
  • ​offering a platform for knowledge exchange between Group members who represent stakeholders from across the research sector.
  • ​facilitating cross-sector working with members and strategic partners represented from across different stakeholder groups.

5. ​Members and ways of working

​Further information can be found on the Shared Commitment Governance Structure webpage

  • ​Chairs: The Steering Group will be co-chaired by two representatives, one Public Involvement lead and one Public Contributor from one of the partner organisations. The chairs will rotate regularly.
  • ​Members of the group are:
  • ​Public contributors.
  • ​Representatives from each type of partner organisation:
  • ​Regulators
  • ​Research Funders
  • ​Lifesciences Industry
  • Research Organisations
  • Membership Organisations
  • ​Members are on the Group for their personal and professional expertise.  If members are unable to attend a meeting, a deputy should be sent.  If there is to be a permanent change of representative this must be agreed by co-chairs.

​Members are not paid for their time unless they are a patient or public contributor.  Host organisations for the public contributors will be expected to provide support, payment for time spent both at meetings and between meetings, and to provide any resources required to enable full participation.

6. ​Meetings

  • ​Steering Group meetings will take place at least four times a year.
  • ​Meetings of the Steering Group will take place virtually, over Zoom. However, we may seek to come together in person from time to time.  Should members be required to travel or have subsistence and accommodation expenses associated with the work of the Steering Group, these will be reimbursed by the appropriate group member organisation.

​7. Secretariat, papers, and minutes

  • ​The Group will be supported by the Policy and Partnerships directorate of the HRA.
  • ​Papers for each meeting will be prepared by HRA staff and sent to Group members at least one week before the meeting.
  • ​Minutes of each meeting will be prepared by HRA staff and sent within one week of the meeting to Group members for sign-off.

8. ​Openness and transparency

  • ​Information about the Steering Group and activities will be published on the HRA website. This information consists of:
  • ​names of member organisations.
  • ​the Terms of Reference.
  • ​general information relating to the Steering Group’s aims and activities.
  • ​information on how to become a partner organisation of the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement.

9. ​Review

  • ​Members will have ownership of the direction and lifespan of the Steering Group, working in a collaborative nature to achieve the aims of the Commitment.

​Appendix 1

​List of current partners who are steering group members

  • ​Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Contributor and Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Involvement Lead
  • ​Public Involvement Lead

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