What are we doing?

The Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration is expanding its ‘Maternity Safety’ theme. We are looking for new Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) members interested in maternity safety. Our research focuses on clinical support decision-making tools in maternity care, managing information overload for doctors and pregnant women, effective risk communication in pregnancy care, and mental health during and after maternity.

How can you help?

If you have lived experience of maternity care in the UK and are comfortable discussing your perspectives with researchers and doctors, we invite you to join our PPIE group. Your feedback on written documents, videos, and other activities will be invaluable. We especially encourage individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds to share their maternity safety and care experiences. Meetings will be held three times a year either online or in person in Birmingham, and occasionally in London.

How will we support you?

You will be offered a reward for your involvement and preparation time in line with NIHR payment guidance, typically £25 per hour or £75 for a half day, plus travel expenses.

For more information, please contact us at patientsandpublic@contacts.bham.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you! 

What are we doing?

National Evaluation of Weight Medication Access (NEWA) are conducting a study to understand more about access to weight medication and to shape our research by gathering experiences with weight management support.

How can you help?

You can help by joining our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) group. We are looking to recruit a diverse advisory group of seven people who are 18+ and willing to attend monthly meetings. Your participation will involve sharing your experiences and insights to help guide our research.

How will we support you?

We will support you by paying for your time and covering travel costs for in person meetings. If you are interested, complete a short expression of interest form or contact us at 0117 455 7944 or info-newa-study@bristol.ac.uk and tell us a bit about yourself and why you are interested in this opportunity. Deadline to apply is 29 May 2025. 

Wednesday 14 May | 1pm | Online

The Routes to Wellness team are pleased to share their experience and the outcomes of their public engagement as they approach the end of their Experienced Based Co-Design project. Routes to Wellness is funded by the NIHR HSDR programme to co-design and test a peer support model to enhance refugee mental health in the community. Register here to attend. 

Saturday 31 May | 10 am | Centrala (158 Fazeley Street, Unit 4, Birmingham B5 5RT)

This community outreach event is designed for women whose first language is not English, including refugees and migrants. The workshop aims to raise awareness about women's health and provide opportunities to discuss various topics with doctors and scientists. We are also offering a free pizza lunch!

Limited spaces available. Please register via Eventbrite or contact patientsandpublic@contacts.bham.ac.uk if you have difficulties registering. 

Listen to Dr Praveen Sharma discuss how different types of bacteria in our mouths affect the rest of our bodies, and the link between gum disease and systemic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Catch him on BBC Sounds.

Following the article in our April newsletter and on our website, where we learned more about our public contributor Emily Lam and her work, we now have additional information to share from her. Check out her updated blog.