Newcastle Health Research Partnership joins public involvement pledge
Monday April 13, 2026
Newcastle Health Research Partnership (NHRP) have joined the Health Research Authority (HRA), the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and a host of other leading organisations in a pledge to improve public involvement in research.
By signing the the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement, NHRP becomes part of a national initiative to improve the quality and consistency of public involvement across health and research, joining over 30 leading health and research organisations .
Dr Matt Westmore, HRA Chief Executive, said: “It’s great to have Newcastle Health Research Partnership join our Shared Commitment to Public Involvement. We launched the Shared Commitment with other leading organisations, to raise the profile, value and importance of public involvement in health and social care research. Together we are sending a very strong message to the research system that public involvement in the design and delivery of research is essential and must be taken seriously. The evidence is that better research results from involvement, and better research delivers benefits for patients.”
What is the Shared Commitment?
The Shared Commitment was developed collaboratively by the HRA, leading health and social care organisations, and members of the public, and was launched in March 2022.
It builds on work led by the HRA during the COVID‑19 pandemic, when a noticeable drop in public involvement was seen in studies submitted for approval. Supported in part by the UK Clinical Research Delivery Programme, the Shared Commitment sets out a joint pledge that each signatory adopts, aimed at improving the quality, consistency and impact of public involvement across the research sector.
Evidence shows that excellent public involvement improves the quality and impact of research.
Public involvement refers to all the ways in which the research community works together with people including, patients, carers, advocates, service users, and members of the public. Excellent involvement is inclusive, values all contributions, ensures people have a meaningful say in what happens and influences outcomes, as set out in the UK Standards for Public Involvement.
The full Shared Commitment statement can be viewed here.
The benefits of NHRP joining
By joining the national Shared Commitment network, NHRP becomes part of a UK wide effort to strengthen the quality and consistency of public involvement in health and social care research. Membership enables NHRP to raise regional issues at a national level, access shared expertise‑ and practical tools, and contribute to shaping future guidance and best practice.
Martin Dixon, Chief Operating Officer of NHRP, said: “Signing up to the Health Research Authority shared commitment to public involvement is an important step for Newcastle Health Research Partnership and our focus on our work meeting the needs of our regional population. One of our strategic objectives is ‘Building patient and public involvement in research’ and this commitment will help us to support and drive forward best practice across NHRP and our partners. We look forward to working with the national team and the opportunities it will bring for both our team and public members to get involved with the national groups.”
It also brings direct benefits to our partners and contributors locally. Learning from the national group will feed into our PPIE Partners Group and Public Partnership Oversight Committee, helping to build capacity and embed consistent, high‑quality involvement across all NHRP organisations. Through quarterly national learning meetings and participation in the public contributor peer group, our staff and public contributors will gain new insights, opportunities to collaborate, and a stronger voice in influencing sector‑wide improvements. NHRP will cover the modest annual costs required to support contributor involvement.
NHRP’s pledge
NHRP exists to improve health, reduce health inequalities and generate economic growth through research, training and education that leverages the combined strength of our partners. One of three pillars of our strategy is our Public Partnerships workstream, which aims to build patient and public involvement in our research, and embed this in the core of our practices and lead on innovative initiatives. As part of our own commitment, NHRP will:
- Ensure public contributors are involved in our partnership’s decision making through our Public Partner Oversight Committee (PPOC). Members of the PPOC consist of patients, carers and the public form across our NHRP’s partner organisations. They help shape NHRP public partnership strategic and action plan priorities
- Through the Public Partnership Training Programme, we provide training, guidance and real-life examples to develop skillset and knowledge to better embed patient and public involvement and research inclusion practice. Public contributors develop and deliver sessions and are also part of the working group
- Develop, share and advocate for good practice in patient and public involvement through our support for the delivery and development of Creating Connections. We will encourage and celebrate excellent involvement and support in our partnership and local networks
Work with our PPIE strategic leads in our partner organisations to collaborate and develop initiatives within our organisations for a more coordinated and consistent approach to public partnership.
Vicki Harris, Head of Public Partnership for NHRP, said: “Joining the Shared Commitment strengthens our ability to work in genuine partnership with patients, carers and communities across the region. It gives us access to a national network of expertise and shared learning, which will help us drive forward meaningful, consistent and high‑quality public involvement across all our partner organisations. Most importantly, it ensures the voices of our public contributors continue to shape research that truly reflects the needs and experiences of our communities.”
Find out more
Organisations who have signed the Shared Commitment can be found here: The Shared Commitment to Public Involvement in health and social care research partners
Organisations from across the health and social care research sector are invited to join our Shared Commitment. Find out how your organisations can get involved.