Mumsnetters in the Thames Valley and South Midlands: could you help promote health research?

[ClaireTMumsnet]

MNHQ has had a request from Alison from the NIHR Clinical Research Network Thames Valley and South Midlands.

They are hosted by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and help health research to take place in the NHS and social care in England.

Alison is looking for members of the public in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes who are passionate about health research and willing to volunteer as Patient Research Ambassadors (PRAs).

PRAs promote health research to the public and work with researchers through a range of activities, from giving talks in the community, speaking to the media about research to giving their opinions to researchers and getting involved with training for research staff. Full support and training is provided.

The benefits of the role include learning more about research and the opportunity to meet like-minded people and make new friends.

For more information visit: www.nihr.ac.uk/PRAI

To read Q&As with existing PRAs visit: www.nihr.ac.uk/patients-and-public/how-to-join-in/patient-research-ambassadors/ambassador-stories/

If anyone would like to chat with Alison about becoming a PRA, please call 01865 857149 or email [email protected] Monday to Thursday.

Milton Keynes is the ‘South Midlands’, is it?

Or p'raps Milton Keynes is the thames valley part of the heading...

Im near Windsor, so thinking Thames Valley would cover my area, am disappointed and wondering whether there is some error in the geographical reach...

Hmm. Maybe but the post only mentions ‘Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes’, which would be considerably stretching the boundaries of the ‘Midlands’.

... and of the Thames Valley 🙂

It is the National Institute for Health Research - the Clinical Research Network has set areas, one of which is "Thames Valley and South Midlands" - they can be big areas! See the map here www.ukcrc.org/research-infrastructure/clinical-research-networks/clinical-research-networks-in-england/

Last time I looked MK was not in the Thames Valley. Or maybe that earthquake we had a couple of weeks ago has shifted things around a bit.

South Midlands is not a thing!

The boundaries are all a bit weird because of the boundaries of the trusts. I'm involved in a similar project in the Thames Valley region and it covers a huge area, including Milton Keynes and Swindon.

Though it would have been better to put the exact locations you want in the title as I'm another who was hoping I'd be able to help but I'm not in either of those places.

Milton Keynes is covered by Thames Valley Police.