Service User and Carer (SU&C involvement in health and social care education is an established feature in the teaching and learning of student nurses, social workers, and allied health professionals. SU&Cs have evolved from playing a minor role, primarily sharing their personal stories as a focal point in a lesson, to being actively included in student assessments, recruitment, resource development, and co-designing sessions with academics. The role is evolving, and academics are learning to include, embed, and collaborate with SU&Cs. Research is shedding light on innovation in this area and encompassing the impact on students and academics. However, little is known about the SU&Cs themselves, their perspectives, and the impact this work has on them. Investigating the viewpoints of this informal workforce is essential to ascertain their needs and opinions and develop meaningful and effective involvement for all stakeholders. There is also a scarcity of research which has been designed, developed, and co-produced with SU&Cs in this field. An interpretivist, qualitative study incorporated two groups of SU&Cs using separate methodological approaches. The SU&Cs were all active members of the Public Partnership Group (PPG) at the University of Huddersfield. A small team of four SU&Cs volunteered through self-selection to co-produce, design, and evaluate the research. This group was named the Research Design Team (RDT). A second group of ten SU&Cs volunteered through self-selection as research participants. The ten participants took part in a semi structured interview; designed by the RDT, where they were asked a series of questions relating to their notion of value in relation to their contribution to the teaching and learning at The University of Huddersfield. The interviews were then transcribed and analysed. Template Analysis was used to evaluate the findings. This study identified that SU&Cs did feel valued for their contribution. Many reasons were attributed to this, indicating that value is experienced in various ways unique to everyone. Participants shared an increased sense of wellbeing where “being heard” was a key influence of feeling valued. The findings clearly demonstrate the motivations for involvement and how it impacts well-being. Altruism featured strongly as a motivating factor for involvement. Participants expressed conflicting feelings about their connection with the wider university, with some lacking a sense of belonging within the organisation. The RDT faced several obstacles when co-producing the research with ethical approval and the global pandemic altering the initial plans for the research study. Their role swiftly moved online, and new skills were developed, however co-production was hindered as a result. This empirical research contributes knowledge to the emerging field of Service User and Carer Involvement pertaining to their perspectives. This research sheds light on the role of the SU&C and their notions of feeling valued for their contributions. The research provides insight into SU&C experiences in relation to how partnership working can be achieved and used in this field. It has also created knowledge of the holistic impact of involvement on the individual and demonstrated how modelling successful involvement in an educational setting is also a valuable learning tool for students. As a result of their analysis, the RDT generated a set of recommendations applicable to Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) where SU&C involvement is integrated into teaching and learning. This research also contributes knowledge to user led research that is co-produced by SU&Cs. It has exposed issues faced with co-producing research in a Higher Education Institute (HEI) and the ethical standpoint of this research field. Additional research is needed to further develop this field in relation to best practices for successful SU&C involvement, using democratic models to carry out research and providing guidance to ethics panels in relation to working in a co-production model.
| Date of Award | 22 Mar 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Tom Devlin (Main Supervisor) |
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