BRC Public Partnership Advisory Group Member
Before retiring Wendy was a hospital Chief Pharmacist with nearly 40 years of NHS experience in acute, mental health and primary care services.
As a young adult Wendy was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and later Adult Stills disease. Her quality of life has benefitted greatly as a result of research into new treatments for arthritis, therefore ten years ago, in preparation for a meaningful retirement, she took on the role as a patient, lay member with the then Arthritis Research UK charity (ARUK) where she have used her professional and patient experience. When the charity became Versus Arthritis Wendy became a member of the Strategic Advisory group and has been involved in many aspects of the charity’s research agenda and the continued development of patient involvement.
Wendy also tries to get involved in research locally. She is a member of the Patient Involvement in Musculoskeletal Services group in Newcastle. Over the years this has led to helping with a wide variety of things.
To find out more about Wendy and her thoughts about the involvement and engagement of patients and the public in research, we asked her some questions:
How long have you been involved in research?
Although my professional background required me to look and think about research it wasn’t until I did my own research as part of a Masters degree in 1990, when I returned to practice after having children, that I truly became involved and saw how results can make an impact.
Have there been any research projects that you have been involved in that you have particularly enjoyed?
The majority of the work I have undertaken with Versus Arthritis has involved reviewing and evaluating research applications. However there have been times I have been asked to undertake other tasks both within and outside the organisation. One particular opportunity was working with the Richmond Group of Charities working to improve the lives of people with multiple long-term conditions. This involvement was inspirational and meaningful and will in the future make it better for patients with co-morbidities.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about getting involved in research?
Please give it a go. A patient with lived experience can bring so much, add another perspective, to make any research project meaningful and better for patients in the future. If it seems a bit scary at first, try and find another patient partner to buddy up with, to help you until you feel confident. The patient involvement role is really starting to develop so it is an exciting time to get involved.