INVOLVE, UK

27 / 04 / 2009

Sarah Buckland has been involved in patient involvement in research in the UK since 1999. She is the Director of INVOLVE. INVOLVE itself was set up in 1996.

In the '90's, much of the discussion about consumer involvement was headed by the work of the Community Health Councils who looked at the way that health was delivered to consumers. They had the belief that consumers had not only the right to complain about the health service but that they should have a say in how the service was being provided. What was important to patients needed to be spotted and then taken into account in the delivery of the actual health services themselves. Community Health Councils were patient/ public driven. 

In 1996, a group was started by the government to advise on research called: Consumers in NHS Research (now called INVOLVE). Their task was to advise the Department of Health Research and Development Department as to how public and patients should get actively involved in research. In 1999, a Support Unit was established to take forward the work of the INVOLVE Group. Nowadays, INVOLVE has a paid staff of 9 people. INVOLVE does not get involved in research itself, but encourages and guides researchers to involve the public in their research and encourages patients and the public to get actively involved in research. 

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