Research Partnerships

Wigan Health & Care Research Forum

Celebrating the launch of a new Wigan Health and Care Research Forum, developed in partnership between the Research Management Team from WWL and the Public Health/Transformation Team at Wigan Borough Council, it brings together all sectors of health and social care (the Healthier Wigan Partnership), Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprises (VCFSEs) and the wider research community across Greater Manchester, to talk about opportunities to do more research in and with our communities and neighbourhoods.

Research opportunities and collaborative discussions are developing through the Wigan Health and Care Research Forum, with the second event held on 7th October and attended by 35 delegates from across community-based voluntary groups and health and care service providers across Wigan.

This second event proved just as good as the first held in July, showing a great sense of enthusiasm to talk about building research knowledge and research infrastructure across the Borough.

The main aim for the Research Forum is to develop a network of like-minded people to gain an understanding of the Wigan population’s health needs and foster discussions about further health improvement opportunities with a focus on improving take up in research participation which is reflective of our Wigan community.

Each event is designed with the input from all Members of the Forum, and at this second event, they heard about Progress with Unity – a New Era for Wigan Borough, addressing the wider needs of our communities and how research might help to address some of these needs.

Delegates also heard from our Research Team about NHS Research Funding Opportunities and an introduction to what research looks like in health and care.

The Workshops have been held at both events and have begun to develop and understanding of projects/initiatives across all sectors, which may inform future research projects. The second event workshop largely focussed on how we might break down barriers to access services and research (focus on health inequalities), how we might support public health behaviour change; co-production with our Wigan Residents and building research capability?

The 3rd event is planned for early in 2025.

If you want to register interest, please contact alison.hegarty@wwl.nhs.uk

Research Fun Day

Over 200 people dropped in to our Research Fun Day, held in collaboration with the National Institute Health Research’s Clincial Research Network for Greater Manchester (NIHR CRN GM), to speak with stallholders about taking part in research while also learning about some of the health, care and wellbeing initiatives operating in the Wigan area.

Designed to raise awareness of opportunities to get involved in research to help improve health outcomes for people across the region, the latest festival took place at Robin Park Leisure Centre and featured stalls from 17 external partners with balloon modelling, fun and games, exhibitions and refreshments also available throughout the day.

Alison Robinson, Head of Research at the Trust said: “The research fun day was a tremendous event, bringing together lots of organisations with an interest in health, innovation and research. There was such energy on the day from our partners and I hope this enthusiasm for sharing the benefits of research transferred to our local community.”

Mayor of Wigan, Councillor Kevin Anderson, was in attendance to speak with some of the NIHR CRN GM partners and visited the stalls. He also had a guided tour of the NIHR CRN GM Research Van which makes research more accessible by visiting easy-to-reach locations across the region making it easier than ever for residents to take part in research.

The Mayor also took the opportunity to sign up for Research for the Future which is an NHS-supported campaign that encourages people to get more involved with health research in their local area by registering their details and consenting to be approached about future research opportunities.