Overview
We are privileged to have had the support of representatives from the UK Bangladeshi community from early in the grant application process through to the delivery of the research programme. Our grant co-applicant Mr Mir Gofur works alongside Tracy Cripps and Jeff Andrews as the UPTURN Public and Patient Involvement Leads.
Learn more about the research team
Community partnerships are key to carrying out our research, and we look forward to finding new ways to give something back to patients and community groups through our public involvement activities.
“COPD and me”: The UPTURN Community Assembly
The Bangladeshi community hosted our first major event of the programme at the Cresset Theatre in Peterborough, in November 2023, with an evening of talks, discussion and networking. The event included presentations from NHS England, Asthma + Lung UK, the West Ham Foundation, and Anglia Ruskin University as well as the UPTURN team. We also held an "open mic“ session for guests to share their personal experiences.
The 120 attendees included Bangladeshi Community Leaders and their guests from Peterborough, London and Bedfordshire, and Research Champions from the Peterborough Community Voluntary Services with representatives from Black African, Chinese, Nepalese, Russian and LGBTQ+ communities.
Event aims:
- Raising awareness of the issues affecting communities highly impacted by lung conditions
- Connecting health researchers with community groups to understand how to work well together in research
- UPTURN programme launch
What did we learn?
Our researchers listened carefully to the feedback, personal stories and advice that was given at the community assembly. We will take this knowledge forward to all UPTURN research activities.
Examples include:
- Concerns about taking part in research, practical considerations and the impact on social benefits
- Wider issues around access to healthcare that might influence how people feel about pulmonary rehabilitation and research
- Advice and ideas on how to work with different communities in the UK
- Cultural considerations that we should be aware of and accommodate when designing research processes and patient involvement activities
- How to communicate our research back to communities effectively
Ways to get involved
There are opportunities for anyone living with COPD to get involved with different stages of the study, so if you are interested in being involved, please contact us and we can discuss how you can participate at the study progresses. We are also seeking to involve healthcare professionals referring patients to PR and delivering it (e.g. Specialist nurses, GPs, physiotherapists, PR providers, NHS commissioners).
For more information please email us.