News

The REND (Research Engagement and Network Development) Project  

The REND project has been funded by NHS Research England. In autumn 2022, PCVS, along with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board (C&P ICB) and the National Institution for Health and social care Research’s (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN). The overarching aim of the REND project has been to embed better, collaborative ways of working with between GPs, researchers and communities affected by health inequalities for better health research engagement.  

This saw the creation of an Inequalities Research Network of likeminded GPs working in deprived areas, researchers, and other medical/health professionals to come together via Teams to discuss ways of working, research ideas, and communities worked with. The first part of the work entailed two mapping exercises: one to understand the VCFSE sector organisations across the city, and one to understand the health inequalities research done in and around Peterborough. We gave talks at the inaugural ISLAH research conference and two separate Health and Wellbeing Forums about the REND project and health inequalities in the Peterborough context.  

We also did three engagement events with communities: the first one was done in September focused on the impact of language and literacy on accessing healthcare; the second one was done in February with the Nepalese community around mental health research; and the final one was done in April with the Gambian community at their Eid celebration focusing on general engagement for the community into health research.  

Community Research Champions 

In September 2023, PCVS, with the CRN, trained 16 different community leaders and members from nine different VCFSE groups with the aim to understand the barriers to health research for communities who are underrepresented in health research studies. Subsequently, many of the groups we have worked with have been from migrant community groups and faith organisations. Once trained, the research champions spent six weeks talking with their communities about health and health research and gathering data to form a picture of the hurdles for health research. This culminated in a celebration event for them in February at the Peterborough Museum where researchers and medical professionals were invited to hear the champions speak. Work with the research champions and the CRN is continuing for the next year. 

– Joshua Fowler, PCVS Health Research Coordinator

Our research consistently shows us that health systems can be hard to understand, particularly with the amount of acronyms involved. If you feel similarly and would like to know more, please see below details of a health event PCVS is hosting to try and help tackle this problem.

Health Day event – Making sense of the health system 20th May Allia Future Business Centre, Conference Room, 10am – 12pm 

Not sure what the difference between an IN and the ICB is? Do you wonder what a social prescriber actually does? Do you struggle to find where your organisation needs to be connecting with health services, and how you might fit into the integrated care system? 

Join our Health Day event for voluntary and community organisations in Peterborough so you can help your community better. 

PCVS’ Recovery Project Health and Wellbeing Forum are hosting this morning of health discovery on Mon 20th May 10-12 at Allia conference centre. The event has good representation from across health services, staffed by the people you need to know. Come and get to know the system and the people.  

If you require any further information, please contact

Jo***********@PC**.uk