Pharmacy Research UK (PRUK) is a small charity that funds pharmacy research in the UK. We fund research to help pharmacists do research projects that can improve the public services and patient health. Our research funding helps:
- Pharmacists develop research skills that will improve patient care in the future;
- Find out how we can deliver services better and make sure that pharmacy works well for patients;
- Enter into partnerships to increase the value and impact of pharmacy research;
- Promoting research to highlight the important role of pharmacy and pharmacists in health care.
This is an exciting time for PRUK. We are aiming to become one of the main research funders for pharmacy research in the UK. We are working with other key organisations to achieve this aim, such as Diabetes UK, Wellbeing of Women and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
The Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) advises the Board of Trustees about grant funding, as well as the areas which need more research. The panel also makes sure that the research we fund is fairly assessed and will improve care for patients and their families.
We would like to recruit one lay member to the Scientific Advisory Panel.
We are looking for a lay member who has used pharmacy services and is interested in health care research. This includes patients, parents, carers, family, and members of the public. You do not need to have any experience in health research. SAP members will receive travel expenses for travelling to the meetings and will be paid for their time.
The lay member will help guide and support our research priorities. Lay members will be supported by PRUK staff to ensure they are able to contribute to the meetings, including the use of a chat function in online meetings and the use of live captioning if needed. PRUK staff remain at hand to support any queries or concerns that lay members raise, either by email, online video calls or by telephone.
The lay member:
- Makes sure that our research is important to patient and will improve care in the future;
- Talks to us about the research areas that we should focus on;
- Makes sure that we think about and support patient involvement in research;
- Makes sure that researchers include public and patient involvement and benefit to patients in their applications for funding.
The panel meets for a full day meeting twice a year using MS Teams. We may hold face to face meetings in London in the future, however we will still offer online working if travel will be difficult to arrange. There will be some work which needs to be done before meetings. This includes reviewing funding applications. We usually send paperwork by email, but will try out best to accommodate other ways of working.
If you are interested in this role, please send a letter to Desh Mofidi at office@pharmresuk.org.uk, outlining your interest in the role and response to the following questions:
- Why would you like to join the PRUK SAP as lay member?
- How would you describe your experiences as a service user?
- What are your views on pharmacy services and what needs to be improved?
- How do you feel you could contribute to PRUK as a lay member?
The closing date for expressions of interest is 12pm on Wednesday 1st March.
If you wish to discuss these opportunities further, please contact Desh Mofidi (desh.mofidi@pharmresuk.org.uk).
