Evidence Library

Abstract: The Service User and carer Group Advising on Research (SUGAR) was set up in 2009 to support a five-year research programme. This article reflects on their experience and reports on the findings from a survey of the group’s members. SUGAR has had an impact on the researchers, the group members and the programme of research. The services users and carers report that their involvement has helped them to feel included and empowered, it has offered meaningful activity leading to employment for some, and provided friendship, support and opportunities for personal growth. The impact on the research has been to: • improve and refine projects and activities • extend the meaning of research findings • produce outcomes and interventions that service users and carers find more useful. The researchers report that working with SUGAR has helped them to express their ideas more clearly, to learn about service user and carer experiences and to develop new ideas and new ways of thinking.

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Categories: health
Identifying topics, prioritising and commissioning
Designing research
Managing research
Analysing and interpreting
Writing up and disseminating
impact on research
impact on service users involved
impact on researchers
impact of public involvement
journal article
Recruitment

Date Entered: 2014/06/10

Date Edited: 2014/06/10