IPC hosted a knowledge exchange webinar on Thursday 20th March, focusing on the topic of Community Research: from theory to practice. The webinar covered the development of a community research network in Oxfordshire and examples of community research projects. The network was established in 2023, and last summer IPC completed a rapid process evaluation of the first year. The webinar included insights from speakers closely involved in the Oxfordshire Community Research Network (OCRN) including:
Foyeke Tolani, Head of Research at Oxfordshire County Council
Foyeke shared the process of setting up OCRN, including the timeline and expected outcomes. She reflected on some of the early successes including over 100 members representing local statutory organisations, academic institutions, community grass roots organisations, and charities serving Oxfordshire.
Veronica Barry, Executive Director, Healthwatch Oxfordshire
Veronica shared the experiences of Healthwatch Oxfordshire. She explained how they had engaged with community members to explore what good community research should look like, to inform the work of the OCRN. This engagement led to the identification of four guiding principles for community research, which were adopted by OCRN:
1. Nothing about us without us
2. Commit to action
3. Value lived experience and time
4. Be open, transparent and accountable
Veronica also shared work undertaken by community researchers, supported by Healthwatch Oxfordshire, on experiences of the cost-of-living crisis for a local community in Oxford. The report can be read here.
Jacqueline Adusei, CEO, Refugee Resource
Jacqueline and her team at Refugee Resource undertook workshops, funded by the OCRN, to support the development of the community research blueprint. They ran workshops in the county with 19 services users, all refugees and asylum seekers, to understand their experiences of healthcare. Themes identified suggested many participants felt valued by the NHS, however there had been difficulties with language barriers, long wait times and sometimes unwelcoming staff. The findings will inform areas of further community research and research prioritisation in Oxfordshire.
Agnes Turnpenny, Consultant, IPC
Agnes gave an overview of the rapid process evaluation that IPC conducted of the OCRN. Areas that worked well included diverse organisations gathering with a shared purpose in the network and generating commitment and excitement for the future of OCRN. Challenges included difficulties of balancing power in a network where organisations have different levels of resource to commit and how to move from the forming stage to actively working as a network.
Attendees shared their views and asked the speakers about community research in Oxfordshire and the logistics of OCRN. Topics included:
- how community research networks could address the issues of duplication in research
- and advice for areas getting started with community research.
The webinar was an ideal forum to share best practice and some attendees remarked:
“This was a really useful and informative session.”
“A great mix of speakers and good facilitation.”
“It’s been very interesting to hear what has been achieved through the network.”
Look out for our 2025 schedule of IPC Knowledge Exchange Webinars for alumni and academic partners.
