Network Co-production Group
Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Network Coproduction Group
What is the purpose of the CoG?
The Coproduction Group provides an expert resource for the Loneliness and Social Isolation in Mental Health Network and helps to steer and deliver the project. It will ensure that the activity of the network is practical, ethical and highly relevant for the people who might experience mental health problems and/or loneliness and social isolation. The Group provides ongoing feedback to improve the relevance, practicality and influence of the Network. The group meets every six weeks for the first 18 months of the network, followed by every three months for the rest of the network.
Members of the co-production group contribute to the network by:
- Drawing on their own experience and knowledge of mental health and/or loneliness and social isolation to advise, work on and steer the Network activities and projects.
- Making contributions to Network events, such as giving a presentation, providing lived experience advice on study proposal for the network plus projects funding call, and contributing to round table discussions at events.
- Sharing resources such as coproduction guides to be included on the Network website
About us
The group consists of 10-12 people who have lived experience of having a mental health condition and/or loneliness or social isolation. Members of the group also include people with experience of caring for someone with a mental health problem. Members of the network come from diverse backgrounds. Their experience includes membership of patient advisory groups and patient Involvement Panels for NHS trusts, Care Quality Commission, service users’ research forums, members of lived experience advisory Panels on research studies and expert by experience boards.
What do we mean by coproduction in relation to the network?
"Co-producing research is an approach to research in which researchers, practitioners and public work together, sharing power and responsibility from start to the end of a research project, including the generation of knowledge. This includes respecting diversity of experience and perspective and collective decision making."
Taken from: NIHR/INVOLVE Guidance on co-producing a research project (PDF)
Within the activity of the network, there are elements of co-production, such as coproducing workshops and specific research studies, but not all aspects of the network are co-produced. Throughout the three and a half year duration of the network, different levels of involvement by people with lived experience is needed.
Here are some Coproduction resources
Benefits & tips for running a lived experience group for research
After three years of being part of the LSIMHRN's CoG, members filled in a survey about their experiences. We have collated these to produce a resource that we hope you find useful.