1. Faculty of Health The COMENSUS Project John Coxhead Mick McKeown Nat Solanki Lisa Shoja

2. Faculty of Health What is Comensus? Comensus is a new way of involving service users, carers and the wider community in the work of the Faculty of Health.

3. Faculty of Health How do we do this? We support, empower and train a group of dedicated volunteer service users and carers who have come together to get their voices heard by the staff and students of the Faculty of Health ( The Community Involvement Team). We act as a central hub for the co- ordination and facilitation of user and carer involvement.

4. Faculty of Health How do we do this (continued) We facilitate a group of representatives from the academic, voluntary and statutory service sectors who together provide expertise and guidance to the project( The Advisory Group) We help the Faculty of Health make important decisions

5. Faculty of Health Why are we doing this? To provide added value to the learning experience To ensure that service users and carers voices are heard To provide a unique insight into lived reality To bring about positive change in practice

6. Faculty of Health Research Method Modified participatory emancipatory action research, using a process of iterative cycles of planning- action-observation-reflection-planning (Carr and Kemmis 1986). Involvement to action

7. Faculty of Health Emergent themes Making a difference Supportive relationships Authenticity & being valued Connectedness and solidarity - friendships Mutual respect and diversity Empowerment & moving on Independence and university affiliation Added value for community

8. Faculty of Health John Coxhead - CIT member Views are valued and acted upon – for the first time feel my points are taken seriously Feel someone has listened Part of planning meetings that develop and shape our work Support is available for whole group but personal support is given according to my needs Can get involved in as much or as little as I want

9. Faculty of Health Natverlal Solanki CIT Member Comensus provides a hub for people to get involved in education passing on their experience, as carers and service users. We are educating educators to empower people to improve health education. The group is inclusive with many people having more than one disability, coming from different cultures and are all experts by experience who are willing to share their insights and input them into Comensus project

10. Faculty of Health Website address www.uclan.ac.uk/comensus

11. Faculty of Health How to contact us The COMENSUS Project Brook 328 University of Central Lancashire Preston PR1 2HE 01772 893818 Lmalihi-shoja@uclan.ac.uk