Folk.us is funded by the Department of Health and we are part of the Peninsula Medical School. The Folk.us Aim Folk.us supports and develops patient, service user and carer involvement in health and social care research activities to ensure that those who use services and those who care for those who use services inform and guide research at all stages in Devon and Plymouth.

Folk.us Executive Group This group looks after our day to day running, including things like how we spend the money and who we employ. The Executive Group has five members: two service users and two academics and the Coordinator. Folk.us Steering Group We are setting up a new Steering Group to help Folk.us. The Folk.us Steering Group will have up to 12 people and we will pay service users, patients or carers for coming to it. The Group will meet three time a year.

People in research including Doctors/GPs Staff in hospitals Researchers in universities People who make Research Policies Staff in Devon Social Services People use services People who are Carers

We have developed guides and policies A guide to the Research Governance. Simple Grant Applications. A guide to paying people. We have developed and delivered training on how to involve people in research To staff in hospitals, universities. To people who user services.

Some Research Committees we work with Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Research Committee. Haematology Service Users Research Committee. Peninsula Primary Care Research Network (PenReN). Peninsula Primary Care Research Management & Governance Group Exeter PCT.

A Local Collaborative Project with St Thomas Health Centre Exeter: A Qualitative study of migraine involving patient researchers. A Local Collaborative Project with Honiton Surgery: Experience of People using strong opioid drugs for chronic non-cancer pain. Folk.us supports both service user led research and collaborative research in health and social care, locally and nationally.

A local Service User Led Project with Living Options Devon: An assessment of service provision at the point of diagnosis of a permanent visual loss. Now we will hear from Patsy Staddon, who is a Service User Researcher.

A National Service User Led Project with Shaping our Lives: User Controlled research its meaning and potential. A National Collaborative project with the Peninsula Medical School: An evaluation of consumer involvement in the London Primary Care Studies Programme. Now we will hear from Annemarie Hawton, who is a researcher and a health services lecturer.

Folk.us is still do things we have already talked about, supporting research projects, helping research committees, developing policies, guides and training. We will be working with the new UK Clinical Research Networks in the South West.

Rachel and Dawn Folk.us Noy Scott House Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital Barrack Road Exeter EX2 5DW Telephone: Fax: Website: If you would like to find out more then please contact Folk.us!