We believe that research delivered through partnerships has the potential to deliver better outcomes for older people. These partnerships could be made up of academic researchers, public sector organisations or voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).
For some of our funding calls, we mandate partnerships between researchers and organisations beyond academia. For example, academic researchers working with a commissioner, local authority, or third sector organisation.
Introducing the ImPreSs-Care study
Teams we fund in this way can be in existing or new partnerships; either way, many go on to establish strong working relationships. We spoke to Dr Lucy Beishon, from the University of Leicester, and Cheryl Clegg, from Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, about how they’ve made their partnership last.
Lucy and Cheryl worked closely together on the ImPreSs-Care study which aimed to learn about the physical health needs of older people who are being cared for by mental health services. The study went on to explore how best to design joined-up services so patients’ physical and mental health could be addressed together in one place.
Set strong foundations early by aligning goals and ways of working
From the outset, Lucy knew she wanted to work with Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland. They know a lot about the needs of older adults with both physical and mental health conditions thanks to providing a dementia support service, day groups, a carer support service, discharge support and running an information and advice helpline.
Even before the study was fully designed, interests across academic and third sector partners were purposefully aligned. ”The study idea really struck a chord with us,” explains Cheryl. “We constantly hear feedback from local older people about their struggles to get coordinated care or to navigate their way through the system with physical and mental health needs.”
But it’s not enough for a project to simply resonate with both parties, it must also be designed to capitalise on each partner’s strengths. In this case, it meant Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland leading on participant recruitment. “They have feelers on the ground thanks to the services they run,” says Lucy. “They were better placed than a university to invite people to the study and feed back to us how it was landing.”
How to nurture a long term partnership between academia and third sector partners
Lucy and Cheryl’s biggest takeaway for nurturing a strong partnership is to value everyone’s input. “Whether you were from academia, health, third sector, or a carer, everybody’s voice was valued and I think that played a huge part in how successful the project has been,” shares Cheryl. “There was genuine interest in learning from everyone and we’ve been made to feel very much a part of it.”
To keep the partnership running well on a day-to-day level, the project also put in place:
- Regular and open communication so partners always knew what stage the project was at and how their input had been used.
- Including Cheryl on the project steering committee and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group, enabling her experience and knowledge to be used seamlessly.
- Placing the project researcher within Age UK, instead of the university, so they could pick up information and a broader perspective of the issues older people are facing.
Challenges to VCSE-researcher-public sector partnerships
Community-engaged research is not without its challenges. Academic institutions aren’t necessarily used to these partnerships. Lucy shares how her university initially struggled with the nuances around collaboration agreements, GDPR flow of information and contracting with Age UK.
“Embedding the researcher outside of the university was initially quite challenging,” reflected Lucy. “But having the weight of our funder requiring partnership working really helped”. The team got through but it was a learning curve for Lucy and the university as to how to do it properly.
How funders can encourage VCSE-researcher-public sector partnerships
Both Lucy and Cheryl strongly advocate for this approach to research. “Our partnership has shown how invaluable it is to get the different sectors together,” says Cheryl. “We would definitely partner in a project again,” she adds.
Not all funders account for the cost of partnership working, or not at the level needed to do it well. At the Vivensa Foundation, however, we welcome funding applications that fully cost what’s needed.
For the ImPreSs-Care study, this meant roughly 50% of the grant went directly to Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland. This covered the researcher who was employed by them and other related running costs that accrued. “Having that additional money in place meant that we weren’t expecting our partners to contribute for free,” explains Lucy. “We were able to do more meaningful engagement as a result.”
As a funder, we also champion community-engaged research. “Not everyone knows what the third sector is or what it can do,” shares Cheryl. “The Vivensa Foundation understands that NHS, local authorities and volunteer organisations come in all shapes and sizes. It appreciates the work that can be done with these kinds of organisations.”
Work with us
We believe that research delivered through VCSE-researcher-public sector partnerships has the potential to deliver better outcomes for older people. And we will continue to ask for this way of working in some of our funding calls.
If you’re looking for a partner in order to apply for funding with us, join our Academy.
If you already have a partner, our Ignition Fund is an opportunity to secure smaller financial support. This enables you to build strong relationships and develop ideas in preparation for a larger application.
Read more about how to get community-engaged research projects right.
