Penny is one of our Public Involvement Strategy Group members.
Biography
I followed a path to patient and public involvement (PPI) that started with a science outreach talk in a pub, and continued on to volunteering with a university and primary health care research group’s public involvement project about improving end of life care.
As a dyslexic working mum with two young children I hope, if it makes sense to me, and I think it’s possible to do, then I might pass at least one mum test!
What I hope to get from being a member of this Public Involvement Strategy Group is an understanding of how big ambitious hopes for health can be delivered. And also to help prevent those public health improvement ambitions to not shame those it is targeting for its support.
I think that coordinating evidence and policy for public health by working together is important. Sharing speeds things up and avoids unnecessary overlap. Bringing the public into the plan for the future as early and as much as possible is also good.
I’ve spent 20 years giving health advice to people from all walks of life about their animals. I also have experience volunteering to widen sport participation by helping grow the female membership of a local cricket club, and helped to build links with community groups as part of an organisation that filled the role of the city’s neighbourhood community partnership officers when funding was cut.
Being involved at the Health Protection Research Unit means I hope that those experiences can be utilised.
So many members of the public have valuable skills. Public involvement casts a wide net to find knowledge and skills that makes something not just work but sing.