Friday, 6 January 2023

We started the meeting by welcoming our existing and new members to the group. We went round the table, and everyone introduced themselves and told the group a bit about their background. Kate introduced the two main objectives of the meeting which were to provide information about, and discuss the research process, including the research cycle, writing a research bid and applying for ethical approval. Also, to discuss upcoming or ongoing research projects and ways to get involved. To start, Kate gave some information about the research cycle and the different elements we must consider when thinking about writing a research bid. We got into groups and discussed a set of statements on cards which highlight the type of things researchers must think about when writing a research bid. The groups were asked to look at the cards and think about how they think they might decide on the order, the timing, who do they need to speak to regarding different aspects of the project and how would they do this whilst juggling other responsibilities/projects – when writing a research bid. We came back together as a big group and shared our ideas and thoughts using the whiteboard. Kate explained that when writing a research bid, there is an ‘dream/ideal’ situation whereby you get an idea, apply for funding, you are awarded funding then you can do the science. However, the reality is often more complex. We discussed the complexities and the variety of different things we must consider and added them to a mind map. We then went through and highlighted areas where we can integrate patient and public involvement (PPI).

In the second part of the meeting, we discussed some of the ongoing and upcoming projects. Alisha, a fourth-year medical student in our lab group talked about her project exploring the barriers to cochlear implantation. Alisha discussed how she plans to run focus groups and would like to recruit people from the group. Kate briefly talked about her ongoing community engagement project called ‘SO-Together Health: Working together within Southampton for better hearing and brain health’. We discussed how important it is to go into the community and meet people who wouldn’t necessarily join deaf or hard of hearing groups. We discussed brain health and the link to hearing health and the importance of raising awareness about these links. Kate would like to form a small steering group to discuss ideas about activities and information that we could take into the community for this project. Please let Kate know if you would like to get involved.  The final discussion of the meeting was about the lack of awareness of GPs and NHS practitioners around hearing health and deaf awareness. We will add this topic to a future meeting of further discussion as it was something many members of the group felt very strongly about. Just before closing the session, Kate gave a few mentions about the Terms of reference document and the upcoming website.