King's College London

By Caroline Norrie and Emily Porro

Today, colleagues, community partners and people with lived experience came together in the Great Hall at King’s College London for the final Knowledge Exchange event of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) South London. Over the years, these gatherings have championed the value of different kinds of knowledge and demonstrated how researchers, voluntary organisations, clinicians and communities can work together to shape more equitable approaches to health and social care.

A highlight of the event was a presentation by Cas Lovelock, activist and lecturer in research methods and inequality at the University of Glasgow - Is lived experience still at the heart of research, policy and service design? This beautifully crafted talk entwined reflections of growing up in care, developing a research career, and insights about good practice in participatory research. The talk challenged the reduced political commitment to public contributor involvement and inclusion over the past five years, as well as the growing reliance on AI. It also highlighted how the current political climate is creating conditions in which people may no longer feel safe to share their personal stories.

The half‑day event combined presentations and stands showcasing a wide range of projects led by researchers, health and social care practitioners, voluntary sector partners and community groups. Professor of Occupational Therapy at Kingston University, Cilla Harries, HSCWRU Researcher, Caroline Norrie and SHARE Awardee, Emily Porro represented the ARCSL Social Care Capacity Building Programme (SHARE) with a poster outlining the progress and evaluation of this scheme.

Closing remarks were delivered by Stan Papoulias, Patient and Public Involvement Research Theme Lead at ARC South London, who gave an inspiring talk, ensuring delegates left with renewed energy for strengthening partnerships, addressing inequities and prioritising lived experience in research, policy and service design.

Emily Porro writes about the event on the Unit blog.