An appetite for change? – Patient experiences of nutrition and hydration

11 March 2024

Ann Nutt was a former member of the Shaping Our Lives National User Group, and Graham Price is a current director. Ann is chair of the Patient Panel at her local Hospital and Graham is a member of the nutrition and hydration group at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust. Staying hydrated and eating well… Continue reading An appetite for change? – Patient experiences of nutrition and hydration

Organising inclusive and accessible events: our top tips

18 February 2024

In November 2022, we hosted Thinking Outside the (Tick) Box, a hybrid service user-led conference to share learning from marginalised communities about how to make involvement inclusive and effective. In this blog, we reflect on some of the key lessons we learnt from organising a conference like this for the first time, as well as… Continue reading Organising inclusive and accessible events: our top tips

What is co-production?

7 January 2024

Co-production is a type of involvement in a whole spectrum of involvement methods and approaches. Whilst it has recently become a bit of a buzzword in health and social care, the idea of co-production has been around since the 1960s and has its roots in the Disabled people’s rights movement. While there are many definitions… Continue reading What is co-production?

Seven essentials for effective involvement

23 November 2023

Shaping Our Lives is a non-profit, user-led organisation. We’ve been working for over twenty years on inclusive and effective involvement, enabling people from diverse and seldom heard groups to have their say in the services that affect their lives. We’ve done a lot of research into what makes involvement inclusive and how to remove the… Continue reading Seven essentials for effective involvement

Effective service user involvement – how to build trust

20 November 2023

When it comes to effective and inclusive involvement, trust is crucial to enable people with lived experience to feel comfortable to share their stories. This is especially vital for those who have experienced discrimination, trauma, or denial of services, and for those from communities that have a low level of engagement with services. How do… Continue reading Effective service user involvement – how to build trust

Developing an Inclusive Approach to Research at Liverpool Hope University

Shaping Our Lives were recently pleased to facilitate a workshop at Liverpool Hope University involving the Service User Group at Hope (SUGaH+) alongside academic staff from the Social Work team and wider School of Social Sciences. The aim of the workshop was to talk about what would make a great research team, gathering ideas from… Continue reading Developing an Inclusive Approach to Research at Liverpool Hope University

Meet the team – Alice Young

6 November 2023

We’re delighted to welcome Alice to our team as our new (and first ever) Chief Executive Officer. Tell us a bit about yourself  I’m a proud mother to my son who celebrated his first birthday the week I joined Shaping Our Lives. I live on our beautiful boat with my partner and our beloved sausage… Continue reading Meet the team – Alice Young

Key questions for inclusive involvement

31 October 2023

In our twenty plus years of working in the field of service user involvement, people tell us again and again that they want to share their lived experience, but that involvement activities must be inclusive and meaningful. They want to contribute to something that has the potential to make positive change, and want to know… Continue reading Key questions for inclusive involvement

What’s in it for me? – involvement benefits

14 October 2023

When yet another survey request pings into your inbox, do you immediately press delete? Do you pass by that poster in your GP surgery, asking for participants for their patient forum? Ever considered responding to a consultation, only to think twice? What’s the point, right? They’ll just take your time, your opinions, and carry on… Continue reading What’s in it for me? – involvement benefits

Overcoming the barriers to involvement

13 October 2023

If you’re in charge of public involvement, co production, or service user participation, hopefully you’ll be keen to make sure you talk to a wide range of people, including those who are from diverse communities. Involving people from seldom heard and marginalised groups has never been easy, and whether you want to consult, involve, engage… Continue reading Overcoming the barriers to involvement

Setting up service user involvement groups for social work and social care education

20 September 2023

Shaping Our Lives have supported several universities to develop their service user involvement in social work education and across health and social science courses. The work usually comprises a number of meetings and facilitated workshops with the academic staff and service users. Sometimes Shaping Our Lives recruits a group of people to take part. On… Continue reading Setting up service user involvement groups for social work and social care education

Social care workshop with the University of Hertfordshire

13 September 2023

Shaping Our Lives are working with the University of Hertfordshire on a project about social care research. We are facilitating a social care advisory group, which includes people who: The group will share their experiences of research and/or using social care services to support researchers involved in the SCRiPT study (Social Care Research in Practice… Continue reading Social care workshop with the University of Hertfordshire

Meet Raj, one of our national user group members

12 September 2023

Shaping Our Lives has been a user-led organisation for over 20 years. That means we are led by Disabled people who make up our National User Group. One of our User Group members is Raj Mehta- trusted advisor, experience procumbent and IT Business leader. In this interview Raj talks about his experience as a blind… Continue reading Meet Raj, one of our national user group members

Timing is everything

29 August 2023

Short deadlines, tight turnarounds, late-stage applications, and last-minute plans – we advise against them. Not because of pressure – because of accessibility. Did you know timing can be a key accessibility issue? Here we explore the different ways timing is vital for inclusive involvement. In this blog: Involvement recruitment deadlines and participant preparation time You’re… Continue reading Timing is everything

Meet the team – Becki

23 May 2023

This week we’re chatting with Becki Meakin, the Shaping Our Lives Involvement Manager. Becki has worked for Shaping Our Lives for over a decade, and brings her lived experience as a blind woman into her role. Tell us a bit about yourself I was born in a tiny hamlet called Ellenhall in Staffordshire. I lived… Continue reading Meet the team – Becki

Accessibility – more than just step-free

18 May 2023

You may find these other blogs helpful too: When the topic of accessibility is raised, many people automatically think of ramps, lifts, and grab rails. While those physical adaptations are important, making activities inclusive requires more than step-free access.   If you want to make your activities truly accessible, then you need to be aware… Continue reading Accessibility – more than just step-free

No longer ashamed

16 April 2023

This is a guest blog written for Shaping Our Lives by Lynda Hills, a PDH student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Trigger warning: This post contains mention of attempted suicide. “In 2009, after years of struggle, I overdosed and jumped off a bridge. Fortunately, I didn’t die, but I was left crippled and… Continue reading No longer ashamed

“I’m proud of myself for even applying”

2 March 2023

Shaping Our Lives recently worked on a project where Disabled people led the research and coproduced the resources. Their feedback, shared here anonymously, demonstrates the powerful benefits that inclusive involvement can have. As well as this project leading to excellent resources for Disabled people, these lay researchers in turn found emotional and psychological benefits for… Continue reading “I’m proud of myself for even applying”

Meet the team – Roxane

7 February 2023

We’re proud to be user-led and have a variety of staff, associates, and National User Group members all contributing their knowledge and lived experience to our work. In today’s blog, we talk to Roxane, one of our associates. Tell us a bit about yourself  I am an inclusion and involvement consultant and trainer. I’ve been… Continue reading Meet the team – Roxane

Thinking Outside the (Tick)box

9 November 2022

We were delighted at how our conference Thinking Outside the (Tick)box went last week – the UK’s first user-led Inclusive Involvement conference. Shaping Our Lives has a very small team of staff and associates, so the day wouldn’t have been possible without lots of hard work from them, plus the invaluable help from volunteers and… Continue reading Thinking Outside the (Tick)box

Why health inequalities need to be addressed for the specific community

29 July 2022

This guest post was kindly contributed by Sukhjeen Kaur (She/Her), Founder/Director of Chronically Brown Within healthcare, we have all been impacted by the ‘one size fits all’ approach implemented by the National Health Services. We understand and are aware that individuals are individual which need to be treated as such. More recently, ‘health inequalities’ have become… Continue reading Why health inequalities need to be addressed for the specific community

Spotlight on: The PIER Partnership at Bournemouth University

17 March 2022

In this post, Dr Mel Hughes from Bournemouth University reflects on their work in the PIER Partnership, and asks – Does the system need to change to facilitate more inclusive involvement? What we do: Much of the work I do involves drawing on the expertise of people with lived experience. I am an Associate Professor… Continue reading Spotlight on: The PIER Partnership at Bournemouth University

What we’ve achieved

8 March 2022

2002 –the year of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, and when the Euro became the official currency of 12 EU members. It was also the year Shaping Our Lives was officially constituted. Our constitution didn’t make front page news, but nevertheless, we have spent the last two decades (and more) working hard to ensure the voices… Continue reading What we’ve achieved

20 years (and more) of Shaping Our Lives

7 March 2022

As the Beatles sang, it was 20 years ago, Sergeant Pepper told the band to play, but as we celebrate 20 years of Shaping Our Lives, it was actually a bit longer ago than that our Sergeant Pepper, Peter Beresford with a little help from some friends, told our band to play. While it’s two… Continue reading 20 years (and more) of Shaping Our Lives

Spotlight on: The Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC)

20 February 2022

Shaping Our Lives focuses on inclusive involvement, especially when it comes to services, like health and social care, and research studies. But what about consumer products, the things we buy in shops, the technology we use, the cars we drive, and the holidays we take? RiDC ensures that disabled and older consumers are heard by… Continue reading Spotlight on: The Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC)

International Day of Disabled People – or is it?

3 December 2021

December 3rd 2021 marks what is now termed as the International Day of People with Disabilities, although it was not always known as this. When this day was first established in 1992, it was known as the International Day of Disabled Persons. This previous name reflected a social model understanding of disability. But as many… Continue reading International Day of Disabled People – or is it?