The video below captures the benefits of taking part in health research through highlights from a recent Cardiovascular Research event held at the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath NHS Foundation Trust in collaboration with the University of Bath.

The showcase event was a celebration of the cardiovascular research that is happening between the University of Bath and the RUH; and highlighted the importance of cardiovascular research for improving people’s health and wellbeing and making patient care better.

The showcase also highlighted the benefits of taking part in local health research and the importance of people with lived experience of a health condition contributing to how research gets done and how the results are shared.

The focus of the showcase was Super Rehab, a study which tested the impact of a lifestyle and behaviour change programme on improving the health and well-being of patients with cardiovascular disease.

The Super Rehab team included a group of four people with lived experience of cardiovascular disease. The group have been very involved in the programme’s development. They co-designed the showcase, ensured that the talks were tailored to a lay audience to enable wide understanding, and ensured that the experiences of the participants were central. One of the group, Andy Shields, features in the video, discussing the importance of involving a diverse range of people in research.

The video was created as part of Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) ICS’s Research Engagement Network (REN) programme and supported by BSW Integrated Care Board (ICB) and BSW Research Hub.

The REN programme was part of a national programme of work funded by NHS England to increase diverse participation in health and care research.