Get involved in research
There’s a range of ways to get involved in local and national research to improve healthcare for all.
Be part of Research
Be Part of Research is a national free service which makes it easy to find and take part in vital health and care research across the UK. Find out more and register on their website.
Community Engagement increasing Diversity and Accessibility in Research (CEDAR)
Cedar is a community research platform provided by SCAS that aims to bring research into the community. This innovative design aims to make research more accessible for underserved communities using our mobile teams and dedicated research vehicles. Working together with community locations, primary care, hospitals, South Central Regional Research Delivery Network, and community trusts, we aim to provide an improved participant experience and improve participant retention through increased ease of access to research.
Find out more about CEDAR
About the CEDAR project
The CEDAR project aims to increase diversity in Research through increased access to clinical research utilising community engagement and mobile Research delivery teams to bring research to the community.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has identified a significant inequality in research caused by multiple socio-economic factors, such as age, geography and ethnicity. This disparity has resulted in unbalanced health outcomes for some populations. To try and combat this the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) has designed and implemented an innovative dedicated Research Team with the ability to bring Research directly into the community. This dedicated team can provide research activity at locations convenient to each community, such as in community halls, workplaces, ambulance vehicles, or if appropriate, prospective participants homes. Our hope is that by reducing the burden of travel to and from research appointments and increasing the convenience of location, we will encourage more people to engage in research.
How will this be achieved?
The plan to achieve this, is to offer community groups the chance to express their interest in Research to the South-Central Ambulance service via our website and becoming a ‘CEDAR community’.
A registered CEDAR community will be provided with regular newsletters to share amongst their population. This newsletter will include information such as, health and lifestyle advice evidenced by recent Research findings, information regarding new research opportunities and dates of local research events.
CEDAR communities will have access to our unique dedicated Research Delivery and Community Engagement teams, who can be booked to attend the community to deliver specific research or education events within the community setting.
Next steps
To express your interest in being a CEDAR community we need a contact email as well as the address (including postcode) for your community. Please email Research@SCAS.nhs.uk
This information you supply will be held securely within the South Central Ambulance Service electronic file system and will only be accessible to members of the South Central Ambulance Service Research Team. It will never be passed to anyone else. We will contact you to confirm receipt of details and welcome you to our CEDAR community network.
What if I change my mind?
If you or your community decide you do not wish to remain a part of our CEDAR community network please let us know. To withdraw your consent, please email Research@SCAS.nhs.uk with the title CEDAR COMMUNITY WITHDRAWN CONSENT, and we will remove the details of your community from our system.
If you want to know more
You can find more details regarding the CEDAR project email us at Research@SCAS.nhs.uk and one of our dedicated team will get back to you.