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… An appetite for change? – Patient experiences of nutrition and hydration ..read more

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… Organising inclusive and accessible events: our top tips ..read more

We’re delighted to share this poem written by Graham Price, one of our Directors. Happy New Year to all our supporters, colleagues, and friends! With apprehension, out goes the old,Without hesitation, in comes the new,All, ducking  the travails for-told,Besetting many, possibly you. then, wrought havoc and chaos for too many folk,Now, hopefully ushers in a ..read more

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… Social care workshop with the University of Hertfordshire ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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… What’s in it for me? – involvement benefits ..read more

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… Organising inclusive and accessible events: our top tips ..read more

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… Developing an Inclusive Approach to Research at Liverpool Hope University ..read more

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… Effective service user involvement – how to build trust ..read more