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Charities and Community Organisations
We work to reach a wide and diverse range of public groups to actively collaborate on research and innovation.
Let's Work Together
We aim to develop technologies to assist people with long-term health conditions to live well for longer, maintaining independence and dignity and the ability to enjoy life fully.
Bringing People and Researchers Together
- We work with charities and community groups to mould technology development and influence the innovation pathway for industry and academics
- Involve groups in project workshops and discussions
- We help to tackle health inequality
- We want to grow a population of community researchers
The HRC will therefore work jointly, to recognise the connections between peoples' physical, mental and social needs - and the interactions between these. This will be achieved through connected clinical and crosscutting support themes, developed in response to the linked challenges experienced by people we work with.
Awards
HeadUp Collar
Global Award for Patient Driven Research
CognoSpeak
Made with Patients Award
Devices4Dignity
Finalists in Excellence in PPIE- The Innovate Awards 2023
Testimonials
It's been a real honour to play a small part in Devices for Dignity’s journey. Seeing the journey over the last 15 years has been incredible. The potential for Devices for Dignity to really scale and help businesses like mine gain access to the NHS, to commercialise their devices is an incredible opportunity and I think Devices for Dignity are very well placed to help a lot of businesses gain success.
Dom Raban, Co-Founder and CEO of Xploro
Devices for Dignity are a team that are always there for you whenever you need support, they do what they promise and working with them, for us is a privilege
Sahra Abdi, Community Research Associate
Our Vision
- Work to reduce inequalities in health and social care, ensuring end-user engagement is threaded throughout development to make technologies that are fit for purpose and widely used
- Work with industry partners to safely but swiftly develop technologies that are easy for all to access and use. This will reduce the waiting period between identified need and available product
- To build capacity into the NHS and industry, to train and support healthcare professionals and business partners in health technology co-production for mutual benefit
- To build sustainability into technology development, reducing waste and protecting the environment
Our Approach
We involve people regardless of age, ability, background, ethnicity or gender as fair and accurate representation is key to designing health technologies in partnership with future users. This ensures we understand clearly:
- Our collaborators and the issues they face
- What all future users (public and professional) of any technology feel are the unmet needs
- How devices should look, work and feel
- How to produce technology which is useful, usable and easy and available
We recognise that technologies must assist people to manage their health condition while dealing with many other challenges (including pain, difficulty doing everyday tasks, mental distress, stigma, deprivation and isolation). These challenges overlap and can compound each other, so the work we do will recognise and address these and other interactions.
Our Partners
We have reciprocal links with the NIHR PPIE network and Doncaster Health Determinants Research Collaboration (to optimise resource use, reach and impact and avoid silo working), Deep-End GP Practices (poverty), Ability Net and Good Things Foundation (combatting digital exclusion). We have built strong and trusted relationships with ethnic and LGBTQ+ groups, and our current Community Research Associates/Champions within local community groups, Israac, ShipShape, Sheffield Chinese Community.
What We Offer
D4D is experienced in developing innovative products and services, and is uniquely positioned to access clinical and patient expertise to provide meaningful knowledge, tailored recommendations, and facilitation to technology development projects by offering:
- Discussions and focus groups
- Design workshops
- Iterative design and evaluation
- Project teams
- Contributing to- and being applicants in grant submissions
- Reviewing grant applications
- Identification of outcome measures that are important to patients and their carers for inclusion in trials
- Concept and prototype reviews
- Partnership opportunities
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Opportunity to become a community Research Champion
- Training on delivering workshops
- Introducing your community to research
- Links to STH
