Greta Brunskill has worked in roles supporting public and community involvement in research since 2018, and currently works as Public Involvement and Community Engagement Manager for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration: North East and North Cumbria. As Director of Operations and Delivery at Northern Cancer Voices (NCV), Lorna Joisce is passionate about creating genuine partnerships with communities. Her work focuses on ensuring that people affected by cancer have opportunities to influence the research, services, and policies that impact their lives.
In this Health and Wellbeing Research Partnerships blog Greta shares work that began when she was Public Partnerships Manager for the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation based in Newcastle.
Building positive, mutually beneficial partnerships for research is something I have had lots of conversations about in my roles supporting public involvement in research. I’ve also read a lot of guidance, papers and social media posts about it, and learned a lot whilst encouraging and supporting others to invest in partnership working.
As part of the HRC based in Newcastle, we had the opportunity to grow a partnership with NCV, who bring together patients, carers, volunteers, and health professionals to improve cancer care and services across the North East and North Cumbria. This blog shares our experiences 18 months in…
A chance meeting with Lorna Joisce from VONNE Membership+ organisation NCV, at an event in November 2024, was where things all started. Fresh in my role to support public involvement at the HRC I was keen to make connections, so it was great to connect with Lorna.
Our first discussion centred on understanding each other’s organisations, and where there was potential for collaboration. My previous experience includes working with the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector at VONNE and the co-development of a Community Engagement Toolkit. With this learning in mind, an early part of our discussions was about what our HRC might be able to offer to NCV. The breadth and depth of relationships NCV have with communities across our region was a clear and obvious benefit to our plans to engage a wider and more diverse range of people in our HRC - but what could we offer to NCV?
Quite a lot, it turned out. A central part of NCV is their work to understand the experiences of people who have used cancer services and communicate these to a range of key decision-makers in cancer care. At the time NCV were looking to review a survey they use to collect this information. This led to a plan for researchers at our HRC, with experience of survey and questionnaire design, to offer some support. Over two workshops in August and September 2025, we covered the core principles of survey and questionnaire design and discussed potential opportunities to refine and develop the NCV survey. Our HRC Communications & Engagement Manager also shared advice on communications.
Alongside this skill sharing, in March 2025, I began visiting a monthly peer support group run by NCV in Cramlington. The group provides a safe space for people with current and past experiences of cancer to share and receive support and information. Joining the sessions over time has been a great way to get to know the group and talk about cancer-related research at the HRC. Next steps are to involve the group in a specific research project, which is coming up this autumn.
The HRC were also fortunate to be invited by NCV to be part of their Cancer Roadshow event at Cramlington Manors shopping centre on World Cancer Day in February. Together with organisations from across sectors, we had a great day talking to passing shoppers about research and importantly reached a wider range of people to share how they can get involved.
From Lorna Joisce, Northern Cancer Voices:
"When Greta and I first met, neither of us knew exactly where the relationship might lead, but we both took the time to understand each other's organisations and explore how we could help one another. That's how the best partnerships begin. Collaboration isn't always about exchanging money; it's equally about sharing expertise, opening up networks and investing time in people. Since Northern Cancer Voices started during Covid, we've seen the incredible impact of nurturing connections over time. Today we're regularly contacted by organisations looking for insights, introductions and support because people recognise the value of trusted networks. As we continue to grow, lived experience will remain at the centre, helping to shape conversations, decisions and collaborations across the cancer landscape."
From our experiences, working in partnership does take time, effort and a willingness to go with the flow. Lorna and I weren’t at all sure how things might evolve when we first connected, but we are grateful for what we have been able to do together so far and feel positive about what’s next. We hope that sharing our experiences encourages others to grow positive partnerships too.
If you would like to learn more about the Community Engagement Toolkit and related practical resources to support partnership working, you can visit the Creating Connections website.