ABSTRACT
Involving the public in health research has gained credence in recent years through the work of the Consumers in NHS Research, now renamed INVOLVE. Several key influential documents have been published including, ‘Involving consumers in designing, conducting, and interpreting randomized controlled trials: questionnaire survey’ (Hanley et al. 2001) and ‘Involving consumers in research and development in the NHS: briefing notes for researchers’ (Hanley et al. 2000). In April 2001, the role of Consumers in NHS Research expanded to include public health and social care research outside of the NHS, giving a broad base of potential influences on the prioritizing of research. Housing and health research is a public health issue particularly for those most vulnerable, such as elderly people, the very young or those with a disability (Department of Health 2001; British Medical Association 2003).
