Berkshire residents to benefit from new wellbeing research partnership

People living in Berkshire will benefit from a new partnership between researchers and clinical teams, to develop research that specifically addresses the needs and challenges faced by the local population.

The Reading Resilience Network will connect academics, NHS practitioners and other organisations to identify potential research opportunities and discover new techniques and inform best practice in Berkshire and across the UK.

The collaboration between the University of Reading and Berkshire Healthcare will also bring together schools, councils and charities, such as the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust. The action-orientated approach is designed to ensure that local people are getting the best care possible, informed by the most up-to-date evidence.

Professor Stella Chan, Charlie Waller Chair in Evidence-based Psychological Treatment at the University of Reading said:

“There has been a massive change in our understanding of what it means to be resilient over the past five or ten years, and we are only now beginning to catch up to the level of importance that our mental health deserves.

“Patients are going to be at the heart of the project and will stand to benefit by receiving treatments that are informed by the latest research. We are really excited as the project will give researchers an ongoing understanding of the challenges that clinical staff face and provide an opportunity to work with patients and practitioners to co-design research that gets to the heart of problems specific to our region.

“This is the next step for work between the University of Reading and Berkshire Healthcare, and we want to invite other organisations who are interested in getting involved in the Reading Resilience Network to get in touch.”

Through the Reading Resilience Network, members of the public will have the opportunity to take part in active discussions and potential research.

The team from the University of Reading hope that the project will enable more open conversations between members of the public, clinical practitioners and researchers across a range of disciplines, and empower people to feel more involved in their own health. As part of that commitment, Reading Resilience Network will ask young people to provide insights to help steer the project’s work.

This a fantastic opportunity for us to work more closely with researchers from the University of Reading, to help identify and answer research questions which are most important to our clinical staff and the populations we serve.

Katie Warner, Head of Research and Development at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said:

“This a fantastic opportunity for us to work more closely with researchers from the University of Reading, to help identify and answer research questions which are most important to our clinical staff and the populations we serve.

“Building on our existing relationships, this collaboration will bring together expertise from across our communities to identify the gaps and design solutions for a more resilient future.

“In addition, it will provide our members of staff with direct access to the latest research and build extra capacity to address remaining challenges more quickly.

The Reading Resilience Network is being launched online on the evening of Thursday 24 June, and will see Professor Chan and Katie Warner joined by Sir Mark Waller from the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust speak about the project and how to get involved. The free event is open to members of the public.

Visit the University's website to book (opens a new browser tab)

If you're interested in finding out more about the Network and be kept up to date with its work, you can register now via the University of Reading's website.