In a study just published, a team at NHS Grampian explored what they say is a simple but important question: how can we make engagement in research and innovation in the NHS more impactful, meaningful, practical, and rapid?

In this article for healthandcare.scot, two of the report’s authors, Dr Miae Lee and Professor Seshadri Vasan, explain how a structured, participatory approach can help organisations design better services, prioritise research and innovation, and meaningfully involve patients and the public.

“Our work published in BMC Health Services Research builds on a workshop delivered at the 10^th NHS Grampian Research Conference at the end of June 2025. We brought together patients, the public, clinicians, NHS leaders, academics, and students not simply to generate ideas, but structure conversations in a way that surfaces what matters the most.

The day one programme included short presentations on healthcare innovation and patient experiences, followed by parallel roundtable discussions and a panel session. The roundtables provided a structured format for open discussion, guided by focused questions to support reflection without constraining conversations.

Participants worked across 14 parallel roundtables, reflecting on three questions:

• What is a key unmet need?
• What innovation could address it?
• Who needs to be involved?

This approach enabled focused contributions without lengthy consultation processes that typically span several months.

In total, 174 stakeholders generated 148 written contributions, which we analysed to identify key themes and priorities.

What emerged was both encouraging and instructive. Strengths within NHS Grampian, including telemedicine, interdisciplinary education, and patient and public involvement. However, persistent challenges remained, particularly fragmented data systems, referral tracking, and workforce pressures.

From these findings, we identified both long-term opportunities and immediate “quick wins.” Strategic priorities included AI-enabled scheduling, remote patient monitoring, and more transparent referral systems. Practical improvements included NHS caller identification, automated text reminders, updated informational videos, and multilingual materials. These align with national strategies such as Realistic Medicine, Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Strategy and Scotland’s AI Strategy.

What this means for Scotland’s health and care system

We conducted this work at a time when NHS health boards across Scotland face significant pressure from rising demand, workforce shortages, and financial constraints. At the same time, patient and public involvement has often been limited to one-directional consultation with limited influence on decision-making.

This creates a central challenge: how do we make engagement both inclusive and feasible? Clinicians, researchers and patients all face time constraints that make traditional processes difficult to sustain.

Our experience in Grampian suggests a practical way forward. Structuring conversations around focused questions enables priorities to be identified rapidly, reflecting both system needs and lived experience, while also clarifying who needs to be involved to deliver change. This shifts engagement from idea generation toward actionable insight.

The implications extend beyond a single region. Scotland’s integrated NHS structure, strong academic base, and growing life sciences sector create an opportunity to embed this approach more widely, strengthening collaboration across NHS, academia, and industry. Aberdeen City Council has expressed interest in how this methodology could be adopted in wider public service planning.

For NHS organisations, the message is clear: meaningful engagement does not need to be resource intensive. With the right structure, it can be focused, efficient, and actionable, supporting more responsive services and better outcomes for patients.

We will continue this work by sharing insights at the 11^th Grampian Research Conference (14–15 May 2026 at Robert Gordon University), helping to close the feedback loop and sustain ongoing engagement. This builds on the success of the 10^th Grampian Research Conference, recognised with a Collaboration Award from the Aberdeen Convention Bureau for its contribution to partnership working and knowledge-sharing, reinforcing the value of this approach and the importance of continuing to invest in it.”

 

Dr Miae Lee B.S., M.S., M.D. is an Honorary Researcher, and Professor Seshadri Vasan DPhil(Oxon) FRCPath FFTM(Gla) is Director of R&D and the Grampian CRDC, both at NHS Grampian.

The views of columnists and people who write guest insight articles are their own.

 

Read an article on the 2026 Grampian Research Conference: Conference to build on cancer research partnerships

Read more about research and innovation at NHS Grampian: Inaugural award for NHS Grampian R&D Director; Aberdeen A&E first to offer routine HIV tests; AI for lung cancer care to help tackle “hidden killer”; Call to expand Huntington’s specialist care

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