HealthWise Wales Newsletter Winter 2018

Try our HealthWise Wales New Year Resolutions, AND support the NHS in Wales to plan for the future.

1. Complete questionnaires

Congratulations! You are one of over 15,000 people who have joined HealthWise Wales.

But, have you completed all of your questionnaires? New questions on skin cancer, bowel cancer and the reuse of medicines were added in October. We are also looking for parents of 2-6 year olds to tell us about the oral health of their children. Please log in to your HealthWise Wales account to find out if there are any for you to fill in.

2. Help us to create safety in numbers

In order to protect Wales, we need as many people as possible to join HealthWise Wales and answer our questionnaires. The more people who join, the more valuable the research will be. Your friends and family can join today at: www.healthwisewales.gov.wales

3. Follow us on our social media

You can follow us on Twitter and like us on and like us on Facebook for all the latest news and updates from the HealthWise Wales team.

What does the HealthWise Wales family look like now?

Our first 10,000 participants' data has been analysed, and the HealthWise Wales cohort looks like this:

• ● Roughly 7 in 10 of you are between the ages of 25 to 64.
• ● Nearly 8 in 10 of you are female. Please encourage your male friends and family to join us!

Studies you can take part in...

Would you like to help improve the way Wales talks about health and social care research?

If yes, then please apply to join the new Health and Care Research Wales Public Reference Panel. This public engagement voluntary opportunity is open to all residents in Wales.

Health and Care Research Wales want your opinion on public facing activity such as websites, publications, events, digital marketing and media drafts which concern health and social care research in Wales. They will be in contact when they need your help and you can decide if you want to assist them.

Access to your personal details will be secure, restricted and dealt with confidentially.

To apply, please email: research-involvement@wales.nhs.uk or call 02 920 230457 to register your interest and find out further details about how you can help.

Are you a disabled person who has had cancer?

Do you have any physical impairment and have had a diagnosis of cancer, currently in remission or six months beyond treatment? Are you an adult living anywhere in Wales?

If yes, please take a moment to consider participating in an interview study funded by Tenovus Cancer Care.

The aim of the Challenges of Cancer and Disability Study, CoCaDS, is to improve cancer care for disabled people. It is carried out by researchers at the School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University.

If you are interested, please contact Dikaios Sakellariou at: sakellarioud@cardiff.ac.uk or by phone: 02920687744.

Do you care for a family member who is unable to make decisions for themselves?

If yes, have you been approached to decide about whether they should (or should not) take part in a research study? This may be for a study looking at dementia, or learning disabilities, or following a sudden event like a stroke or critical illness.

We would like to talk to family members who have been involved in making a decision about research on behalf of another person. The interviews will explore how such decisions are made, and what information is helpful for people making decisions, in order to design a way of supporting family members. If you would like more information or are interested in participating in the study please contact Victoria Shepherd: shepherdvl1@cardiff.ac.uk or 02920 687641.

Survey on Public Attitude to Death and Dying in Wales

A team of researchers from the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre at Cardiff University want to find out about people's attitude towards death and dying in Wales. The researchers hope that the findings will help services to better understand the public perception around death and dying and develop informed service delivery. The Researchers also hope that this will encourage people to talk more about death and dying. To take part in the survey, please click here.