Public involvement and engagement entails research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public, rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. A key feature of these projects is the embedding the voices and experiences of people with multiple conditions and those who work closely with them throughout the project.

Members of the research team actively listen to and interact with the members of the public. This approach to research is not only inclusive, but it is likely to result in a better understanding of ethnic inequalities in healthcare, care quality and support for people with multiple conditions, which is essential for informing policy and practice interventions.