Could you help us improve the research that we are doing into chronic respiratory (lung) diseases?

• Are you living with a chronic respiratory disease, such as asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, or sarcoidosis?
• Do you care for someone who lives with a chronic respiratory disease?
• Do you think you are at a higher risk of developing lung disease in future, for example because of smoking or being exposed to harmful substances at work, etc.

We are looking for people to join an advisory group for the Respiratory Theme of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Community Healthcare based at the University of Oxford. Our Centre is looking at how new technology could be used to help those living with respiratory disease, from first diagnosis to day-to-day management. This might include using new kits or devices, but also digital technology such as smartphone apps.

We work with companies that are trying to develop new ideas to ensure direct benefit for the patients and the NHS, so your input is really important to us. You might be particularly interested in this role if you have an interest in new technologies or digital monitoring, but we are also looking to include those who might feel less comfortable using technology.

The group will meet 3 times a year and meetings will be held online (although there may be in-person meetings in Oxford if that works better for the group). Each meeting will last approximately 1 hour.

You do not need to have any specific skills to join our advisory group – we are keen to work with people who have lived experience of chronic respiratory conditions and who can contribute to our group discussions to help improve our research.

Our group discussions may require:

• Your input into the overall work of the Respiratory Theme
• Your perspective on any projects that we are working on to make sure they are focused on what patients want
• Your feedback about a potential new technology where the company is looking for patient opinions
• Your review of materials aimed at patients (for example, information leaflets) to check they are understandable to everyone.

There will also be particular projects where you can get involved in the design and management of the study as a patient representative.

We are also able to pay contributors for their time. The standard rate is currently £25 per hour plus a £5 supplement if a meeting is conducted online or documented expenses for meetings in person; payments include time for reading any materials in advance or follow up, in addition to the meeting itself. The payment can be given in a form of cash payment or a voucher, depending on which one you prefer.

We are also happy to reimburse any reasonable expenses for you to help us with this work – please contact hrc@phc.ox.ac.uk if you think there are any additional costs that you might need to be covered.

If you are interested in joining the group, please complete the Expression of Interest form. We will then contact you to discuss further. Completing the form does not commit you to taking part (and you can leave at any time!) but if you would like to discuss further before completing the form, please contact hrc@phc.ox.ac.uk