Join our Long Covid steering group

As part of our joint work with Voluntary Action Sheffield we would like to form a steering group, made up of people who have Long Covid (whether they have accessed support or not), their carers/relatives, and those working or volunteering in services (both voluntary sector and statutory services such as the NHS or Council).  

Why will there be a steering group?

We need a steering group to help us to decide how we will do our work, point out what we need to consider when planning and doing the work, and to advise us on how to get over any challenges.  

It is important that we have a mixture of people in the group; some will know what it is like to have Long Covid, others will know about providing support, research or how health and care services work. Bringing all this knowledge together gives our work the best chance of being a success.

What will members of the group do?

As a member of the group you will be asked to:

• Help us design our work – consider our aims, and what will help us achieve them
• Bring insight from your own work or experience to help us shape what we are doing
• Share your views on how best to communicate with the public and voluntary sector about the project
• Help us check in on how the work is going – is it making progress and achieving its aims?

When and where will we meet?

We will have an initial meeting on Zoom to decide how we would like to work together, what we are trying to do and how we can achieve it.

This first meeting will help us to work out how often we will need to meet but (as a rough guide) our initial thoughts are that frequency of meetings might be:

• Once a fortnight during the first 2 months of the project
• Once a month after that

The group may decide differently – other options are possible, such as meeting less frequently as a whole group, and having smaller groups meeting in between to focus on particular aspects of the work.

We suggest each meeting will last 75 minutes, with a 10-minute break in the middle, but this can be changed if it doesn’t meet the needs of the group.

The group will help decide whether future meetings should be online or in person.

Will there be work to do in between meetings?

You may be asked to read documents or consider an issue before meeting, but we will be mindful to keep reading time to a minimum.

How long would I be need to stay involved?

This is a 12-month project so we would ask people to commit to being a member of the group for the whole 12 months (although we fully understand that sometimes people’s circumstances change and this might not always be possible).

Will I be paid?

Yes. If you are a member of the public or work for a voluntary sector organisation you will be offered payment for any meetings that you attend.

Is there support to be involved?

Yes. If you need extra support to be involved, please tell us. We will help where we can.