SIS is excited to launch a new Guidance Toolkit for health and care researchers to help people with language needs, who require bilingual support to understand and express themselves fully in English, to be included and participate in research studies.
Inclusive research is increasingly required by funders because it:
- improves the relevance and quality of findings
- reduces health inequalities
“Just because someone is not able to express themselves well in English…doesn’t mean they can’t make a meaningful contribution… people come with different forms of knowledge and experiences that can enhance research.” VCSE Community Engagement Manager
In Sussex, approximately 4% of residents have a first or preferred language other than English, with higher levels of linguistic diversity in urban centres; Crawley, Brighton & Hove, Hastings and the West Sussex coastal towns.
Language needs are often not adequately considered in research design, leading to the exclusion of important perspectives, gaps in evidence and ultimately services and interventions that do not fully meet the needs of diverse communities, reinforcing existing health inequalities.
“It’s not just about language… it’s about where you build trust and how you access populations.” NIHR Research Network Lead
The Guidance Toolkit sets out practical steps to ensure inclusion is planned across the entire research lifecycle, rather than being treated as an add-on. It was developed through a collaborative, co-production approach using a series of iterative workshops. Contributors included researchers from academic, clinical and applied disciplines, alongside Bilingual Community Researchers and VCSE organisations. Their real-world insights into challenges and effective practice, combined with a supporting literature review, have informed the structure and content of this guidance.
The toolkit was researched and written by Laura Gilbert (SIS Projects Coordinator) and Vikki Gimson (SIS Projects Manager). It was funded by the Sussex Health and Care Research Partnership.
Vikki co-led a workshop, with Midwife and UHSx Clinical Academic Fellow Soumeley Madell, at the July 2026 Sussex Health and Care Research Partnership conference introducing the toolkit to researchers.
SIS has also secured funding through the Surrey and Sussex Research Engagement Network to continue the dissemination of the toolkit and support researchers in Sussex to apply the guidance to their work.
Click here to access the SIS Guidance Toolkit for including people with language needs and contact projects@sussexinterpreting.org.uk if you have any questions.
