New UK study to assess impact of Priority Setting Partnership

A new UK study will assess whether the research priorities identified by people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are genuinely shaping research, funding decisions, and health policy nearly a decade after they were first set out.

In 2018, the Psoriasis Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) brought together patients, carers, and healthcare professionals to agree on the most important unanswered questions about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Led by Dr Helen Young at the University of Manchester and commissioned by the Psoriasis

Association, the partnership produced a widely publicised “Top Ten” list of research priorities, alongside dozens of additional questions and recommendations aimed at improving education, communication, and healthcare delivery.

Now, Dr Young and her team are working alongside the Psoriasis Association in a follow‑up study to understand the impact of the work.

Has patient voice influenced research?

Psoriasis affects around 3% of the UK population and can have a profound effect on physical health, mental wellbeing, and quality of life. It is also linked to other serious conditions, including arthritis and cardiovascular disease, while access to appropriate care remains inconsistent.

Historically, research agendas have largely been set by academics and commercial organisations, with less emphasis on the views of patients. The Psoriasis PSP was designed to change that by placing lived experience at the centre of decision‑making.

This new study will examine whether research funded since 2018 reflects the priorities identified through the PSP and whether researchers and funders actively used those priorities when designing or assessing projects.

The research team want to understand whether what mattered most to people has translated into funded research and meaningful change.

Looking at funders, policymakers and wider impact

The study will explore three key questions:

1. How has the Psoriasis PSP influenced newly funded research in the UK?
2. How have research funders in the UK responded to the Psoriasis PSP?
3. What wider impacts can be attributed to the Psoriasis PSP?

As part of the work, Dr Young and team will review funded grants, survey people who took part in the PSP, and assess whether involvement led to increased confidence, skills or ongoing participation in research. The team will also consider whether the PSP helped raise the national profile of psoriasis, including recognition at parliamentary level.

Previous priority‑setting partnerships in other conditions have shown that taking part can be transformative, with patients reporting greater confidence and clinicians describing more patient‑centred approaches to care.

Our commitment to furthering research

Our goal is to better understand what causes psoriasis, improve how it’s treated and managed, and ultimately find a cure.

To find out more, visit the research section of our website or take a look at our 2025-2030 research strategy.