PPI/E Strategy
2021-2024 full report
Below you will find the full report of the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPI/E) Strategy 2021-2024.
NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Wessex
Authored by Caroline Barker (Lead for PPI/E).
Supported by our Public Champions and Katherine Baker (PPI Officer).
Document overview:
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Background information
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Our vision
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Our aims
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Programme of activities
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Resources, partners and collaborators
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Reporting and monitoring
The purpose of this strategy
Patients and the public are at the heart of our vision to improve the health and well-being of people across Wessex . We need and value the voices of the communities our research serves.
The knowledge, experiences and support of patients and the public are essential to ensure that our research goals and solutions are relevant, prevent waste, and bring the greatest possible benefits to society.
This document outlines our strategy for Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (termed PPI/E) in the work of ARC Wessex .
Definitions
We recognise there are different definitions to describe involvement and engagement activities within health and social care. For the purposes of this document we will adopt the following definitions:
Patient and public involvement: research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. (NIHR INVOLVE 2017).
Engagement: where information and knowledge about research is provided and shared.
PPI/E: an abbreviation/acronym. Used to describe patient and public involvement or engagement work and projects, or activities that connect or encompass both.
Public: in this strategy we use the term ‘public’ to describe people affected by our research who do not have a professional role in health and social care services. This may include patients, service users, survivors, carers, family members or members of the general population.
We also use the acronym WISeRD, which stands for Wessex Inclusion in Service Research and Design Group. This is our strategic PPI/E group. It is composed of PPI Champions (public), the PPI/E team and staff links for each research theme.
As you read this document, you may come across other terms, abbreviations and acronyms that are unfamiliar to you. We have provided brief descriptions in the footnotes. There is also a glossary of terms at the end of the document.
Context and opportunities
ARC Wessex launched in October 2019. As part of our application to become an ARC, we had to develop an outline PPI/E strategy. CLAHRC Wessex (preceded ARC Wessex) shared our commitment to PPI/E and the work done by the CLAHRC laid good foundations for ARC Wessex to build on and progress. We are proud of the work we have done to embed PPI/E in our projects and programmes over the first 18 months.
This strategy, developed in wide consultation with our partners and public communities, builds on the outline PPI/E strategy from our application. It covers activities from April 2021-Oct 2024.
Our locality, Wessex, has strengths in involvement and engagement. We have the Wessex Public Involvement Network (PIN) that ARC Wessex plays a leading role in. This is a network of staff and public working with NIHR and committed to improving public involvement in research. We do this by sharing our knowledge, supporting and developing each other. We also work together on projects that would not be possible if we did not share the workload between us. These include developing PPI/E training and trialling approaches to improve diversity and inclusion in PPI/E.
Our partners in NHS providers , charities and higher education institutions (e.g. Universities) have their own expertise and strengths. We are willing and committed to working together on areas of shared priority.
Our Vision
We aim to deliver high quality public involvement and engagement for health and social care. Our activities will meet the values and principles of good public involvement as outlined in the UK Standards for Public Involvement .
Our activities will occur across, and add value to, each aspect of Wessex ARC:
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At project-specific level (e.g. an ARC-funded or ARC-supported research project).
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Across each of our four research themes and the wider ARC programme.
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With our partners and collaborators organisations.
Our overarching aims
Aligned to the UK Standards for Public Involvement, are aims are to:
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Listen to voices relevant to our research priorities that reflect the diversity of our local population – ensuring the underserved have a voice (UK Standard Inclusive Opportunities).
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Build a culture that respects different perspectives, values contributions and supports mutually respectful and productive relationships (UK Standard Working Together).
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Provide health research communities of Wessex (including public) adequate PPI/E training, support and learning opportunities at the right time for their project/programme and/or their own development needs (UK Standard Support and Learning).
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Involve the public at strategic and operational levels, ensuring best practice and supporting research transparency (UK Standard Governance).
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Use innovative approaches and good communication to expand the reach of our activities, maximising impact by stimulating knowledge-of, and interest-in, our research (UK Standard Communications).
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Capture, monitor and share learnings to feedback to those involved, avoid duplication, contribute to the evidence base and build our academic PPI/E (UK Standard Impact).
We will build on our local strengths and focus on areas where we believe we can have the greatest impact.
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Aim 1: Listen to voices relevant to our research priorities that reflect the diversity of our local population – ensuring the underserved have a voice (UK Standard Inclusive Opportunities).
Aim 2: Build a culture that respects different perspectives, values contributions and supports mutually respectful and productive relationships (UK Standard Working Together)
Aim 3: Provide health research communities of Wessex (including public) adequate PPI/E training, support and learning opportunities at the right time for their project/programme and/or their own development needs (UK Standard Support and Learning).
Aim 4: Involve the public at strategic and operational levels, ensuring best practice and supporting research transparency (UK Standard Governance).
Aim 5: Use innovative approaches and good communication to expand the reach of our activities, maximising impact by stimulating knowledge-of, and interest-in, our research (UK Standard Communications).
Aim 6: Capture, monitor and share learnings to feedback to those involved, avoid duplication, contribute to the evidence base and build our academic PPI/E (UK Standard Impact).
Resources
Our PPI/E team, in partnership with our research community (including public and researchers), will deliver the programme. A Lead for PPI/E will oversee delivery. A Communications & Partnerships Manager, Administrative Officer and a PPI Officer support them.
A dedicated PPI/E budget will support:
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expense and time reimbursement for public contributing to our work;
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training costs required to support public in their role;
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consumable and facilities costs relating to PPI/E events, including training events;
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development and testing of new initiatives.
This is in addition to PPI/E budgets set out within each research project, and academic career development awards.
Partners and collaborators
We will work closely with involvement, engagement and communications teams in our partner charities, health and care providers and higher education institutions. This will enable us to maximise opportunities, minimise duplication and create economies-of-scale.
Our public engagement activities will benefit from University of Southampton’s experienced Public Engagement in Research Unit, Public Policy Unit (connects with policy advisors and central government) and LifeLab (working with young people to engage them with research).
Consolidated funding for our Lead for PPI/E facilitates strong cross-organisational working. This Lead person manages a PPI/E team working across University Hospital Southampton, including the Wessex PIN and other NIHR infrastructure (Southampton BRC and CRF ).
Reporting and monitoring
An annual plan is written each year that covers progress to date and plans for the next year (see footnote for full detail ). The plan is developed by the Lead, with input from WISeRD, and approved by the ARC Director.
Progress against our milestones are reported to:
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WISeRD at our meetings (every two months).
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The Executive Leadership Group (every two months). Rolling theme updates (including PPI/E) are a standing item. The Lead for PPI/E provides a formal update annually and given additional time on the agenda to discuss items as required.
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The ARC Director at meetings with the PPI/E team (twice a year).
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The ARC Partnership Board (twice a year) as part of the progress reports submitted to board members.
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CCF via the formal annual reporting structures (once a year).
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[1] Wessex includes Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and South Wiltshire.
[2] ARC stands for Applied Research Collaboration. They support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems.
[3] INVOLVE was a national coordinating centre for public involvement in health and care (until March 2020). A new Centre for Engagement and Dissemination aims to build on the work of INVOLVE.
[4] Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care
[5] National Institute for Health Research
[6] Any organisation that provides NHS services
[7] The standards are a framework for what good public involvement in research looks like.
[8] ARC Wessex has four research themes: Ageing & Dementia; Long Term Conditions; Healthy Communities and Workforce and Health Systems. Found out more on our website.
[9] Underserved is the term we have chosen to use to describe people who are less well included in research. It is important to recognise that underserved groups are context-specific. There is no single, simple definition to describe all underserved groups.
[10] The Microsoft Accessibility Checker is a free tool available in Office 365. It finds most accessibility issues and explains why each might be a potential problem for someone with a disability. It also offers suggestions on how to resolve each issue.
[11] The equality impact assessment is a systematic and evidence-based tool, which enables us to consider the likely impact of work on different groups of people.
[12] Operational leadership group.
[13] This project aims to test how feasible and acceptable a childhood obesity prediction tool is.
[14] The Academic Career Development Group in ARC Wessex is focused on building capacity and capability within the health and care system.
[15] The ARC Partnership Board is a decision-making body for ARC Wessex.
[16] A theory of change is a description of why a particular way of working will be effective, showing how change happens in the short, medium and long term to achieve its intended impact. Logic models are a way to graphically represent this theory.
[17] Biomedical Research Centre
[18] Clinical Research Facility
[19] PPI/E annual plan covers: progress against last year’s objectives and the wider strategy; objectives, plans and milestones (with timescales) for the next year; plans for engaging our stakeholders; plans for dissemination and monitoring impact; cross ARC collaborations; plans for research and capacity building; leadership and management; finances
[20] CCF = NIHR Clinical Commissioning Facility. They manage and administer the ARC funding scheme
[ii] Public involvement activities describe activities where research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them.
[iii] Engagement activities describe activities where information and knowledge about research is provided to and shared with the public.
[iv] Underserved is the term we have chosen to use to describe people who are less well included in research. It is important to recognise that underserved groups are context-specific. There is no single, simple definition to describe all underserved groups.
Want to know more? You can read our full strategy
Have questions or comments? Email PublicInvolvement@uhs.nhs.uk