Involvement in health

What is Patient and Public Involvement?

• A way of working so that patients and health service users are involved in decisions about our own care, our expertise is recognised, and communities are involved in how local health services are run.
  
  
• Part of government policy for direct community involvement in all types of public services.
  
  
• The terms 'Patient and Public Involvement' (PPI) and 'service user and carer involvement' are usually used in health services, or occasionally citizen, client, community, consumer or customer involvement. Some people choose specific terms such as mental health system survivors to describe their relationship with services. Each term has a different emphasis, with lots of overlap: some people identify with one more than another, or use some terms only in particular situations. The term 'Patient and Public' takes into account the fact that all of us are potential users of health services.
  
  
• Patient and Public Involvement covers many issues and activities, such as choice of treatments, hospitals and appointment times, joining a group looking at service improvements or a Trust PPI Forum, consultation through surveys and questionnaires, asking for comments, improving complaints procedures, and providing clear information so that people can make informed decisions.
  
  
• Developing Patient and Public Involvement is now a legal requirement for all NHS Trusts. It is included quality systems such as star ratings, which influence funding.
  
  
• User involvement groups have fought hard over many years to be listened to, and to be involved in designing or running services which affect group members’ lives.

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