Part 1: General NHS England Introduction
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Patient and Public Voice (PPV) Partner with NHS England.
Working in partnership with people and communities creates a much better chance of ensuring services meet people’s needs, improving their experience and outcomes. Becoming a PPV Partner is one of the important ways that we can hear people’s voices.
Please read this application information pack before completing the application form for this role. It will help you decide if the role is right for you.
If you would like support or this information in another format, please contact england.improvementdelivery@nhs.net.
The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 15 September 2024
Please note that correspondence will be primarily via email, unless otherwise requested. If you do not have access to email and would like to be contacted via telephone or post, please state this on your application form.
This post attracts an involvement payment in line with the PPV Partner Expenses and Involvement Payments Policy.
Please note: Involvement payments are classed as a form of income by HMRC and are subject to deductions including tax and National Insurance (depending on individuals’ circumstances).
Before accepting an offer of a role with an involvement payment you are advised to get independent advice. You may wish to contact the job centre or Citizen’s advice.
NHS England is not able to provide benefits advice (or any other financial advice) to PPV Partners. However, we commission a helpline from Citizens Advice for people who are in receipt of benefits and currently involved, or considering being involved, as a PPV Partner in NHS England work. Please contact england.engagement@nhs.net to access this service.
You can choose to decline an involvement payment if you wish.
How to apply
Please complete the following:
If you do not wish to complete the online form, you can send these documents by email to england.improvementdelivery@nhs.net.
We understand that filling in forms is not the most accessible way for some people to apply for roles. We do not want the application process to be a barrier to your involvement. If you would like to apply for the role in a different way, for example by telephone, or by sending a voice recording or if you would like support to apply for this role, and/or information in another format please contact england.improvementdelivery@nhs.net.
We will rely on the information you provide in the application form to assess whether you are a good fit for the role.
Diversity and equality of opportunity
NHS England values and promotes diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity for all. To help us understand if we are achieving this, we ask you to fill out an equal opportunity monitoring form as part of the application process.
NHS England is a Disability Confident employer. Disability Confident applies to all recruitment opportunities, including PPV Partner recruitment. Applicants who state that they have a disability and successfully evidence the essential criteria will be offered an interview. Please note: In certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, disabled candidates who best meet the essential criteria will be interviewed rather than all of those that meet the essential criteria.
Once we receive your application
The steps will be as follows:
- We will acknowledge receipt of your application form via improvementdelivery@nhs.net (unless otherwise specified)
- Applications will be shortlisted by a panel, including members of the NHS England National Improvement Team
- Applications will be assessed against the skills and experience required. Selection will be made based on the content of the application form
- Interviews will take place week commencing 23 September 2024
- Please note that two personal references will be taken up for successful applicants before the role is confirmed
- All applications will receive a successful or unsuccessful notification. The successful notifications will include information about next steps
If you wish to be informed about future involvement opportunities, please sign up to NHS England’s In Touch newsletter
If you have any queries about the application process or would like an informal discussion about the opportunity – please contact england.improvementdelivery@nhs.net.
Part 2 – Role specific information
Background, context and aims of the programme
The National Improvement Board was established in 2023 to support the work of NHS IMPACT (Improving Patient Care Together). NHS IMPACT is the new, single, shared NHS improvement approach that aims to mainstream continuous improvement across the entire NHS to achieve enhanced patient outcomes, increased operational efficiency and overall excellence in healthcare delivery.
Role of the National Improvement Board
The National Improvement Board sets the direction of system wide improvement across the NHS through collaboration and codesign. The Board works together to look closely at how things are done, solve problems, and encourage change.
In summary, the National Improvement Board:
- has a focus on creating the context in which continuous improvement is systematically used throughout the NHS to deliver better patient and staff outcomes
- agrees a small number of shared national priorities to focus improvement led delivery work, working collaboratively with providers and systems with national coordination and regional leadership
- provides support to implement a more consistent, high-quality delivery of services to improve performance and reduce unwarranted variation
- works with NHS England partners to co-ordinate improvement expertise to support improvement delivery at pace
View the list of the National Improvement Board members. The National Improvement Board reports into the NHS England (NHSE) Executive, with periodic updates as necessary to the NHSE Board Quality Committee.
What is the role of PPV / Lived Experience (LEPs) Partners on the board?
PPV (LEPs) Partners bring important views, perspective and challenge into the National Improvement Board. This role is essential in ensuring the strategic co-production of NHS IMPACT in partnership with people with lived experience including unpaid carers.
The role of the PPV Partner is to:
- bring the lived experience of people using services and unpaid carers to strategically co-produce NHS IMPACT
- where appropriate, represent different views within a community and not just represent their own voice, creating a network of networks.
- review and comment on documentation within agreed timescales
All PPV Partners will need to comply with the standards of conduct and respect the confidential nature of some discussions. The team will make it clear when a topic is confidential.
Skills and experience desirable for this role
- passionate about improving healthcare.
- experience of improving healthcare as a lived experience partner
- understanding of continuous improvement methodologies, for example Plan, Do, Study, Act cycles, or Lean methodology.
- understand the need for confidentiality and maintain this
- review and comment on documentation within agreed timescales
- able to speak about their views, and where appropriate represent the views of others
- have an awareness and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Time commitment
- you will be required to attend meetings monthly online using Microsoft Teams. Online meetings will normally last 1.5 hours. You will be offered half a day’s involvement payment (£75) for each meeting. This might include some preparation before the meeting and a debrief after the meeting
- in person meetings take place 4 times a year, usually at Wellington House in London. In person meetings will normally last for 3 hours. You will be offered one days involvement payment (£150) plus any reasonable expenses that are required for you to attend in person. Here is a copy of our expenses policy: B0869_Working-with-patient-and-public-voice-partners-reimbursing-expenses-and-paying-involvement-payments.pdf (england.nhs.uk)
Support for PPV Partners
From your team:
- you will receive an induction from the programme team that is leading this work. All meeting documents, and if necessary, pre-meeting briefings will be provided
From NHS England:
- NHS England is not able to provide benefits advice (or any other financial advice) to PPV Partners. However, free confidential advice is available for people who are in receipt of benefits and are involved, or considering involvement, with NHS England. Please contact engagement@nhs.net to make use of this service
- we have a digital support offer for PPV Partners who may need a laptop, internet data, or other IT equipment to do their role. If you will require this support, please contact us for more details
- there are a range of learning and development opportunities available to PPV Partners
- we have an online PPV Partner network and regular drop-in sessions for partners to support one and other, access free training resources and ask questions
- NHS England has an Employee Assistance Programme which is available to anyone who works with or supports NHS England, including contractors and PPV Partners