Introduction

Thank you for your interest in becoming a lived experience partner (LEP)/patient public voice partner (PPV) with NHS England.  

Working in partnership with people and communities creates opportunity to ensure services meet people’s needs, improving their experience and outcomes. Becoming a LEP/PPV 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.peopleandcommunities@nhs.net

The closing date for applications is 12:00 noon Friday 17 January 2025.

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 Reimbursing expenses and paying 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).  

Involvement Payments are made via payroll for tax purposes only, to ensure that NHS England makes payments in a tax compliant way in line with HMRC guidance. LEP/PPVs are not employees, workers or agents of NHS England. 

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 Citizens Advice.  

NHS England is not able to provide benefits advice (or any other financial advice) to LEP/PPVs. 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 LEP/PPV in NHS England work. Please contact england.peopleandcommunities@nhs.net to access this service.  You can choose to decline an involvement payment if you wish. 

Limits and exclusions

To encourage a range of people to become LEP/PPVs and to minimise conflicts of interest, there are limits to the number of roles that LEP/PPVs can have and certain exclusions.  The limits are:  

• LEP/PPVs can only hold up to three paid roles, these are sometimes referred to as Patient and Public Voice (PPV) roles, at any one time
• The maximum length of term for a LEP/PPV role is four years  

LEP/PPVs are not employees of NHS England. The limit to the number of roles also exists to reduce the possibility that their earning levels could be construed as implying employment. While there are not set limits to the number of hours that LEP/PPVs can do per month, a guideline is that that each role should average no more than two full days per month (including all preparation and travel time).  

To minimise conflicts of interest and to ensure that LEPs bring a public perspective the following people cannot be NHS England LEP/PPVs: 

• A chair or board member of an NHS body – including an NHS Trust or NHS Foundation Trust, an NHS commissioning body, the Independent Regulator of NHS Trusts, and some Special Health Authorities. 
• NHS England employees – including all staff, honorary or unpaid medical or dental posts this applies even where their employed role is in a different area of the business. Non-clinical staff employed by other NHS organisations are usually exempt from this exclusion. 
• A practising healthcare professional – including practising GPs, General Dental Practitioners.
• A serving MP or local councillor – including candidates for election. 

Skills and experience for this role: Essential

All LEP/PPVs 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.  

1. Recent lived experience as a person using NHS services and/or as a carer of someone who does. 
2. Great people skills – an ability to listen, to empathise and connect with people, and to help them feel valued. 
3. Understanding of how people experience health and care, and some understanding of how it is organised and provided in England. (No universal, in-depth knowledge is required.) 
4. Experience in a training or development role – not necessarily in health, or as a formal job, but some experience of supporting others to learn. This could be voluntary or paid, and in a community or education setting. 
5. Comfortable working in an online space. You don’t need to be an expert but you need to be able to learn enough to help others participate and share virtual tools to facilitate small group work. We can provide support to help with this.  
6. Good communication skills which are adaptable and inclusive. 
7. Ability to work well with others including various stakeholders and contribute as part of a group. 
8. Good understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.  
9. Understand confidentiality and ability to maintain this. 

Skills and experience for this role: Desirable

You will ideally have experience of partnering with NHS England or in a similar ongoing voluntary role elsewhere in the health and care system contributing to strategic work or work across a larger geography, such as with an integrated care system. 

We may follow up with you and/or your NHS supporter if we need to check something. We will let you know by Friday 24 January if you have been shortlisted and invited to interview. Interviews will be held by Teams on 27 January.

Additional support from NHS England

• We have a digital support offer for LEPs who may need a laptop, internet data, or other IT equipment to do their role. If you will require this support, please contact england.peopleandcommunites@nhs.net for more details.  
• There are a range of learning and development opportunities available to LEP/PPVs
• We have an online LEP/PPV network and regular drop-in session 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 LEP/PPVs 

 How to apply

 Please complete the following: 

• Application form
• Equal opportunities monitoring form

Please send completed application form by email to england.peopleandcommunities@nhs.net and mark the title “FAO: Learning and Support Offer PPV/LEP application”   

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.peopleandcommunities@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 LEP 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: 

1. We will acknowledge receipt of your application form via email (unless otherwise specified).  If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 5 days, please get in touch. 
2. Applications will be shortlisted by a panel, including members drawn from the People and Communities Division including the National Lived Experience Ambassador. 
3. Applications will be assessed against the skills and experience required. Selection will be made based on the content of the application form.   
4. Interviews will take place via MS Teams during the week commencing Monday 27 January 2025.
5. Please note that two references will be taken up for successful applicants before the role is confirmed.  
6. All applications will receive a successful or unsuccessful notification. The successful notifications will include information about next steps. 

If you have any queries about the application process or would like an informal discussion about the opportunity – please contact england.peopleandcommunities@nhs.net