Thank you for your interest in becoming a patient and public voice (PPV) partner with NHS England.
NHS England is committed to ensuring that public and patient voices are at the centre of shaping our healthcare services. Every level of our commissioning system needs to be informed by insightful methods of listening to those who use and care about our services. Their views should inform service development and improvement. Our commitment to supporting PPV partners is set out in the PPV partners policy.
Please read this application information pack before completing the application form for this role, to ensure you fully understand the application process, and to determine whether you have the skills and time to become a PPV partner.
Please note the closing date for applications is 26 August 2024.
NHS England will reimburse reasonable out of pocket expenses in line with the PPV partners expenses and the involvement payments policy. This post does attract an involvement payment.
If you are in receipt of state benefits, you should seek advice from the relevant agency, for example Job Centre Plus, ideally in advance of applying and certainly before accepting an offer of a role which attracts an involvement payment, even if you intend to decline the payment. For further information see the PPV partners expenses and involvement payments policy and the PPV partners policy.
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.
How to apply
Please complete and return the following accompanying documents:
You can return these documents by email to nwregional.maternityteam@nhs.net
If you would like support to enable you to apply for this role, and/or information in another format please contact nwregional.maternityteam@nhs.net If you need advice about providing resources in other formats, for example easy read, please contact the Public Participation team at england.engagement@nhs.net.
We will rely on the information you provide in the application form to assess whether you have the skills and experience required for this 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.
Please let us know if you have support needs so that we can understand how we can support you to participate fully.
Once we receive your application the steps will be as follows:
1. We will acknowledge receipt of your application form via nwregional.maternityteam@nhs.net (unless otherwise specified). If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 5 working days, please get in touch.
2. Applications will be shortlisted by a panel, including members drawn from the following groups: Perinatal Board and Perinatal Safety Surveillance and Concerns Group.
3. Applications will be assessed against the skills and experience required. Selection will be made on the basis of the content of the application form.
4. Interviews will take place via Microsoft Teams.
5. Please note that 2 references will be taken up for successful applicants before involvement can commence.
6. Due to the nature of the work undertaken by Perinatal Board and Perinatal Safety Surveillance and Concerns Group, PPV partners will be subject to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance (formerly known as a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check) before involvement can commence.
7. 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 nwregional.maternityteam@nhs.net
What is the role of patient and public voice (PPV) lead?
PPV representation will bring important views, perspective and challenge into the group. This role is essential in championing a service user, patient and/or carer/family viewpoint, ensuring that their needs are met through the outcomes of the programme.
The role of the PPV lead is to:
- Be a part of an effective communication model, both from local MNVP into the Region and National teams and vice versa.
- Network, support and mentor the service user voices (SUV) leads across the region (including local maternity and neonatal system [LMNS] SUV leads and maternity and neonatal partnership [MNVP] leads) to fully embed service user voice across systems, support effective funding of MNVPs, enable diverse and equitable engagement and coproduction and to provide a leadership role for change and improvement.
- Be key to ensuring service user voice in central within the Perinatal safety and quality framework. Escalating where appropriate issues and concerns from the local MNVPs and challenging where required to support improvements.
- Update Regional Maternity and Perinatal team and wider perinatal operational delivery networks of challenges and risks identified by MNVP/LMNS SUV leads feeding directly into the Perinatal Safety Surveillance Concerns Group.
- Comply with the standards of conduct, respecting the confidential nature of discussions when it is made clear by the Chair that this is a requirement.
Skills and experience required for this role
- Experience of speaking in large groups.
- Interacting with multiple stakeholders at senior management level.
- Ability to understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.
- Previous experience of representing PPV in healthcare forums.
- Experience of working in partnership with healthcare organisations or programmes.
- Ability to display sound judgement and objectivity.
- Have an awareness of, and commitment to, equality and diversity.
- Understand the need for confidentiality.
- A commitment to the ‘seven principles of public life’ (sometimes known as the ‘Nolan principles’: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, leadership).
Time commitment
- Approximately 2 days over the course of a month.
Support for patient and public voice (PPV) partners
- NHS England ask that all new PPV partners complete an interactive online induction session. This webinar lasts an hour and will provide some background information to NHS England and the work that we do, as well as wider support available to PPV partners.
- You will also receive an induction from the programme team that is leading this work.
- Meeting documents, and if necessary, pre-meeting briefings will be provided.
- There are a range of learning and development opportunities available to PPV partners, details can be found on the NHS England website.