As the patient and public voice (PPV) forum chair for the NHS Cancer Programme, you will help to lead the PPV partners forum. The forum was developed to involve our PPV partners at an early stage in our policy development and implementation. The forum provides additional support to NHS Cancer Programme project teams in obtaining people and community lived experience and perspectives, and using these to shape our projects.

This document gives an overview of the PPV forum chair’s role and its responsibilities.

PPV Chair duties

Attend and chair meetings of the patient and public voices (PPV) Forum twice a year. Set the tone of discussions, facilitate effective contributions through constructive debate.

Be involved in the design of PPV forum meetings. The people and communities engagement manager will work with the chair to ensure that members are fully involved in the Forum and that their views and input of all members are given equal consideration.

Represent the forum in internal and external meetings as required by the programme, and act as the main point of contact for programme leadership.

The chair will have membership of the National Cancer Board and will attend its meetings on a quarterly basis to represent the PPV forum.

Work with the PPV forum deputy chair/s to build a network of engagement through the Cancer Alliances, Voluntary, Charitable and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector and beyond.

Support the people and communities engagement manager to design and implement the NHS Cancer Programmes people and communities engagement strategy.

Help to produce and review descriptions of new roles for PPV partners within project teams.

Help to evaluate the cancer programme’s engagement with people and communities.

As an active member of the PPV forum, the chair will also be required to undertake the same duties as
PPV partners, this includes:

Help to shape how projects are designed and run by sharing the perspectives of people and communities.

Become a member of project teams and be part of discussions.

Projects could be directly related to patient experience or other areas of work in cancer care.

Attend meetings (mostly via MS Teams, occasionally face to face).

Help to produce and review documents, including for people with accessibility needs.

Help to guide how we evaluate projects.

Work with other areas of NHS England that are relevant to, or work with, the cancer programme

Become an active member of the PPV forum, which brings together all of the PPV partners to the cancer programme to share and learn from one another.

Work with cancer alliance engagement leads, who help the alliance engage with local people and communities.

Provide links to your own networks (such as charities, support groups, local and national cancer networks, local communities [beyond cancer] and language groups).

Help strengthen or build links to people who are most affected by unfair and avoidable differences in health (health inequalities).

Share information on projects, priorities and community needs between these different groups, helping national teams understand what is happening locally and vice versa.

Guiding principles

Champion the importance of people and communities perspectives in project design and delivery and bring your wider personal and professional experience.

Share solutions as well as challenges. Be mindful of assumptions, prejudices and biases.

Respect the confidential nature of conversations and work when this is required.

Comply with the Standards of Conduct, including by declaring conflicts of interest.

Experience and skills

Experience of working or engaging at a senior level including chairing meetings.

Excellent interpersonal skills.

Demonstrable knowledge of the NHS Cancer Programme and Cancer Alliances

Able to speak confidently in senior level meetings.

Have been treated for cancer at an NHS hospital in England or have cared for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, within the past ten years. If a carer, this must be in a personal and unpaid capacity.

Ability to share different views and needs of local communities and people affected by cancer (and may have good links to these communities), even if they may not be the same as their own view or perspective.

Committed to equality and diversity and will actively promote this within the Forum and beyond as required.

Can understand and evaluate a range of information and evidence.

Tenure, commitment and involvement fees

We anticipate an estimated commitment of 48 hours per year, however this may be more or less depending on the needs of the programme.

As able to, you will be expected to be involved throughout the year, and to take part in new projects that may be relevant for you.

The role of the PPV forum chair is for two years initially. The role may be extended for an additional two years subject to the agreement of the person and the cancer programme.

If already a PPV partner within the NHS Cancer programme, the period of tenure already spent will be deducted from the time spent as chair. For example, if the PPV partner has already undertaken 2 years of tenure, they will continue as chair for the remaining 2 years.

The chair may resign their role at any time by notifying the cancer programme director and people and communities engagement manager.

Agreed activities as part of the chair role attract an involvement payment of £75 per half day. If you are in receipt of state benefits, you should seek advice from the relevant agency, for example Job Centre Plus.

NHS England will reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in line with the PPV partners expenses and involvement payments policy.

Accountability

The chair will be accountable to the National Cancer Board.

The people and communities engagement manager will act as first point of contact and day-to-day liaison between the chair and the NHS Cancer programme.

What’s in it for you?

You will gain experience of supporting the NHS Cancer programme at a senior level.

Have the opportunity to make a difference to people in England affected by cancer.

Build your knowledge and experience of the NHS and cancer care in England.

Receive relevant training to support you in your role.