A strategic approach to patient and public involvement

Bristol Health Partners has joined with the West of England Academic Health Science Network (WEAHSN), the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) West and the Clinical Research Network: West of England to develop an integrated strategic approach to patient and public involvement (PPI) across the region.

A collaborative approach to PPI is central to the work of Bristol Health Partners. Each Health Integration Team (HIT) is encouraged and supported to build meaningful PPI in from the beginning, and there are many excellent examples of PPI in our current and planned HITs. For example, several of our HITs have experienced and informed patients as members of their HIT leadership teams. Other HITs are working closely with relevant patient or third sector organisations. HITs are developing PPI strategies and building PPI into their wider work plans.

Since 2012, Bristol Health Partners has worked with People and Research West of England, led by Professor David Evans at the University of the West of England, as its patient and public involvement working group. A joint PPI Strategy Group is being established by David Evans and his team, to build on the work of People and Research West of England and to act as a single point of strategic advice on PPI to all four parent bodies. The group will have equal representation of professional and patient/public members.

A joint PPI team is being recruited to deliver the strategy across the four parent organisations. This approach of a single PPI Strategy Group and team working across a region and four parent bodies is innovative and possibly unique, and will be evaluated as part of the research and evaluation agenda of CLAHRC West and Bristol Health Partners.