Part 1: General NHS England Introduction

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Patient and Public Voice (PPV) Partner with NHS England, as part of the People’s Advisory Forum, support strategic patient leadership across the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate.

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.paf@nhs.net.

Due to tenure now ending for existing People Advisory Forum members, we are seeking 13 new PPVs to join our work. We are also specifically seeking for a Lay Member chair of the Forum. The closing date for applications is midnight on 5 July 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.

These posts attract 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).

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. PPV Partners 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 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:

• Application form
• Equal opportunities monitoring form

If you do not wish to complete the online form, you can send these documents by email to england.paf@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.paf@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:

1. we will acknowledge receipt of your application form via paf@nhs.net .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: The People’s Advisory Forum and the Workforce Training and Education Directorate at NHSE
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 online via MS Teams on 15, 16 and 18 July 2024
5. please note that two personal/character 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 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.paf@nhs.net.

Part 2 – Role specific information

Background, context and aims of the programme

The People’s Advisory Forum supports the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate (W, T&E) of NHS England. The purpose of the directorate is to ensure that the health workforce has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers, to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement. Its key role is therefore to promote high-quality education and training and ensure these are responsive to the changing needs of patients and local communities. Alongside this, it must ensure value for money in NHS education and training. 

Role of the Forum

The People’s Advisory Forum enables NHS England to put patients and the public at the heart of the education, training and workforce planning processes. It has been established as a subgroup of the W, T&E Committee.  The overall purpose of the Forum is to ensure that the views of the public, including those of patients and carers, are integral to and inform the W, T&E Directorate’s decision making. 

The Forum will work in partnership with the Committee, which will have oversight of all functions which ensure that the NHS in England has a sufficient and inclusive workforce with the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours to deliver compassionate, high-quality health and care to the people it serves.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is fundamental to the work of The Forum and underpins the mission to ensure the NHS in England has a sufficient and inclusive workforce with the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours to deliver compassionate high-quality health and care to the people it serves.

What is the role of PPV Partners within PAF?

PPV Partners bring important views, perspective and challenge into the work of the Workforce, Training and Education Directorate. These roles are essential in championing a service user, patient and/or carer/family viewpoint, ensuring that their needs are met through the outcomes of our work.

The role of People’s Advisory Forum members is to act as critical partner and provide constructive challenge, support and scrutiny from the perspective of the public, patients and carers across the key work streams within the W,T&E Directorate. This will include providing advice and insight on the skills, behaviours and attitudes required within the workforce to meet the needs of the public as equal partners in care. As a People’s Advisory Forum member you will:

• make sure the work you support across the WT&E Directorate considers service user, patient, carer and family perspective
• where appropriate, represent different views within and across communities
• challenge ideas across the work of the WT&E Directorate, embedding patient leadership within the delivery of the Long Term Workforce Plan
• work as equal partners enabling co production across our workstreams.

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 these roles

Lay members must have credibility with our stakeholders, especially patients, healthcare professional and providers (including not-for-profit and independent sector providers). To be considered you must be able to demonstrate that you have the qualities, skills and experience to meet all the essential criteria.

Essential criteria:

• Is committed to the values of the NHS Constitution
• has an awareness and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
• demonstrates high regard for the Seven Principles of Public Life
• contributes the voice of patients and public through lived experience as a user of services or carer
• able to grasp the detail of a wide range of issues and contribute to objective decision-making by exercising sound judgement
• can demonstrate leadership skills, ability to influence and motivate others and quickly establish credibility amongst the members
• has the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders
• has a clear understanding of the importance of upholding the best interest of communities, the public and patients
• has demonstrable ability to explain and justify decisions in language appropriate for a broad range of interested parties
• is able to represent the public interest and contribute to safeguarding patient safety
• understands the need for confidentiality.

Desirable criteria:

• Can demonstrate experience of contributing to and encouraging ways of working that support good-quality healthcare and/or improved education outcomes
• has demonstrable experience of combining strategic thinking skills with attention to detail and understanding of reputational and other risks.

Lay member Chair

If you are interested in undertaking the role of lay member Chair of the People’s Advisory Forum, this role includes:

• experience of chairing public sector Boards, Committees or large scale meetings
• chair the PAF meetings in person (London) four times per year
• provide updates and plans to senior NHSE team including directors and non-executive directors
• participate in the promotion of the People’s Advisory Forum, working alongside Communication and Stakeholder colleagues for support and guidance and supporting the preparation of an annual report
• participate in the development, support and recruitment of PAF members.

Further eligibility criteria will be sought:

• experience of chairing public sector Boards, Committees or large-scale meetings
• a good understanding of the NHS and Care Sector landscape, and the challenge of workforce and education planning
• demonstrate the ability to effectively chair; understanding and agreeing actions, recognising when escalation is required, ensuring all members have an opportunity to contribute to meeting, keeping meeting to time and contributing to the governance of the forum by way of risk registers, meeting notes and planning meetings.

Exclusions

You will not be eligible for appointment in certain circumstances because of the lay nature of the role. These include:

• if you are currently employed by a healthcare provider in a clinical/ healthcare professional role
• if you currently employed in health education and training
• if you live outside of England.

Additional exclusions are in line with other health and social care or regulatory organisations;

• anyone who has had an earlier term of appointment as the chair or member of a public body terminated in certain circumstances
• anyone who is suspended from, has been removed from or is subject to conditions on registration of any professional body
• anyone who has previously been removed from trusteeship of a charity by the court or the Charity Commissioners.

Additional exclusions may also apply for some roles, as detailed in individual role descriptions including, but not limited to:

• people who have been convicted in the United Kingdom, and received a prison sentence or suspended sentence of 3 months or more in the last 5 years
• anyone who has been declared bankrupt or has made a composition or arrangement with their creditors
• anybody who has been dismissed, other than by reason of redundancy, from any paid employment with a public body
• anyone who is under a disqualification order under the Company Directors
• anyone who has more than two other renumerated lay roles within NHS organisations.

Time commitment

• Membership of the group/committee is for 2 years initially, at which point membership will be reviewed. Please note that the maximum tenure for a PPV Partner is 4 years.
• You will be required to attend People’s Advisory Forum meetings four times a year. Meetings will usually take place in London. Meetings will normally last for 3 – 4 hours, with a break for lunch. The dates for the Form Meetings currently scheduled are:
  • Tuesday 3 September 2024
  • Tuesday 10 December 2024
• You will be offered the opportunity to take part in other W,T&E Directorate groups and committees, with the expectation that you will be supporting at least 1 group/committee. These groups/committees usually take place virtually on MS Teams.
• We expect the time commitment to be eight to ten working days each year, although this cannot be guaranteed.

Support for PPV Partners

From your team:

You will receive an induction from the People Advisory Forum 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 paf@nhs.net 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.