Public Participation Panel Volunteer Role Profile

• Attend monthly PPP meetings. This would be the minimum commitment expected. Meetings take place on the last Tuesday of each month (except December) and are held virtually via Microsoft Teams with a quarterly face to face meeting at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

• How much you are involved in addition to the monthly meeting is up to you; you can choose which projects you wish to be involved in or you may just wish to attend the monthly PPP meetings to hear plans of how the Trust is developing or delivering services and give your opinion. However, we do ask that if you join a group, meeting, or project that you will be able to continue attending as a regular and sustained commitment. For example, it might be that a department needs a PPP member to be on a committee for two hours a month as an ongoing regular meeting.

• Meet all commitments accepted and complete actions in a timely manner.

PPP members will work with Trust employees to ensure that patients and the public are involved in shaping services to meet the needs of individuals and the local community.

Activities PPP members may be asked to participate in:

• Quality improvement projects
• Steering/Working groups / meetings
• Patient Led Care of the Environment (PLACE) assessments.
• Executive Quality Walk Rounds. These are held on wards / departments across any of the Trust’s 5 hospital sites and community premises.
• Review of patient information to ensure it is as user friendly as possible.
• Task and Finish Groups.
• Involvement in focus groups and / or interview panels for recruitment of Senior Trust positions.

Regular meetings, including:

• PPP monthly meeting – last Tuesday of each month
• Patient Experience Group (PEG) –(PPP Chair or representative)
• Quality Committee (PPP chair or representative)

Projects may arise when a department has identified a potential improvement they could make, and they want your input as a PPP member to provide constructive feedback or balanced debate on how to move that idea forward. Alternatively, you may have identified an idea for improvement, which you can bring to us so we can help you explore avenues for taking it forward.

This role is open to previous or existing patients of ELHT, carers or relatives of people who have used our services and residents who live in the communities we serve within East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.

As a PPP member you should have a have a willingness to develop an understanding of NHS services; be committed to improving NHS services; and able to provide and be open to constructive challenge. It may be that you have recently accessed NHS services yourself and/or have experience of caring for someone with a health condition.

You must be able and willing to reflect the different views and diversity of patients/service users, including those living with different conditions and from different backgrounds. Having an understanding of the different challenges faced by the local community who use the hospital would be considered an advantage.

You will need to be able to commit to the role for a minimum of 12 months.

Skills and Experience required for this role:

1.    Personal experience of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (either as a patient or relative / carer of a patient) or people who live locally within East Lancashire / Blackburn with Darwen.

2.    Experience of representing people’s views ideally (but not exclusively) within a healthcare environment or have.

3.    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and be comfortable speaking in large groups.

4.    Ability to work as part of a team.

5.    Ability to recognise and respect the right to confidentiality of everyone, staff, patients and third parties working with the Trust.

6.    To respect that everyone has the right to express their own opinions. However, in doing so there should be consideration for the feelings of others.

7.    The ability to separate your own experiences and views from those of others and demonstrate impartiality and non-bias.

8.    To be respectful of others, to be non-judgemental and compassionate, and to demonstrate empathy and be committed to helping local people have a voice.

As a PPP member, you will receive direct support from the Patient Experience Team, who host the PPP and also from the Quality Improvement Team with regards to Quality Improvement Projects.

Everyone volunteering at the Trust must attend a volunteer induction and will be required to complete core mandatory training before carrying out any volunteering activity within the Trust and may be asked to regularly refresh training where required. All mandatory training will be provided free of charge to the volunteer. From time-to-time volunteers may be offered additional training opportunities related to their volunteering role, places will not be guaranteed and occasionally there may be a cost associated, this will be made clear to volunteers in advance.

You will be provided with payment for reasonable travel expenses and parking when you are taking part in agreed PPP activities and projects.

Organisational requirements – Volunteers will be provided with and have access to the Trust’s volunteer policy and volunteer handbook. This includes information relating to equality and diversity, health and safety, data protection and confidentiality, infection control, safeguarding, and code of conduct. Volunteers are expected to follow guidance described in these documents. Volunteers will also be expected to sign and comply with a three-way volunteer agreement, an agreement bound in honour only, which describes the expectations of the volunteer, the staff member responsible for them, and volunteer services.

DBS Requirements - Some volunteer roles within the Trust require Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) checks. This check is designed to assist the Trust in making safe decisions around recruiting volunteers by checking the criminal record of volunteers carrying out activity with vulnerable people or children. Having a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant becoming a volunteer, any applicant with a criminal record should inform volunteer services, who will risk assess each case on an individual basis. There will be no cost to the volunteer for this DBS.