Patient Safety Partner (PSP)

Easy Read Patient Involvement Framework (add link)

What does it involve?

The time commitment initially for each PSP will be agreed with a member of the Patient Safety Team and agreed with you and will include preparation for and attendance at group meetings. Membership of and attendance at the relevant meetings will mostly be remote via Teams but other options are available for PSPs who do not have IT access. There are three PSP roles; role one is classed as involvement. Role 2 is to input to the organisation’s committees and working groups and Role 3 is a strategic role as shown in the table below.

Nature of Activity — PSPs are in senior expert adviser roles that demonstrate strategic and accountable leadership and decision-making activity, including groups that make recommendations to committees that have the delegated authority of the board.

• Input to and shared decision making in the organisation’s committees and priority programmes. Members may be involved in making recommendations as part of committees that have delegated authority from the board.

• Involvement in a directorate level group that meets regularly to have oversight of a core safety function, e.g. medication safety, and reports into the organisation’s patient safety/clinical governance committee (a subgroup of the board).

• Involvement in training programmes that require a patient perspective;

  e.g. teaching students or other staff how to involve patients in their own safety or the impact that error can have on patients and families.
• Member of an organisation’s clinical governance committee or other safety committee that reports directly to the board. Activities include the review/analysis of safety e.g. incident reports or complaints.
• Member of an interview panel for a senior member of staff with responsibility for patient safety. This will include having input into interview questions.
• Attendance at board meetings to discuss a personal safety experience and involvement in any subsequent discussion over how this could influence local practice.
• Involvement in designing the organisations approach to PSP involvement.
• Membership of a short life working group to produce the organisations patient safety strategy.
• Membership of a PSP panel to provide oversight and ensure an appropriate response is taken to patient safety incidents.

Expeneses and remuneration —  Currently travel and parking.

Role 4

The Patient Safety Team will coordinate the meetings/ working groups/projects that a PSP supporting in role 4 will take part in, and for what length of time. There may be times when you hear or see information that you may find distressing. You will be supported by a member of the Patient Safety Team and will be asked to sign a confidentiality statement.

This is a great opportunity to share your interests, experiences, and skills to help develop the new PSP role.

The following skills and experience are needed:

• ·     Have had recent and/or relevant experience of being a patient, carer of someone using health services, having a lived experience of an adverse event and having moved beyond it and can now impart the knowledge and insight learned from it and how it can enhance quality of care
• ·    Can put forward views on behalf of the wider community/groups of patients (not own opinion only)
• ·    Confident to contribute to discussions in large groups and can critically challenge our thinking in a constructive positive way
• ·   You can respect and listen to other points of view and can tackle issues sensitively
• ·     Able to commit to at least 1 day a month to the role for 18 months
• ·     Have no conflicts of interest that would prevent participation in the role

How to apply

Role 4 is strategic and there will be more access to potentially distressing information in this role is supports more in-depth reviews about patient safety.

A brief application form to include why someone would like to be considered as a PSP should be completed and include:

·         Why they are interested, including personal experiences or processes in the NHS (or other organisations)

·         What skills, past experiences, and insights they feel they can bring to the role

·         Any potential conflicts of interest that should be considered

·         Any accessibility issues or adjustments that need to be made

Ending the role

Suitability for the PSP role is assessed within 12 weeks of the starting date with the line manager. A PSP who proves to be unsuitable for the placement, does not work within the remit of the role or who does not attend meetings/ activities regularly may be asked to leave at any time.

Being a PSP is a mutual arrangement between the PSP and the Trust which can be terminated by either party at any time. A role review will take place no later than 18 months at which time the agreement may also be amended/ ended.

Find out more

Visit NHS England website for more information on Patient Safety Partners

Web www.england.nhs.uk/publication/framework - for - involving - patients - in - patient - safety appendices/

Web www.england.nhs.uk/patient - safety/patient - safety - involvement/framework - for - involving patients - in - patient - safety/

Contact us

Email us for more information, or to speak with a member of staff about becoming a Patient Safety Partner (Add the email address)