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What is PPE?

Patient and public engagement (PPE) comprises involving, consulting and listening to patients and the public, to make services responsive to patients’ needs, improve clinical outcomes and patient experience, add value to services and support good governance. PPE is a key priority for the NHS, featuring in all recent policy drivers.

PPE Made easy

This website is based on a report we have conducted with key stakeholders, available here

PPE presents particular challenges for sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS (SRHH) services due to stigma and confidentiality issues. Also, people at risk of poor SRHH are least likely to have their voices heard, particularly: ethnic minorities, young people, sex workers and those with mental illness, substance misuse problems and disabilities.

All NHS services are now expected to engage with patients and/or the public to improve services. This is part of NHS standards, including BASHH, BHIVA and FSRH. PPE improves services, ensures accountability, and can save money. See 'why do I need to do PPE' for more information on how PPE can help you.

This website is a practical, useful ‘toolkit’ which can help you to implement PPE in your service.

How to use this site:

We suggest you use this site as a ‘workbook’ or ‘toolkit’, depending on what stage your service is at.

  1. Why do I need to do PPE?
  2. Implementing PPE
  3. PPE Action Plan
  4. Auditing PPE
  5. Tools for doing PPE


Barriers to PPE

From our in-depth report using interviews and a survey with key stakeholders, we identified key barriers to doing PPE in SRHH. However, these can be overcome:

BARRIERS SOLUTIONS
Organisations are not committed to PPE
  • Identify a PPE lead.
  • Write a PPE Annual Action Plan and/or Strategy.
  • Read and share with colleagues the information on why you should do PPE.
  • PPE should start from the top – commissioners and managers [link to commissioners page]
  • Staff need training on PPE
Motivating patients/public, especially disadvantaged and ‘at risk’ communities rather than vocal/activists.
  • Use methods from our toolbox which you think your target audience would want to do.
  • Use public awareness/education campaigns to engage patients, and tying in advocacy with PPE.
NHS philosophy doesn’t currently focus on ‘customer’ service (compared to businesses).
  • Read and share with colleagues the information on why you should do PPE .
  • Familiarise yourself with NHS guidance on PPE, including

Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS, London Sexual Health Strategic Framework and the Choosing Health White Paper
Patients won’t want to engage due to stigma, especially for BME communities.
There is no money or time to do PPE
  • PPE can be part of the work you already do, whether asking individual patients for feedback during consultation, or using public awareness events to get feedback. See the best practice examples for ideas.

 

This site is the result of work done by a team of volunteers whose hard work we would like to acknowledge: Alyson Elliman; Amatullah Hashi; Bernard Forbes; Bernard Kelly; Bryan Teixeira; Catherine Murphy; Christopher Sandford; Elizabeth Shaw; Gary Alessio; Heather McMullen; Hong Tan; Johnny Coleman; Karen Beechey; Kevin Miles; Magnus Nelson; Nicky Davies; Paul Clift; Peter Twist; Rachel Challenor and Vikki Pearce



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