Patient and public involvement

Patient and public involvement means 'with' or 'by' the patient and public, not 'to', 'about' or 'for' them.

Royal Free London staff: please go to our Freenet pages to find more information and staff resources about conducting patient/carer involvement. 

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to working in partnership with patients, the public and local communities to ensure that its services are both relevant and responsive to local needs.

Providing an excellent experience for our patients, carers, other service users and staff is central to the trust's governing objectives.  The trust is therefore keen to further involve patients, the public and wider stakeholder communities to help develop our services.

We strive to have patients and carers involved in making decisions about the commissioning, planning, design and reconfiguration of health services (either as design partners or through consultation). This is known as patient/carer involvement, where staff and patients are brought together in partnership to explore findings and work in small groups to identify and implement changes that will improve the care pathway.

The trust has a Patient Voices Group at each site that meets monthly and a new involvement register has been launched to facilitate patient involvement.

How to get involved at our hopsitals 

The Royal Free London Involvement Register 

In April 2023, the Royal Free London Involvement Register (IR) was launched to ensure we have patient and carer voices available to help with involvement activities across our hospitals. By signing up to our register, you will be informed about opportunities to get involved with the design and improvement of our services. You will be emailed ah-hoc opportunities as they arise and can choose what you would like to get involved with. There is no obligation to get involved with every project. 

Examples of tasks you may be asked to get involved with include:

  • Attending focus group meetings to share experiences and have group discussions
  • Reviewing patient information 
  • Helping us decide how to spend a grant
  • Reviewing a new patient survey 
  • Share ideas on future changes you feel would be beneficial

Ultimately your involvement will ensure patient and carer voices influence the way we work. 

Click here for a leaflet about the Involvement Register, apply to join our Involvement Register here and email our Royal Free London Involvement inbox for more information or if you are having trouble accessing the application form. 

Patient Voices Groups 

Each hospital also has a patient voices group which is a group of patients and carers who meet monthly (online) to help us understand the experiences of people who have used our services and are involved in work to improve our services. Each group is run by the patient experience team for that hospital. Whilst the tasks you would be asked to help with are similar to the tasks we would advertise to the involvement register members, the patient voices groups require an on-going commitment of attending at least six out of the twelve meetings a year. 

Please note that you are welcome to join one of these groups AND join the Involvement Register (IR) if you so wish. 

Barnet Patient Voices Group: The Barnet Patient Voices Group (BPVG) is run by the Barnet hospital Patient Experience team. Our first meeting was held in April 2022 and the group meet each month for an hour and a half. Interested in finding out more? Please read our role description and if you'd like to apply to join our group, please fill in the application form. Any questions? Please email the Barnet Patient Experience team.

Chase Farm Voices Group: The group has recently launched (April 2023) and is currently recruiting members. If you would be interested in finding out more, email the Chase Farm patient experience team

The Royal Free Patient Voices Group launched in 2018 and meets on the last Friday of each month. If you are interested in finding out more, email the Royal Free patient experience team 

Patient involvement in own care

Evidence shows that supporting patients to be actively involved in their own care, treatment and support can improve outcomes and experience for patients. The Royal Free London recognises the need to support patients to:

  • manage their own health and make informed decisions about their care and treatment
  • improve their health and give them the best opportunity to lead the life that they want.

To learn more about self-care, go to the NHS England website