Involvement and Experts by Experience
There are a variety of ways that service users and carers can become involved in shaping and helping improve services. An essential part of the Trust’s approach to involvement includes listening to service user and carer experiences and opinions about how things can be improved and good practice further developed.
If you would like to express your interest in being involved as an EbE, please email hpft.involvement@nhs.net or call 01707 253801.
You can read more about Gillian's journey of becoming an EbE here.
What is involvement?
Service users and carers are at the heart of our ‘Great Together’ Strategy 2023-2028 and play a vital role in supporting us to achieve the commitments we have made in our strategy: Great Together – Our 5-year strategy 2023 – 2028.
Experts by Experience are service users are carers who register with our Involvement Team to become an Expert by Experience or ‘EbE’.
Service users are people who are using services provided by HPFT or have been discharged within the previous 2 years.
Carers are unpaid and may be a relative, friend or neighbour who looks after or supports someone living with a physical disability, mental illness, dementia, drug and alcohol misuse, learning disability or neurodivergence.
HPFT’s vision
By promoting the voice of service users and carers, we can work together to ensure that the services we offer meet the needs of the people we are supporting.
Our goal is to involve service users and carers in service design, delivery, monitoring, and evaluation to improve future services.
For service users, involvement may be part of their recovery journey. For carers, involvement may be an opportunity to achieve their personal goals and enhance their wellbeing.
What can I get involved in?
By signing up, you can take part in opportunities such as focus groups, interview panels, service redesign, transformation projects and service user and carers groups. Some examples of projects that EbEs have been involved in are:
· Primary care service user improvement group
· Making Services Better for our learning disability services
· Local service user and carer reference groups
· Community services transformation
· Depression Pathway in community services
· Improving the environment and experience in our inpatient wards
What are the benefits?
Here is what our current EbEs have said they enjoy about taking part in involvement opportunities:
“Being involved as an EbE has given me back some confidence and belief in myself.”
“Involvement has helped me take a negative experience and turn it into a positive experience thanks to the support, positivity and encouragement I have found.”
“Seize this opportunity with both hands to get a win win situation by your involvement of how things can be done better.”
“I have really enjoyed seeing how offering my perspectives as a carer can help shape a better service.”
“I get to shape future care. I meet and work with inspirational people and ideas.”
Where will this take place?
Involvement opportunities can take place face to face or virtually. If you do not drive or cannot use public transport, the Involvement Team can arrange transport for you to attend face to face opportunities.
What support will I get?
You will meet with a member of the Involvement Team face to face as part of the sign up process.
You will also have an induction when you start working with us as an EbE, to help you understand more about HPFT services, how we work in partnership, and need to know information. This is a good opportunity to ask questions and meet other EbE’s and staff.
You will also have the opportunity to shadow other EbEs to build your confidence.
The Involvement Team will record any reasonable adjustments you have to ensure that we can support you as much as possible to be involved.
How do I sign up?
Service users, carers and members of staff supporting you can email the Involvement Team at hpft.involvement@nhs.net or call 01707 804418 to register interest in becoming an EbE.
As part of this you will be asked to complete an expression of interest which will be sent to you.
What is the sign up process?
A member of the Involvement Team will get in touch with you once you have completed and returned your expression of interest.
As part of our standard sign up process, becoming an EbE involves an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check being completed. If you are concerned about this, you can discuss this with a member of the team.
You can be renumerated for some projects but can also choose to sign a non-payment waiver. You can also be renumerated for travel expenses.