Remit of Patient & Public Involvement (PPI) Forums

The PPI system was first set out in the NHS Plan (2000) and PPI Forums are defined in the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 sections 15-19.

There are 572 Forums, one for every NHS Trust, Foundation Trust and PCT in England.

The Role of Trust and Foundation Trust Forums is to:

Monitor and review the services provided by the Trust and services commissioned from other organisations by the Trust;
Obtain the views of patients, users and carers about those services;
Make reports and recommendations, based on the views of patients and the public, to the trust on health and the day to day delivery of health services;
Influencing the design of, and access to, NHS services;
Providing advice and information to patients and their carers about services;
Monitoring the effectiveness of NHS Trust services, including local Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS);

They must prepare an annual report on the Forums’ activities each financial year and submit annual accounts to the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH).

They have powers to:

Collect information relevant to their functions from particular NHS organisations (a Strategic Health Authority; an NHS trust; a Primary Care Trust; the CPPIH; a person providing independent advocacy services; another PPI Forum;
Refer any health matters relevant to the Forum’s functions to the local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the CPPIH, or any other authority that the Forum considers appropriate;
Enter and inspect premises owned or controlled by the Trust and any service supported by health service funding, including private health provision contracted by the NHS.
Appoint a committee to help the Forum meet its responsibilities
Form a joint committee with other Forums to help with joint work

The Role of PCT Forums’ is to:

Monitor and review the services provide by the PCT
Obtain the views of patients, users and carers about those services
Make reports and recommendations to the PCT about those services, based on the views of patients and the public
Work with other Forums on areas where they have a shared interest
Prepare annual report and accounts
Encourage the public’s involvement in the PCT’s consultations and policies that affect the health of the public, advise the PCT in this area and monitor how effective its involvement procedures are
As above for the Strategic Health Authority consultations as they affect the health of the public in the forum’s area and for trusts that provide services for the PCT
As above for other public bodies whose decisions affect the health of the public in the forum's area

They have powers to:

Obtain any information relevant to their function from NHS and other authorities within 20 working days from the initial request
Refer any health matters relevant to the Forum’s function to local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees, CPPIH or any other authority that may be appropriate
Enter and inspect premises owned or controlled by the PCT, local authorities where those premises relate to health services jointly provided by the PCT and the local authority, Trusts and Foundation Trusts and primary care providers, including GPs and dentists
Appoint a committee to help the Forum meet its responsibilities
Form a joint committee with other Forums to help with joint pieces of work.

The Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06- 2007/08 refer to the following:

“Healthcare organisations that continuously improve the patient's experience based on the feedback of patients, carers and their relatives” and “The views of patients their carers and others are sought and taken into account in designing, planning, delivering and improving healthcare services.”

The PPI Forum structure is designed to give each trust a ‘critical friend’ which works closely with it but represents patients’ views. Forums develop their own work programme, making sure that health services are monitored and it is they rather than institutions or professionals who decide which local health issues are considered.

The Centre for Public Scrutiny has published a guide to clarify the roles of Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees and PPI Forums and suggests ways that they can work together to maximise their influence on decisions about health and healthcare. http://www.cfps.org.uk/pdf/publications/23.pdf