Patient Safety Partner (PSP)
We’re committed to providing safe services, and we need your help to guide our teams and projects.
Patient Safety Partners (PSP) are a new role created by NHS England to help improve patient safety.
This is a great opportunity to share your experiences as a patient, family member of someone receiving care, or perhaps NHS staff from another organisation to help us improve our services.
You could help us in different ways as a PSP, such as:
- Talking with patients and staff about safety and what matters to them
- Supporting staff safety training
- Guiding project teams working to improve safe care and our systems
- Joining safety groups and team meetings
- Creating patient safety information resources
- Supporting our safety team when reviewing incidents
- Helping us understand what we do well and how we can do this more of the time
Visit NHS England to read more about Framework for involving patients in safety
You don’t need any previous experience or training. You’ll be working alongside our Patient Safety Team who can explain what each role involves and make sure you have the right advice and training.
There are four PSP roles.
Roles 1 and 2 are classed as involvement, such as responding to online surveys, and attending focus groups.
Role 3 is about supporting working groups.
Role 4 is more strategic in focus, such as making recommendations to committees.
|
Roles |
Responsibilities |
Example Tasks |
Expenses |
Guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role 1 | Respond on open access engagement opportunities. |
Online survey/public consultation digital respondent comments. Attend open access public meeting e.g. public board meeting or CQC public consultation. |
Reasonable out‑of‑pocket expenses covered. | Read the Role 1 and 2 Guide(pdf) |
| Role 2 | Attend workshops/events/ focus groups on a one-off basis.
|
Patient safety workshops to engage with views and feedback. | Reasonable out‑of‑pocket expenses covered. | Read the Role 1 and 2 Guide(pdf) |
| Role 3 | Input to the trust's committees and working groups. |
Review/audit of environment, equipment or clinical practices e.g. potential ligature points or falls assessments. Designing patient information points e.g. what to expect during a hospital stay or GP appointment, or how to reduce the risk of falling. |
Reasonable out‑of‑pocket expenses covered. | Read the Role 3 Guide(pdf) |
| Role 4 | Senior expert adviser that demonstrates strategic and accountable leadership and decision making. |
Making recommendations to committees that have the delegated authority of the board. Member of an interview panel for a senior member of staff with responsibility for patient safety. Review and analyse safety incident reports or complaints and report directly to the board. |
Sessional payment offered. | Read the Role 4 Guide(pdf) |
Role guides
Read the Role 1 and 2 Guide (pdf)
Read the Role 3 Guide (pdf)
Read the Role 4 Guide (pdf)
We’re looking for people who can commit to around 4 hours per month, or 8 hours if we have larger meetings and events. Each role is different, but we expect them to last for around 18 months.
You won’t be contractually required to work for a certain amount of time, so you can always opt-out if you decide it’s not quite right for you.
Read our information sheets for more information about each role, and contact us if you have any questions and want to get involved.
‘I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my role as a PSP on behalf of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust. Being a welcome part of a progressive thinking organisation and working alongside supportive open-minded colleagues is a totally new and unique experience. Actually being asked for one’s opinion based on personal experience and seeing one’s suggestions being put into action (for the betterment of patient safety), is an altogether refreshing and welcome change in the NHS.
I openly encourage all who are invited to apply for a PSP by their local NHS Trust, to do so immediately. Your experiences within the healthcare system will not only benefit Patient Care within the NHS, it will also improve your own confidence and skill base. Finally, seeing your own work in action is its own reward.’
Simon, PSP at Berkshire Healthcare