The Faculty’s Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Forum held its first meeting of the 2025/26 academic year. 

The Forum plays an essential role in driving forward the Faculty’s PPIE Action Plan, an integral part of our Social Responsibility (SR) strategy, and includes representation from Public Contributors (PC), Schools, Divisions (staff and students) and key external stakeholders.  

This year, we welcomed new Co-Chairs: Dr Omolade Allen, Lecturer in Global Health and Academic Lead for Civic and Community Engagement and Involvement, and Mike Southworth, a PC who has been involved with the University for over a decade. 

The meeting began with introduction presentations from the new Co-Chairs. Omolade shared her extensive experience in civic engagement and social responsibility. She has delivered several major events over the past decade, including a national conference on Black Women’s Health and Breast Cancer. She has also worked with over 50 community groups across Greater Manchester and played a key role in shaping research questions through advisory panels, particularly with Black women.  

Mike reflected on becoming a PC, which began after a personal experience motivated them to give back to healthcare. Over the past decade, Mike has chaired Patient Participation Groups, volunteered with Samaritans, and contributed to medical education through the Doubleday Centre. Their involvement includes admissions panels for medical and dental schools, supporting equality and inclusion initiatives, and co-hosting the Faculty’s PPIE Celebration event in 2025. 

Following the talks, members discussed how the Forum can align with the newly launched Manchester 2035 strategy. Key points included data protection practices during correspondence between researchers and PCs, who may wish to keep their email addresses private. Members also highlighted areas for improvements in current guidance for involvement activities, such as language and distress protocols, and the need to simplify technical sections in patient information sheets to make them more accessible.  

The discussion emphasised advancing co-production by developing resources that enable PCs to take on higher-level roles, alongside proposals to create a wider Forum network and a Community of Practice to share expertise and best practice. 

Top tip: Ask PCs if they are happy for their personal email address to be shared with the wider group. If unsure, use BCC as standard. You can also hide attendance/emails when sending a calendar invite by clicking ‘response options’ then ‘hide attendees’. 

For information on previous Forums visit: March 2025, January 2025, November 2024, March 2024, January 2024, October 2023, February 2023, November 2022, March 2022, and January 2022.

To find out more about PPIE: watch our short film, sign up to the monthly Public Engagement Digest, visit the PPIE blog, or contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk. 

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