Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Forum March 2026 update

by Athena Lam | Apr 17, 2026 | PPIE Forum | 0 comments

The Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Forum plays an essential role in delivering the Faculty’s PPIE Action Plan and Social Responsibility (SR) Plan. Together, these strategies outline our commitment to driving positive environmental and social change for our local and global communities through our world-leading teaching, learning and research.

The Forum is co-chaired by Dr Omolade Allen and Mike Southworth, bringing together Public Contributors (PCs), University staff and students, as well as external stakeholders to discuss and shape the Faculty’s PPIE priorities.

The second Forum meeting of the 2025/26 academic year was held online in March. Key topics of discussion included open research, PPIE payments and the Civic and Community Engagement and Involvement (CCEI) Framework and Theory of Change (ToC).

The meeting began with a presentation from guest speaker Prof Ellen Poliakoff, senior lecturer in psychology and neuroscience and co-director of the Body, Eyes and Movement (BEAM) Lab. Ellen shared findings from her Open Research Fellowship, which explores PCs’ perceptions of open research.

Survey results showed that certain open research practices, such as co-production, were more familiar to PCs than others, including pre-prints. Encouragingly, over 70% of respondents expressed interest in further training, suggesting an overall positive perception of transparent, accessible and collaborative research practices.

Forum members responded enthusiastically to the project and expressed interest in the open research training materials for PCs, which are currently being developed as part of the second stage of the fellowship. The discussion also highlighted considerations regarding the reliability and potential bias of the survey results, as well as confidentiality concerns surrounding open research.

Following the talk, FBMH Social Responsibility Project Officer Sam Franklin provided an update on the new PR20 payment system for reimbursing PCs. The system is currently in the pilot phase, with a Faculty-wide rollout planned for June. The update was well received among the Forum, as the new system would provide a more streamlined and automated experiences for both PCs and staff. More information to follow on this.

Omolade then led a discussion on the CCEI framework and ToC. PCs were keen on the idea of establishing an expert staff group of colleagues who can provide PPIE guidance and training across the Faculty, but concerns remain regarding staff capacity and time commitments.

Members welcomed the new ToC, which sets out short-, medium- and long-term goals for CCEI within the Faculty and maps the inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts required to achieve them. A new Forum action plan is currently in development to address challenges with the current ToC format, including digital and accessibility issues and lack of detail.

The meeting closed with a note on the annual PPIE celebration as the event will be postponed this year to allow time for reflection and for future activities to be aligned with the new Manchester 2035 strategy.

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