Patient Representative x 1 (QNVMHS)

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is seeking a patient representative to join the Quality Network for Veterans’ Mental Health Services (QNVMHS) as Workers. The successful applicants will have recent lived experience of veterans’ mental health services.

The patient representative will be integral to the Network working with the project team, to support the various activities of the project and advocating for the patient group.

About the network

QNVMHS works with services to improve the quality of veterans’ mental health services. We engage staff, patients and carers in a comprehensive process of both self- and peer-review for the purpose of quality improvement and accreditation. We recognise good practice and high-quality care whilst supporting services to identify and address areas for improvement.

The main stages of the project are outlined below:

Setting standards for specific mental health services: The standards provide a framework on what a good service looks like and are used to measure quality. For example, a standard on patient information might state ‘patients are offered a summary of their care plan’, this standard would then be measured and if a mental health team is not meeting the standard, the network will support them to put changes in place to meet it in the future.

Who decides what goes into the standards?

The standards are developed by looking at existing guidance and by consulting with experts in the field, including staff, patients and carers. This will sometimes involve a large meeting where people discuss what should and should not be included.

Teams then go through a self-review period: at this point services mark themselves against each standard and the project then obtains feedback from staff, patients and carers from questionnaires based on the standards. The team has up to 3 months to complete this.

Teams then receive a peer review: This involves mental health staff, patient and/or carer representatives visiting another mental health service for a day to look around, interview people and take part in group discussions. People going on peer reviews, whether clinicians, patients or carers, all receive full training and support from the project team. These are day-long visits which follow a clear structure and are facilitated by an experienced lead.

Teams will then receive a written report: The QNVMHS project team collate comments and observations from the visits into a report which summarises the achievements of the service as well as identify areas where they need to improve. The reports are sent back to the service so that they can learn from and act on the findings.

Accreditation Committee: Each network has its own Accreditation Committee which accredits services based on the evidence gathered during the self- and peer review. The committee may request further information or a re-visit to the service if there are concerns about quality.

Advisory Group - Each network has its own Advisory Group comprising of professionals who represent key interests and areas of expertise relevant to the network, and patients and carers who have experience of using the services the network focuses on. The purpose of the group is to advise and further the work of the network.

Learning events – The project holds events so that people in particular areas of mental health can share ideas and help each other improve their service and ways of working. Patients and carer representatives are often involved in these events, with the potential for dedicated workshops being run by patient and carers about their experiences and how this can support service improvement.

The patient and carer representative role within the Network

The views, ideas, skills and experience of people who have used these services are vital in every part of our work.  As part of this role, you will be closely involved with the Network and particularly with the project team, to engage the wider membership and partner organisations in advocating for the QNVMHS patient group.

Successful candidates will contribute to the network by attending and contributing to the peer reviews as a patient representative. Opportunities may also arise for involvement with the Advisory Group, Accreditation Committee, standards development, annual conference and other events.

Please complete the enclosed application form and send it to: HRrecruitment@rcpsych.ac.uk

How to apply

For more information and instructions on how to apply, please download the following documents:

•      Application Form
•      Candidate Information Pack
•      Diversity Monitoring Form

Closing date for applications: Friday 2 February 2024 at 10am

Interview date: Monday 19 February 2024 (via Microsoft Teams)

The College is a proud member of the Disability confident employer scheme. A Disability confident employer will offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria (essential) for the job as defined by the employer.  

Please see candidate information pack for more information.