SECTION 35: SERVICE-USER AND CARER INVOLVEMENT
IN AND WITH THE COURSE
In the past the views of service-users and carers of service-users have been a secondary
consideration when planning NHS services, despite the fact that as the recipients of care they are
in a good position to offer helpful advice to health professionals and managers. However wellintentioned a service, the acid test of its quality and acceptability is the experience of those who
use it. Actively seeking out (and responding to) the views of service-users makes considerable
sense, not only because it is humane but also because services that are responsive, appropriate
and acceptable to their clients are likely to be more efficient and effective.
This document sets out the ways in which the Course involves service-users and carers in its
organisation and in the teaching programme. In developing these links our guiding principle has
been to avoid the tokenism which develops if service-users are asked for their views without
being fully apprised of the background to the issues on which their opinion is sought, or are asked
to comment on matters which are not within their experience. For this reason our strategy has
been to build a service-user network, developing their roles as we gain experience with them, and
they with us.
Service-user and carer reference group
The reference group meets at least twice a year; its aim is to coordinate and develop the input of
service-users across all the domains of the course – to the curriculum, placement experience,
selection and research.
Membership comprises service-users and carersi recruited from local NHS trusts and voluntary
organisations, a Course Director, two members of course staff who act as coordinators and a
trainee representatives. The aim is to have a core membership of service-users and carers who can
represent as closely as possible the range of contexts and client groups with whom the course is
preparing trainees to work. The meeting is chaired by a service-user consultant.
In order to integrate the service-user and carer reference group into the organisational structure of
the Course action points arising from its meetings are raised in the Course Executive Committee
by the Academic Director, placed on the agendas of the relevant course committees and reviewed
in the Annual Course Review. The Course feeds back to the reference group via the clinical and
academic facilitators how their input has been incorporated into the relevant course domain.
Traffic is two-way; course committees place items on the agenda of the service-user and carer
reference group in order actively to seek their views regarding potential developments.
Service-user input to teaching
Service-users are directly involved in a range of teaching sessions. In they provide a view on the
breadth of topics covered across the curriculum. Ongoing service-user led review of the content
and format of teaching is used to identify additional sessions where service-user input would of
value. There has also been consideration of ways in which service-users can be involved in joint
teaching with members of staff or clinicians, other than simply sharing a narrative of their
experiences. The course is moving towards co-development of teaching materials.
Specific examples of service-user involvement include co-facilitation of an induction session for
first year trainee, with a focus on assessment and tips on how to engage service-users, and
lectures and half day sessions across the three years focussed on specific client groups (e.g. carers
of people with dementia, individuals diagnosed with personality disorder, psychosis or learning
disabilities). There is also a co-facilitated a session with service-users and carers focused on
helping trainees to develop service-user involvement in their future clinical roles.
Service-user input to selection
Service-users and carers are currently contributing to selection in a number of ways. For example,
they are actively involved in identifying themes for interview questions or qualities they would
like to see in a clinical psychologist, as well as shaping procedures (such as role-plays or videovignettes) that the course is using or plans to use.
Members of the reference group have observed and commented on different stages of the
selection process (for example, interview day or shortlisting meetings). The programme is
working towards increasing active participation in the above activities.
Service-user input to research
The reference group currently comments on the breadth of research topics covered in the
doctorate in clinical psychology thesis. For instance, specific feedback on the lack of an evidence
base for the effects of service-user involvement in teaching, resulted in a doctoral thesis looking
at the impact of service-user led teaching on clinician empathy and the views of trainee clinical
psychologists and medical and psychology students.
From 2015, trainees will be specially asked to comment how service-users or carers have been
consulted in the development of their thesis projects.
Trainee consultation with service-users and carers while on placement
The course requires trainees to undertake consultations with service-users and/or carers while on
placement. The rationale for this is straightforward: although service-user involvement with the
course is important, the most effective way for trainees to learn from service-users is to gain
direct experience while on placement.
The consultation exercise is detailed in Section 10 of this handbook. Briefly, it gives trainees a
direct experience of initiating contact with service-users, aiming to learn from their experiences
of the service and to make use of this learning through subsequent discussion with their clinical
supervisors.
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Service-users are paid for their time at the rate for external speakers