Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is founded on the core principle that people who are affected by research have a right to have a say in what and how research is undertaken.

PPI (also known as user/lay involvement) is an active partnership of involving members of the public in NHS, public health, applied health and social care research, not simply as research participants or 'subjects'. There are different levels of PPI which can be applied to each stage of the research process.

• User driven research where service users set the research agenda and manage the process. This is often through a community or voluntary organisation led by service users.
  
• Collaborative research where service users are part of a team undertaking the research. This can be involvement of members of the public on the project steering group or as research partners on the project.
• Consultative research where a research team might consult service users to comment on the research. This may occur through individual contacts or one-off meetings.

By patients, public and users we mean:

• People who use, or have used, health or social care services
• Informal carers and families
• Members of the general public
• Organisations who represent users of NHS services and community groups
  

RDS-EM is committed to active and appropriate Patient and Public Involvement

INVOLVE  is a national advisory group which supports greater public involvement in NHS, public health and social care research.