England
What do user representatives do?
Being a user representative takes time, energy and commitment but can be very rewarding. The role of the user representative is to...
- Present the range of views of people with diabetes into the planning group discussions.
- Be a 'critical friend' to the service, offering an alternative perspective, and sometimes challenging the assumptions of healthcare professionals and managers.
- Engage positively with professionals and NHS organisations, understanding the budget constraints and that it takes time for organisations to change.
- Network with as wide a range of groups and individuals as possible to find out what other people with diabetes think.
- Suggest ways that other service users might be involved and engaged in the process of service planning.
- Feed the news back to people with diabetes about what happened at the meetings and what was decided.
If you become a user representative, don't worry – you are not on your own, Diabetes UK and the PCT staff are there to support you.
You will need training and support to take on the role. The support should include a named NHS staff contact with whom you can discuss and raise any concerns about your role or the way the group is working.
In some places these functions are undertaken by a user champion. This is generally a paid post (often part-time) and requires a greater level of knowledge and skills but it is something that user representatives could move on to as their knowledge, skills and confidence develops.