Having a well thought through structured process for recruiting and selecting service users works well and will help you manage the application process.
The recruitment and selection criteria need to be tailored to the local context, so that the user group includes a mix of people who can usefully contribute to a discussion of local issues. It will ensure clarity about what is expected from people as well as transparency in the selection of group members, especially if you get a strong response or lots of interest from people who do not meet your criteria. Transparency is key to avoiding accusations of unfairness or bias.
We went through a short-listing process. We had very clear criteria about what we were looking for and we chose the members in that way with a clear auditable process…There were some people who applied, where it was very clear that they still had no real understanding about what the group was about and we were able to discount them quite easily…then in addition we looked at what extra experience or skills they could bring to the group for example we have a neighbourhood manager who works in one of the most deprived areas of Lincoln, he will be able to feed back into that population quite easily…
Shona Brewster, NHS Lincolnshire Diabetes project Manager
I was particularly impressed by the recruitment process, having a very clear role description for the service users, so that they knew what was expected of them and what they were being asked to contribute…We’d said we wanted the group to be representative and that enabled us to look at applications in the way as we would a job vacancy, we used very objective criteria, and I found that very, very helpful.
Sarah Gec, NHS Lincolnshire Public and Patient Involvement Manager
Service users need to fully understand their role and be clear about what they are committing themselves to. Informal interviews by phone or face to face will provide a mechanism to ensure a good match.
A clear communication plan is helpful. You will need to use a wide variety of methods to let people know about the opportunity to get involved. This will enable you to recruit the diverse range of members you want to engage.
We’re still learning the lessons... We sent out a poster far and wide and we thought it was clear, but it wasn’t clear from a service user perspective… So it would be good to have service user involvement in the planning…
Shona Brewster, NHS Lincolnshire Diabetes Project Manager
For further information on recruitment, advertising and selection, see the Guide to recruitment for user involvement groups (PDF) 122KB.
Christine Mead (NHS Hammersmith and Fulham community engagement team) explains what you need to think about when recruiting: