Practical support
There are numerous guidance documents and helpful websites that can provide practical support in planning and executing your involvement and engagement activities.
Your local PPI lead is your first point of contact and can signpost you to local guidance and advise you further.
Payments for public involvement
It is best practice to pay people for their time involved in research as well as covering reasonable expenses incurred through their involvement.
Payments for time are considered ‘honorarium’ payments, and are a form of recognition offered for contributions made to each activity, and not an hourly rate. This does not mean that contributors have a contract of employment with your department or organisation. The fee should cover the preparation for, attendance at meetings, and any post-activity feedback.
We recommend that researchers refer to the NIHR payment guidance for paying public contributors and when budgeting for public involvement in grant applications.
Guidance is also available for members of the public about receiving payment for involvement activities, with specific information about how involvement payments might affect benefits.
Read SPCR PPI Payment Statement
Accessibility
When organising any activity you should always keep the accessibility in mind. Patients might have several conditions and some disabilities are invisible, though would still require adjustments to your activity. You may wish to refer to the following guidance to help you think about your own activities, events and communications.
- Use our Accessible Events Checklist | Shape Arts
- Making events and meetings accessible | SCIE
- Advice for making events and presentations accessible - Accessibility in government (blog.gov.uk)
- Creating accessible information and communication resources for health and social care | RNIB
- Dyslexia friendly style guide - British Dyslexia Association (bdadyslexia.org.uk)