10 questions every organisation should ask about their PPIE

Summary

In this blog, hub Topic leader Aurora Todisco shares her new mini-guide - 10 questions every organisation should ask about their PPIE. She explains how and when it can be used to help improve approaches to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement.

Content

A reflective tool for stronger involvement

Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) is often well intentioned, but not always well examined. Over time, practices can become habitual, with limited reflection on whether involvement is genuinely inclusive, ethical or impactful.

I have developed a new resource, 10 Questions Every Organisation Should Ask About Their PPIE (attached below). It is designed to prompt honest reflection and meaningful improvement.

10_Questions_Every_Organisation_Should_Ask_About_Their_PPIE (1).docx

Why questions matter

Rather than offering prescriptive answers, this mini guide encourages organisations to pause and ask critical questions such as:

• Why are we involving people?
• Are we involving them early enough to influence decisions?
• Are diverse voices genuinely represented?
• Do people know how their input has been used?

These questions can be uncomfortable – but they are essential if involvement is to move beyond a tick box exercise.

Supporting better conversations

The questions are suitable for:

• team discussions and away days
• governance and quality improvement reviews
• planning new projects or programmes.

They are supported by a clear checklist covering accessibility, feedback, support, recognition and evaluation of impact.

Creating accountability

Asking these questions regularly helps organisations:

• identify gaps between values and practice
• strengthen accountability to lived experience contributors
• improve the quality and credibility of PPIE activity.

Used together with my other resources (links below), this guide helps create a more thoughtful, transparent and respectful approach to involvement.

An invitation to reflect

Strong PPIE isn’t about having all the answers – it’s about being willing to reflect, listen and change. These ten questions offer a simple but powerful starting point.

Related resources

• How authentic patient stories can shift systems thinking and improve care
• Being ready for meaningful Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement, and why it matters for patient safety
• Making meetings inclusive: a practical guide for PPIE
• Avoiding tokenism: ensuring meaningful Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE)
• The Lived Experience Involvement Toolkit: turning good intentions into practical involvement
• From consultation to co-production – a beginner’s guide 

About the Author

Aurora Todisco is a Finance, HR, and Governance Development Lead with over 21 years of experience, including the past 9 years dedicated to the health and social care sector. She brings a unique blend of strategic expertise and lived experience to her work, with a strong focus on improving patient safety, health equity and quality of care. Aurora holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Primary Care Management, which informs her systems-level approach to healthcare leadership. Since 2021, she has co-produced initiatives with nearly 90 national stakeholders, driving forward accessibility inclusion, and trauma-informed practice across NHS, academic and research settings. Actively involved in quality improvement programmes, accreditation panels and advisory groups, Aurora is passionate about amplifying patient and public voices to shape meaningful, system-wide change. Her work champions the power of real patient stories in creating campaigns that lead to safer, more equitable care for all.