Patient forums and networks

We want to make sure everyone who uses our services is involved in decision-making about their care and has the opportunity to help us improve the care we deliver.

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) has several forums and networks for patients, their families and supporters, which we are highlighting as part of National Patient Participation Week (3 to 9 June).

Here are some of our main groups:

• The EPUT Forum is for anyone who wants to share their experiences, ideas and feedback to help us improve our services. It meets online every three months and discussion topics are driven by the people who attend.
  
  
• The People Participation Committee is for patients, carers, EPUT staff, and our health care partners to make suggestions and recommendations and take decisions to improve the experiences of our patients, families and carers. It meets online every three months.
  
  
• The Urgent and Emergency Care Involvement Group is for patients and their carers to provide feedback and suggest improvements for our urgent and emergency care for physical and mental health, and learning disabilities, services. It meets online every six to eight weeks.
  
  
• Our Neurodiversity Network meets online around every eight weeks. It is an opportunity for members to network with others, provide feedback and suggest improvements to help us ensure our services meet the needs of neurodivergent people.
  
  
• The EPUT Carer Network is for anyone who is, or has been, a carer for someone who has received care from This new group meets every month and provides support and information for carers, as well as the opportunity for people to share ideas and feedback with staff.
  
  
• Our Co-Production Champions Network is for people with lived experience of using health care services who would like to be involved in shaping and designing our services.

Some of our services have their own patient and carer networks, which provide information, support, and the opportunity to shape the care we provide.

And we have many opportunities for people to be involved in supporting our patients and designing and improving our services.

If you would like to find out more about how you can be involved in our forums and networks, email epunft.pet@nhs.net

You can also visit our Get Involved webpage.

National Patient Participation Week is organised by the National Association for Patient Participation to raise awareness of the importance of involving patients in shaping health care services to make sure they best meet their needs. It also focuses on empowering patients to be actively involved in decisions about their care.