Experts by Experience

The Experts by Experience (EbyE) Research Group is an established group of service users who are regularly involved in many aspects of trust activity as well as in their own communities.

The group meets every month and the members attend throughout the year with commitment, enthusiasm and dedication.

They actively participate with patients, caregivers, partners and volunteers together with the healthcare teams, championing an end to stigma and consistently raising awareness.

Since its beginning in 2008, the group has sought to support health research activity within KMPT by inviting researchers to present their research or proposals to the group for discussion.

Highlights showing how the group’s expertise has been harnessed including

  • Supporting a service improvement project to look at care coordination in our community using the appreciative enquiry method
  • Regularly participating in the interview process for consultants and senior staff as part of the recruitment panel
  • Developing my safety plan leaflet and discharge checklist for a project to improve patient experience of discharge.

Our members also include award winners such as David Cousins, who picked up the Patient Contribution Award at our trust-wide awards in 2018.

The group themselves are enthusiastic about their involvement in helping us learn and benefit from lived experience. The team has been vital in the acceptance and growth in service user representation and involvement and are keen to welcome new members.