Patient or Carer Representatives x 10 (QNFMHS & QNPICU)

Patient or Carer Representatives x 10
Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services (QNFMHS) and Quality Network for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (QNPICU)

£140 per day and £70 per half-day
2-Year Fixed Term Contract

Working pattern: Casual
Contract type: FTC (2-year Fixed Term Contract)
Location: London
Interview date: Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September 2026 - Online via Ms Teams

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is seeking 10 Patient and Carer Representatives to join the Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services (QNFMHS) and the Quality Network for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (QNPICU) as Workers. The successful applicants will have recent lived experience of either Forensic or PICU mental health or caring for someone who has accessed these services.

Please note: Only applicants with lived experience will be considered for this role.

The Patient Representative and the Carer Representative will be an integral member of the network working with the project team, to support the various activities of the project and advocate for the patient and carer group.

About the network
The focus of the network is to take PICU and forensic care teams through a supportive process of self- and peer-review to assess how the service is performing against an agreed set of quality standards.

You can read more about the network on our webpages for QNFMHS and QNPICU .

Description of the main stages of the Networks:

Quality standards for specific mental health services – The standards spell out what needs to happen in order to provide a good service and are used to measure service quality. For example, a standard on patient information might state ‘patients are offered a summary of their care plan’. This standard would then be measured and if a mental health team is not meeting the standard, they will be asked to put changes in place to meet it in the future.

Who decides what goes in the standards?

The standards are developed by looking at existing guidance and by consulting with experts in the field, including staff, patients and carers. This will sometimes involve a large meeting where people discuss what should and should not be included.

Self-review - This involves us sending out questionnaires or other forms for staff, patients and carers to fill in and send back to us. We sometimes refer to these as ‘data collection tools’. These all link to the quality standards and help to inform us about whether a standard is being met.

Peer review – This involves mental health staff, patients and/or carers visiting another mental health service for a day to look around, interview people and take part in group discussions. People going on peer reviews, whether clinicians, patients or carers, all receive full training and support from the project team. These are day long visits which follow a clear structure and are facilitated by an experienced lead.

Writing reports – Project staff write reports which summarise the achievements of the service as well as areas they need to improve upon. The reports are sent back to the service so that they can learn from the findings.

Learning events – Some projects hold events so that people in particular areas of mental health can share ideas and help each other improve ways of working. Patients and carers are often involved in these events, with the potential for dedicated workshops being run by patients and carers about their experiences and how this can support service improvement.

Advisory Group - Each network has its own Advisory Group comprising of professionals who represent key interests and areas of expertise relevant to the network, and patients and carers who have experience of using the services the network focuses on. The purpose of the group is to advise and further the work of the network.

Accreditation Committee – Each network also has its own Accreditation Committee, which accredits services based on the evidence gathered during the self- and peer review. The committee may request further information or a re-visit to the service if there are concerns about quality.

The Patient/Carer Representative role within the Network

The Networks are quality improvement projects that works with PICU and forensic services all around the UK. The views, ideas, skills and experience of people who have used these services are vital for our work.

The successful applicants will have recent lived experience of either Forensic or PICU mental health or caring for someone who has accessed these services.

The Patient Representative and Carer Representative must have access to their own electrical equipment to attend meetings and Wi-Fi connection.

RCPsych has developed a high media profile and is a leading organisation in terms of equality and diversity. It was a recent winner of Charity of the Year at the European Diversity Awards. This is an excellent opportunity for patients and carers to contribute their perspectives on important mental health issues for QNPICU/ QNFMHS and be part of our ongoing strategy and communications development.

Please complete the Standard Application Form online or send the Easy Read Application Form to: [email protected]

If you require assistance or any other reasonable adjustments to complete your application form, please contact [email protected]

The College is a proud member of the Disability confident employer scheme. A Disability confident employer will offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria (essential) for the job as defined by the employer.

Please see candidate information pack for more information