Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Building Together Focus Group – Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Nominee Information

Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) established the Expert by Experience ‘Building Together Focus Group’ (BTFG) in 2021. It is now in its 3rd year of co-production, eradicating LPFT’s dormitory accommodation across the county. This team has proven itself to be an integral part of the design process for the latest LPFT development at Norton Lea in Boston, a £40 million new build to re-provide a 19-bed mixed gender adult inpatient unit, crisis and home treatment team hub and wellness café.

In total, the BTFG members have influenced over £65m of key projects. Core members of the BTFG have a wide range of lived experiences around mental health and now 3 years down the line have, along with the project team, learned new skills and gained confidence in their contributions to the co-design of this new project at Norton Lea. Since the team’s inauguration, 2 members have gone on to be valued employees within the Trust and supported to continue to provide their insight to the developments under way.

Brian, a BTFG member, said: “I have acquired skills to go on and apply for the lived experience lead role through the BTFG and I am working in this amazing paid role with the Trust, which I would never have dreamed of years ago when I was experiencing my own challenges as a service user on the ward”.

The BTFG work alongside their LPFT colleagues not only in their own unique group but as experts by experience in other key stakeholder engagement forums, such as design and quality groups, made up of clinical experts, Estates & Facilities colleagues and design contractors. The group meet every 2-4 weeks subject to the design stage demands. Information and decision-making requests are then considered before a structured review and scoring appraisal takes place. Having key clinical and estates colleagues present within the meetings enables in-depth discussions. Partnership working enables all voices to be heard, information interpreted, challenged and outcomes explored and rationalised by BTFG members. Their opinions are then presented to the project board for ratification and included within the design plans.

An example of this includes the BTFG recently reviewing options regarding patient bedroom ensuite doors / screens, following lessons learned and the advent of a new product by a supplier. Along with other key stakeholders, each supplier was invited to present their products and group members had the opportunity to discuss and ask questions about their options. BTFG members were then given the opportunity to sample test the products in a simulated ward environment, where they tested them for robustness, ease of use, and provision of privacy and dignity. Their preferences and reflections of products were then shared with suppliers and the Trust, and their choice is being incorporated into the final design.

BTFG members were also instrumental for the successful inclusion of the Wellness Café in the new designs for Boston and overcome many challenges raised at both local and national NHS level, a true reflection of the strength of their voice.