MIN_10LeadingMinoritised Ethnic Communities
Encourage Inclusive Participation in Patient Groups
Summary
Review and adapt communications about patient participation groups (PPGs) to ensure inclusivity, particularly for minoritised ethnic communities (e.g., inclusive language and visuals in flyers, text messages, and outreach).
Supporting information
Traditional patient participation groups rarely reflect ethnic diversity, missing crucial perspectives on health inequalities. Inclusive participation requires intentional restructuring to enable meaningful involvement from all communities.
Approaches to implementation:
- Audit current patient participation against community ethnicity demographics
- Remove barriers including meeting times, locations, and languages
- Consider participation payments that recognise expertise
- Use diverse engagement methods beyond formal meetings
- Build relationships with community organisations supporting ethnically minoritised people
- Create specific roles for ethnically minoritised people
- Ensure genuine influence on decisions, not tokenism
- Support participants to engage effectively
Key benefits: Ensures practice development reflects all communities' needs, addressing blind spots and building services that work for everyone.