UsherInstitutePatientandPublicInvolvementCommittee

Usher Institute Patient and Public Involvement Committee Terms of Reference

1. Purpose

The purpose of the Usher Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Committee is to foster meaningful collaboration between Usher staff (both academic and professional services) and patient, public and community members impacted by our work.

The Usher PPI Committee, PPI strategy and deliverables are aligned with the Usher mission to “work with people, populations and their data to understand and advance the health of individuals and populations through innovative collaborations in a global community”.

2. Remit

The Usher PPI Committee sets out to:

1. Guide PPI services: Guide the provision of core PPI services to the Usher Community and beyond.

2. Develop the PPI strategy: Develop, guide and support implementation of the Usher Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) strategy.

3. Showcase best practice: Take an active interest in, and have an overview of, PPI work within Usher with a view to highlighting exemplars of meaningful high-quality PPI

4. Facilitate leadership: Advise the Director of Usher, Chief Academic Officer and the Usher Executive on PPI priorities and resource allocation

5. Support continual professional development: Develop, support and promote PPI training and professional development for Usher staff, with additional support for students and Early Career Researchers to undertake PPI

6. Nurture relationships with funders: Connect with relevant funders to establish their positioning on PPI to support Usher colleagues with grant applications

7. Enhance teaching and learning: Collaborate with the teaching organization to contribute to the School’s learning and teaching portfolio  

8. Cultivate good working relationships:  Promote a culture of respect, trust and transparency when collaborating with patient, public and community members

9. Advertise PPI opportunities: highlight PPI funding calls and resources to Usher staff

10. Collaborate: Contribute, where appropriate, to the strategic work of other Usher Committees

11. Represent the Usher PPI Committee:  Actively engage with, and contribute to, relevant University / College / School meetings and events    

3. Chair Responsibilities

The Chair of the Committee is expected to:

• Provide leadership and guidance to the Committee, ensuring the Committee remains focused on its purpose and outcomes

• Foster a respectful and collaborative culture with a safe space for Committee members to discuss freely

• Solve disagreements between Committee members in a respectful, efficient and complete manner

• Chair Committee meetings effectively with supporting documentation sent out to Committee members prior to and after Committee meetings

• Represent the Committee, and its activities, at appropriate internal and external meetings

• Contribute to the development and implementation of Usher's research strategy, ensuring patient, public and community voices have been incorporated

• Promote a culture of respect, trust and transparency when collaborating with patient, public and community members

• Ensure that the running of the Committee and its activities adhere to University of Edinburgh policies

4. Governance and Operation

• The Committee will report to the Usher Executive.

• The Committee will typically meet bi-monthly (six times per year)

• All meetings will be chaired by the Committee Chair

• To promote a collaborative, positive environment, members will be respectful by only one person speaking at a time and keeping discussions on topic

• Decisions will be voted on by a show of hands at meetings. For a decision to be accepted, a majority vote is required. In circumstances where there is no majority, the Committee Chair has the casting vote

• A meeting agenda will be created for each meeting, with committee members contacted in advance to confirm if they have any items to add to the agenda

• Meeting agendas and materials will be circulated to Committee members in advance of meetings

• Meeting minutes will be circulated to Committee members after the meeting and uploaded to the Committee SharePoint site

5. Membership

The committee will be composed of 12-15 members, including:

• Usher Head of Patient and Public Involvement (Chair)

• Representation from each of Usher's research centres

• Data Driven Innovation Hub for Health and Social Care

• Early Career Researcher representation

• Student representation

• Professional services

• Edinburgh Innovations and Edinburgh Research Office

• Usher Teaching staff

• Additional members may be appointed by the Chair at their discretion, based on expertise or strategic needs

The Committee (Co-)Chair(s) is appointed by the Usher Institute’s Director and its Chief Academic Officer. The (Co-)Chair’s and members’ terms of office will be three years, renewable at the discretion of the Usher Institute’s Director and its Chief Academic Officer.

6. Meetings

• Meetings will primarily be face to face at the Usher Building and will last for approximately 1.5 hours

• A virtual option will be made available for those unable to attend in person

7. Quorum

A Committee meeting quorum will be seven Committee members

8. Conflict of Interest

Committee members must declare any potential conflicts of interest before participating in discussions or decisions related to those conflicts.

9. Review and Update

These Terms of Reference are effective from 01/01/2025 for a period of three years.  They will be reviewed on an annual basis and updated as needed to ensure they remain relevant and effective.  Any updates will be confirmed after consultation and agreement by the Committee members.

Additional Considerations

Subgroups: If required, the Committee may establish subgroup meetings outside of these times to address specific areas of focus or to delegate tasks. For example, an Usher Annual Recognition Awards review panel

Evaluation: The Committee will undertake regular review of its activities and outcomes to evaluate effectiveness.    

Committee member expectations:

Members of the Committee are expected to:

• Attend all meetings or send apologies and an update if unavailable

• Support and promote the Committee and its work

• Make timely decisions

• Be respectful towards fellow Committee members and wider Usher colleagues

• Provide a time commitment of approximately 4-5 hours a month, in order for the Committee to achieve its outcomes

• Advise the Committee Chair in advance if they have accessibility requirements

Members of the Committee can expect to:

• Be provided with complete and accurate information in a timely and accessible manner

• Experience a safe space for open and honest discussions, which will be kept confidential unless otherwise agreed

• Be given reasonable time to make key decisions

• Have the opportunity to raise concerns without fear of discrimination

• Be supported by Usher and their manager to take time from their usual workload to contribute to the Committee and its activities

• Have reasonable adjustments in place to support their contributions to the Committee

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Last updated 29 January 2026, 12:05 p.m.