What is the Experience and Involvement Advisory Board?
The EIAB advises NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), the organisation responsible for planning and funding NHS services across West Yorkshire. It can also provide advice to partner organisations that plan, fund or deliver health and care services.
The EIAB reviews how effectively people are involved in decisions and how their feedback is used. It provides advice, asks questions and recommends improvements. Responsibility for final decisions about services remains with the ICB committee or The Board, or the organisations responsible for those services.
Why was it set up?
The EAIB was set up in response to national changes to the NHS. These changes include changes to ICBs, the makeup of their Boards, and proposals to decommission Healthwatch.
The EIAB was established to maintain and strengthen the role of patients, carers and communities in decisions about health and care, as NHS structures and responsibilities change.
It supports NHS West Yorkshire ICB to meet its legal duty to involve people in planning services and considering changes to them. It also helps ensure that people’s experiences inform decisions about which services are needed and how resources are used.
A particular focus is hearing from people whose views are often under-represented and communities experiencing unfair differences in health, access to care or experience of services.
The EIAB’s approach was developed with the West Yorkshire Voice Steering Group, Healthwatch organisations and NHS West Yorkshire ICB staff and leaders.
What does the EIAB do?
The EIAB reports to the ICB’s Quality, Safety and Experience Committee and its Finance, Commissioning and Performance Committee, and provides regular updates to the ICB Board.
It does not run services or deal with individual complaints or personal cases.
The EIAB’s role is to:
- Review involvement: check how people are involved in planning, designing and changing services.
- Examine people’s experiences: review feedback from patients, carers and communities to identify what is working well and what needs to improve.
- Provide challenge: ask NHS West Yorkshire ICB to demonstrate how people’s views have influenced its plans, policies and decisions.
- Advise on priorities: recommends which involvement and experience issues need attention.
- Check inclusion: reviews whether involvement reaches people from different backgrounds, particularly those whose voices are less often heard.
- Monitor progress: checks that learning is shared, commitments are followed through and involvement makes a difference.
Who is part of the EIAB?
The EIAB brings together:
- People with lived experience of health and care services from Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.
- Representatives from West Yorkshire Voice networks.
- Healthwatch representatives.
- Representatives from voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.
- NHS provider representatives, covering community, mental health and hospital services.
- A representative of local authorities across West Yorkshire.
“Lived experience” means knowledge gained through personal experience, including as a patient, carer or someone supporting another person to use services. Membership is intended to reflect the diversity of West Yorkshire, with lived experience membership increasing over time.
The EIAB is chaired by the ICB’s Non-Executive Member for Citizens and Future Generations. The Vice-Chair is the ICB’s Head of Communications, Involvement and Feedback.
ICB staff and a patient safety partner also attend to contribute expertise and support the EIAB’s work.
How are members selected?
Representatives of organisations and sectors are selected through an expression of interest process involving partners and existing networks across West Yorkshire. The Chair and Vice-Chair oversee appointments.
People with lived experience are selected through expressions of interest from West Yorkshire Voice members and other lived experience groups and forums across West Yorkshire.
Selection considers the range of backgrounds and experiences already represented, giving priority to perspectives missing from the group. We want to make sure that we are hearing from people who have particular perspectives, rather than those who may have been involved in Boards or Committees before. Members are selected for up to three years, after which their membership is reviewed.
To make sure we are hearing from a broad range of people, support is available before and after meetings to help members participate fully, with additional support tailored to individual needs.