ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the key drivers for involvement more generally in health care and looks more specifically at the emergence of a patient and public involvement (PPI) agenda in patient safety. It explores a more fundamental question about the way in which the whole debate on involvement in patient safety has been conceptualized. The establishment of the Community Health Councils in 1973 marked a turning point in which the rhetoric of user involvement became a central component of National Health Service (NHS) policy. In patient safety, a number of documents have set out clear expectations for NHS Trusts to develop Patient-Public Participation in patient safety and more recently at board level. In developing the considerable reforms to professional regulation post the Shipman reports, Tackling concerns locally – report of the clinical governance subgroup, strongly highlights the importance of patient, public and carer involvement as central to the delivery of high-quality health care.
