Our Patient and Public Advisory Group (PPAG) plays a vital role in ensuring that the views and experiences of local people are central to how we use health data to improve care.

If you’re passionate about making healthcare fairer and would like to express interest in joining the group, we’d love to hear from you.

We are mindful of ensuring the group reflects the diversity of our community. At present, we are particularly interested in hearing from men and individuals from South Asian backgrounds, as these groups are underrepresented in the PPAG.

Members are asked to attend meetings every other month (held at the Civic Health Innovation Labs, Liverpool Science Park, but with virtual options available) and are compensated for their time and contributions.

To apply, please read the supporting information and then complete the PPAG application form. 

If you have any questions, or if you'd like help with your application, please email mlcsu.dia@nhs.net.

The Use of Administrative Health Data for Research

The Use of Administrative Health Data for Research report presents a summary of public engagement for the Cheshire and Merseyside Secure Data Environment (SDE) commissioned by the Data into Action programme.

The Cheshire and Merseyside SDE team worked with a range of partners to plan a series of focus groups to seek feedback on the design and policies of a proposed secure data environment and specifically perspectives on sharing de-identified health data for secondary uses without explicit consent. Read the full report.

Public and Patient Perspectives on Non-Traditional Health Data Uses in Cheshire and Merseyside

This report summarises public and patient involvement and engagement via the Cheshire and Merseyside Data into Action programme on non-traditional health data access and uses. This includes health data access for commercial organisations, linking non-NHS data to NHS data (indirect data), and using data to train or test AI systems. Read the full report.

Public views on organisations accessing health data

This report shares findings from a short public engagement activity carried out by the Data into Action programme at the Festival of Data in Liverpool.

The activity explored how Cheshire and Merseyside residents feel about different kinds of organisations accessing health data for research and innovation, and what types of public benefit they would expect in return. Participants were asked to step into the role of a decision-maker and consider whether they would approve different requests to use health data.

The findings highlight emerging themes around public value, transparency, privacy, profit, and the importance of clear benefits for patients and communities. Read the full report.