Public and Patient Engagement in Commissioning in the English NHS: An idea whose time has come?

Public and patient engagement (PPE) has a limited record of achievement in the English National Health Service (NHS), and this has been further complicated by the split between commissioning and providing remits. The passage of the NHS and Social Care Act 2012 has opened up new possibilities for enhancing PPE in the commissioning of health care. This article outlines the new context, describes a conceptual framework for locating different sorts of PPE activity, and provides some practical illustrations. It argues for greater conceptual clarity and clearer understandings on the purpose of PPE as prerequisites to change.