Expert by Experience Programme
Build patient and/or carer insight into regular service review and improvement activity, including service visits, feedback capture and monthly insight reports.
Explore Expert by Experience ProgrammeLived Experience Network
Structured lived experience involvement for health and social care
LENs helps organisations bring the knowledge of patients, people who access services and carers into the work that affects them.
We provide the structure, people and practical support needed to involve Experts by Experience in service review, research, co-production, training, advisory work, testing and events.
Reach and experience
A national network with practical experience
50+
Experts by Experience
70+
Services visited
5+ years
Of lived experience impact
LENs works nationally, with activity delivered in person, online or in a hybrid format depending on the purpose and setting.
Experience across the sector
Organisations LENs has worked with
LENs has worked with organisations across health, social care, policy, training and service improvement.
A clearer starting point
Lived experience can inform more than one conversation
Health and social care organisations have involved people with lived experience for many years. Too often, though, their role has been loosely defined or limited to sharing a personal story at one point in a much larger piece of work.
LENs was created to help organisations take a more structured approach. We work with you to clarify the question, choose the right form of involvement and create a role in which lived experience can inform the work properly.
You do not need to arrive with a finished brief. Tell us what your organisation is trying to understand, improve or develop. We will help scope the work and can combine services when one approach is not enough.
Our services
How LENs can support your organisation
Engagement & Events
Involve Experts by Experience in keynotes, panels, chaired discussions, workshops, films and other public or internal activity, with support before and after the event.
Explore Engagement & EventsLived Experience Advisory Boards
Create a regular forum where Experts by Experience can review plans, test ideas, raise themes and return to earlier advice with senior teams.
Explore Lived Experience Advisory BoardsProduct & Service Testing
Bring lived experience into the testing of products, services and resources, including their usability, accessibility, dignity, safety and fit with real settings.
Explore Product & Service TestingRecruitment, Workforce & Supervision
LENs recruits and employs Experts by Experience, then places them in agreed roles within an organisation. We can also provide role scoping, onboarding, supervision, wellbeing support and administration.
Explore Recruitment, Workforce & SupervisionResearch, Evaluation & Insight
Include lived experience in research design, interviews, focus groups, analysis, reporting and the presentation of findings.
Explore Research, Evaluation & InsightStrategic Co-Production & Advisory
Create a clear role for lived experience in policy, governance, pathway design, service redesign and change programmes.
Explore Strategic Co-Production & AdvisoryTraining and Accreditation Support
Involve lived experience in training-needs discussions, content review, development and co-delivery, including work connected with preparation for relevant standards.
Explore Training and Accreditation SupportWhy LENs
A clearer role for lived experience
Structure around the contribution
We help define why lived experience is being involved, what the role covers, how the work will be carried out and what the organisation will receive. This gives contributors and organisations a shared understanding from the start.
Practical work carried by LENs
Our role can include scoping, recruiting and employing Experts by Experience, coordination, preparation, support, facilitation, analysis and reporting. The exact arrangement depends on the service, but the organisation does not have to build every part of the process itself.
The right approach for the question
An advisory board, a service visit and a research interview do different jobs. LENs helps organisations choose the form of involvement that fits the question and combine services where the work needs more than one route.
Who we work with
For organisations working in and around health and social care
LENs can work with:
- NHS organisations and ambulance services
- Independent health and social care providers
- Local authorities and public bodies
- Charities and community organisations
- Universities and research teams
- Training organisations
- Healthcare suppliers, product vendors and innovators
- Other organisations whose work affects patients, people accessing services or carers
Start a conversation
What would you like to do?
LENs works nationally, with activity delivered in person, online or in a hybrid format depending on the purpose and setting.