Patient Lead

Patient Lead

Location: Primarily remote, with occasional travel to London for meetings and ad hoc around the UK as required

Type: Voluntary (reasonable expenses reimbursed)

Time Commitment: Approx. 8 hours per month, including quarterly Board and Executive meetings

Tenure: 3 years (renewable once, up to a maximum of 6 years, subject to appraisal)

Start Date: 01 December 2025

How to Apply

Click apply and you will be redirected to our careers page to complete your application. You will need to complete the below:

Submit:

A personal statement (max 450 words) outlining your interest in the role and what you would bring to it.
Summary of your professional and voluntary experience (maximum 2 pages).

Deadline: 28th of September 2025

Interview: 16th of October 2025 (to be held virtually)

Role Summary

The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) is seeking an enthusiastic and committed individual to serve as Patient Lead. This voluntary leadership role is central to ensuring that the patient voice is embedded in all aspects of CPOC’s work. The Patient Lead will represent patients on the CPOC Board, chair the Patient and Public Engagement Network (PPEN), and guide the team of patient representatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Represent the patient voice at CPOC Board and Executive meetings.
Chair and lead the Patient and Public Engagement Network (PPEN).
Develop and deliver the PPEN’s programme of work, focused on improving outcomes for surgical patients before, during, and after surgery.
Collaborate and build relationships with a diverse range of clinical and non-clinical stakeholders to influence perioperative care policy and practice.
Champion the views and experiences of underrepresented and marginalised patient groups, ensuring their voices inform perioperative care policy and practice.
Contribute to strategic planning and decision-making from a patient perspective.
Participate in bi-weekly virtual leadership meetings and quarterly in-person or virtual board and executive meetings.
Inspire, support and mentor the patient representatives.
Contribute to CPOC communications (e.g. blogs, presentations, articles, interviews).
Represent CPOC and patient views at national forums, conferences, and external working groups.

About CPOC

The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) is a national, multidisciplinary initiative hosted by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and established in 2019. CPOC brings together healthcare professionals, national organisations, and patients to improve perioperative care – the integrated, holistic care of patients from the moment surgery is contemplated through to full recovery. CPOC is a collaboration of 11 key partner organisations, which together form the CPOC Board.

At its core, CPOC is driven by the belief that patients must be partners in shaping their care. The Patient Lead plays a pivotal role in embedding this ethos across all CPOC activities