TABLE 1.

Four categories of responsibilities and related activities

Advocacy: to advocate on behalf of the health consumers and to encourage consumers to be heard

Promote consumer inputs in the system

Create a receptive environment to influence change and influence culture to make sure it is person‐centred

Advise and give policy recommendations

Work with hospital boards and management

Education: to educate on consumer engagement practices

Provide health consumers with information such as patients' rights, engagement opportunities and feedback

Attend community and consumer forums to promote engagement opportunities

Interpret information for health consumers

Provide feedback from consumers to health staff and management

Provide training opportunities (eg workshops) for health consumers and health staff to be involved in consumer partnerships

Build capacity of health staff to work effectively with health consumers

Facilitation: to involve users of the health system to make and influence decisions in the research, planning, implementation and evaluation of health services

Enable health consumers to see health staff's point of view and vice versa

Address concerns from and meet with health consumers and health staff and resolve disputes

Organize, coordinate and facilitate engagement activities appropriate for different audience and for different purposes such as survey, committees and workshops

Manage consumer networks to decide who sit on different committees and are involved in different projects

Ensure a diversity of voices are heard and facilitate understanding

Maintain relationships with stakeholders

Administration: to perform the administrative tasks necessary for their roles as be a bridge/intermediary/liaison amongst health consumers, health staff and top management

Develop (a) policies and processes that enable consumer partnerships, (b) tools and resources for training health staff and consumers and (c) frameworks of engagement

Conduct project management including organizing paperwork, setting up systems and working with IT

Keep a register to ensure accreditation requirements and key performance indicators (KPIs) are met

Ensure engagement is aligned with strategic goals