Table 1.

How our PPI met the six UK standards, and how it can be improved

UK Standard	PPI meeting this standard	How PPI could have been improved
Inclusive opportunities	Workshops A and B were held at an early stage in the research process Male and female advisors, stroke survivors and carers Workshops held in non-threatening, familiar environments e.g., local church hall Remuneration for time and travel offered	Increasing diversity within our PPI advisors would be beneficial. All our PPI advisors were white, British, middle to older aged stroke survivors or carers
Working together	Practical arrangements to facilitate shared working were employed Opinions of PPI advisors were valued and respected and actioned where appropriate	The purpose of PPI within the study could have been openly discussed with PPI advisors with collaborative decision making and documented appropriately
Support and learning	One PPI advisor accessed GCP training Two PPI advisors were trained to undertake the role of notetaker in the focus groups and one advisor trained to assist with analysis of the focus group	PPI advisors could have been invited to a meeting to discuss their learning needs
Governance	There was PPI advisor representation at all of the trial management meetings, with PPI being a standing agenda item Advisors’ opinions were listened to and valued Remuneration for PPI advisors’ attendance at meetings was built into the funding	Training to ensure PPI advisors were able to be assertive in meetings may have been valuable and should be considered in the future
Communications	Appropriate communication methods were used according to advisors’ preference e.g., offering to post out hard copies of documents PPI and achievements are being shared	Initial meetings with PPI advisors could establish preferred communication methods, so all are aware
Impact	This article has been written in collaboration with one of our PPI advisors The importance of PPI advisors’ contributions was highlighted when one of our PPI advisors presented with AMA (the lead researcher) at the UK Stroke Forum The researchers have become even stronger advocates of PPI than previously, with greater insight of the benefits	An informal meeting with all the PPI advisors when the study was completed would have been valuable to help understand their opinions about their involvement in the research cycle for this study and to feed into further improving the PPI advisor’s contributions for future studies