Opportunities for patients and the public to be involved in the work of the MHRA

How we engage and involve patients and the public in our regulatory decision-making.

Agency’s commitment to patient, public involvement and engagement

The MHRA’s commitment to patient, public involvement and engagement is included in the agency’s Corporate Plan 2023-26.

Our approach to patient, public involvement and engagement

Our first Patient Involvement Strategy published in October 2021 set out how we would engage and involve the public and patients at every step of the regulatory journey. Our approach was informed at the very outset through consultation with patients on what was important to them. The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review also provided us with clear direction on where we could improve our engagement with patients, and the resulting strategy was then approved by our Patient Safety and Engagement Committee and Agency Board.

If you would like to read about some of our activities within the first year of the strategy, please see our One Year On report for more information.

What the Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement Team do

The Patient, Public Involvement and Engagement Team (PPIE) acts as a centre of expertise within the MHRA, advising and supporting MHRA teams to plan, design and deliver high‑quality patient and public involvement and engagement activities.

Some of the projects where the public and patient engagement has assisted us include:

The MHRA has set up a Rare Disease Consortium to work with a range of stakeholders including patient representatives that support the development of a patient- focused regulatory framework. The rare disease therapies regulatory framework will address the unique challenges of rare diseases and support the timely access to innovative therapies.