Patient and Public Involvement
Your part in shaping services
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust invites local people to be involved in the process of planning services for the local population. We would like to hear from anyone who is:
- Living in Wirral, Ellesmere Port or Neston
- A health service user, carer or friend of a service user (at Arrowe Park, Clatterbridge or Victoria Central Hospitals)
- A member of the public with an interest in health and illness
- A member of the public with an interest in health and illness research.
You can become involved in a number of ways. For example:
- Completing questionnaires
- Taking part in one-to-one interviews about your experiences of a service
- Joining a focus group if you have a specific illness or interest
- Joining one of our many project groups looking at improving the patient experience
- Becoming a volunteer to help out in the hospital
We have recently recruited a number of volunteers to assist patients at mealtimes with eating and drinking – we still need many more. We are also looking for volunteers to alleviate the loneliness for some of our patients who don’t have any visitors.
The aim of patient and public involvement is to learn from the experiences of patients and the public who use our services, and to improve those services for future patients. It is about empowering patients and the public to have a say, and about influencing staff in the Trust to work differently, listen to and act upon the views of patients and the public.
Since December 2006, 5,280 patients have completed and returned, with valuable comments attached, a ‘Learning with Patients’ questionnaire handed to them on their discharge from hospital. Projects for service improvement have been identified through these comments, and a number of our patients and members of the public have been working with us to develop improvements through these projects - for example: respecting patient dignity, respecting patient privacy, reducing noise at night and improving communication. We have recently introduced a number of additional projects (also identified through patient comments on the discharge questionnaire) and would welcome anybody who would like to join one of these project groups.
Open Governance
From July 2007, Trust Board meetings have been held in private. Members of the public are however, welcome to attend our Assembly of Governors meetings. Details of Assembly of Governors meetings.
The Trust will continue to hold its Annual Members’ meetings in public. Details of Annual Members' meetings.
Local Involvement Networks (previously Patient and Public Involvement Forums)
Local Involvement Networks (LINks) now replace the Patient and Public Involvement Forums and the CPPIH, which were abolished on 31 March 2008. The LINk is an independent body, whose primary role is to provide a stronger voice for local people in the planning, commissioning and provision of health and social care services. The Wirral LINk is in the process of being set up, and they are keen to build their membership base from organisations and individuals who are committed to strengthening and widening the influence of patients, users of social care services and the public in the process of planning and improving health and social care services. For further information the LINK Support Officers can be contacted on 0151 203 2111, by email wirrallink@vcawirral.org.uk, or visit their website at www.vcawirral.org.uk.