We Asked, You Said, We Will - Involving You
26/04/2012
Having your say when it comes to your healthcare is important to the future planning and delivery of local healthcare services. This was the message this week at the launch of the Western Trust’s three year Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) Strategy.
Personal and Public Involvement is about patients, service users, communities and the general public getting involved in influencing the delivery of services in ways that are meaningful to them. Launched by the Trust’s Chairman, Gerard Guckian, the strategy details plans on how the organisation will interact with individuals and groups and how they will involve them in decisions about the future provision of healthcare in the Western Trust area.
Speaking at the launch of the strategy, Mr Guckian said: “ The Western Trust is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people in the West. Our aim is to provide high quality patient and client-focused care delivered by well trained staff with high morale. Key to achieving this aim is our commitment to engage and consult, as appropriate, with our patients and clients. PPI encompasses all our interactions with the public including Community Development, Volunteering and the entire Patient Experience agenda. We need to listen to and learn from those who use our services and know best how they might be improved.
“When consulting on the strategy we followed the process whereby ‘We asked, You Said, We Will’. I am now saying we will; we will listen, we will engage and we will fully implement this strategy.”
Also speaking at the launch, Joint Chair of the PPI Committee and Non-Executive Director with the Western Trust, Stella Cummings said; “ Informing and engaging our patients, the public and key groups will become the mantra of the Trust through this strategy. Improving the patient experience is at the heart of our business. We are committed to reaching out to all sections of the community in an effort to ensure that people are supported and informed enough to engage with us productively.
“The Strategy has been developed in close partnership with Trust service users and Voluntary Groups. The Trust will not only consult on all plans proposed, it will listen to the responses as it plans and delivers future health and social care services.”
The development of the strategy has been informed by an extensive consultaton process, which commenced in 2008. Since then the Trust has engaged locally with staff, patients and the community and voluntary sector. More recently the Trust held two public workshops in Londonderry and Omagh. These were attended by 70 and 50 people respectively. The workshops mark a new start to the involvement process and provide a basis on which the Trust can now build.
Click here to open the Personal and Public Involvement Strategy.
(L to R) Stella Cummings, Joint Chair of the Personal and Public Involvement Committee and Brian O’Brien, also Joint Chair of the Personal and Public Involvement Committee. Back Row (L to R) Chairman of the Western Trust, Gerard Guckian; Alderman Mary Campbell and Paula Cunningham, Head of Service Planning, Western Trust. Launching the Trust’s Personal and Public Involvement Strategy.