Patient Speaker, Quality Improvement Patient Panel

Are you interested in sharing what matters to you with Northern Health staff who are studying quality improvement? The ideal patient partner is able to share a recent experience that happened to them and discuss how they felt, communicated and received care.

Open to: Patient partners from Terrace and Prince George

Lead Organization or Department

BC Patient Safety and Quality Council/Northern Health (NH)

Aim

BCPSQC Engagement Leaders and patient partners will speak to NH Quality Improvement training students across the region. Patient speakers will highlight what matters to them as a patient when receiving care.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of consult on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will listen to and acknowledge your ideas and concerns, and provide feedback on how your input affected the decision.

Eligibility

• Open to volunteers from Terrace and Prince George
• Comfortable with public speaking and sharing your story
• Be able to articulate what is important to you as a patient when receiving care

If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Volunteer Agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact Cathy Almost

Logistics

Vacancies: 4, 2 representing each community where training will be delivered (Terrace and Prince George) Location: NI - Learning Development Centre 0501 (University Hospital of Northern BC) in Prince George NW: Terrace - Health Unit - Room 227 This is a one-time commitment; patients will each have 6-8 minutes to share their story

Reimbursement

Pre-approved mileage and transportation expenses will be covered by Northern Health.

Background

What is the Quality Improvement Training at Northern Health about? In 2012, Northern Health identified the need to establish a quality improvement training program for Northern Health employees and physicians.  Quality improvement methods empower staff at all levels to identify problems and create solutions to improve care from a patient/client perspective. Quality improvement practices help dig into problems and improve care delivery processes, from the simple to the complex.  Some of the key methods used are The Model for Improvement, and ‘Lean’ or Toyota Production System methods. There are different levels of training available at Northern Health. Each year, Northern Health invites staff to participate in Intermediate Quality Improvement training which is an intensive 6 month course where participants practice their new skills with a real-world improvement project.  Five in-person training days are held with classes in Prince George, Terrace. Each year, BC Patient Safety & Quality Council Engagement Leaders and patient partners from the Patient Voices Network are invited to do a two-hour workshop within the 5 days of training on how to engage patients/clients in improving care. Patient partner insights on how to work with the public are invaluable for students.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Cathy Almost
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern BC
250.615.9932
calmost@bcpsqc.ca