Member, Provincial Patient Transfer Services Advisory Committee

Have you ever been transported by ambulance from one community to another either by air or ground? This committee is creating a provincial vision of how to best manage transfers. Join us to participate in discussions and decision-making as BC Emergency Health Services establishes new policies and processes.

Open to: Patient partners across the province

Lead Organization or Department

BC Emergency Health Services – Patient Care Communications and Planning

Aim

The Provincial Patient Transfer Services Advisory Committee’s key objectives are to improve patient outcomes by:

• Creating a provincial vision of how to manage transfers;
• Standardizing policies, guidelines, processes and establishing clear roles and responsibilities; and
• Building in efficiencies by reducing waste in the system (reduction in delays, bottlenecks, duplication, rework, hand-off, communication, etc.).

We would love to have patient partners join the committee to participate in developing solutions, share their experiences, and bring their perspectives on the challenges they have faced when being transferred in our province.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will involve patients in planning and design phases to ensure ideas or concerns are considered and reflected in alternatives and recommendations.  

Eligibility

• Preference is for a patient or family member who has experienced multiple transfers in BC by Ambulance as well as Air Ambulance.
• Comfortable sharing your experiences, and voicing your ideas, concerns, and past experiences with a large group including executives.
• Available and able to travel to Vancouver for meetings

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 the engagement leader directly.

Logistics

Number of vacancies: 2 Full day face-to-face meetings are scheduled every four to six weeks in Vancouver. The first meeting with patient partners will be in mid-September. We are looking for someone who can commit to attend all meetings for a full year, with possibility of extension. To ensure that everyone can attend meetings, dates are scheduled together at the previous meeting. Members will be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement under circumstances when they are reviewing and discussing information of a particularly sensitive nature. All members are expected to maintain full confidentiality regarding materials and committee discussions.

Reimbursement

Approved expenses related to travel (example: mileage, parking, transit or flights and accommodation for patient partners coming from out of town) will be covered by the health care partner.  When possible, expenses will be paid in advance.

Background

BC Emergency Health Services provides residents, visitors and health care professionals with pre-hospital emergency and inter-facility patient transfer services.  BCEHS includes both the BC Ambulance Service, and the BC Patient Transfer Network, and is supported by the Provincial Health Services Authority. Patient Transfer Services (PTS) sits within Patient Care Communications & Planning (PCCP) division of BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS). BCEHS provides a service to British Columbia’s Health Authorities (HAs) by transferring patients via air/ground across BC with BC Ambulance PTS completes transfer planning based on the distance, resources available, and care required for the patient. For many years, we have been doing this planning in silos with different policies and procedures than the health authorities. We have recognized that we require a partnership with all the health authorities, including First Nations Health Authority, to standardize the way we transport patients across the province. The Provincial Patient Transfer Services Advisory Committee has now met five times, and recognizes the need to add the patient perspective to the group. Current group membership includes representatives from all health authorities, and represents multiple health care disciplines engaged in the transfer of patients across the province.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Karen Estrin
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Lower Mainland & Sunshine Coast
604.668.8245
kestrin@bcpsqc.ca