The Patient Voices Network is a community of patients, families and caregivers working together with health care partners to improve BC’s health system. PVN’s virtual platform promotes health care organizations’ engagement opportunities to PVN members who are interested in sharing their lived and living experience to improve health care.
Learning from the people impacted by health care services improves the quality of health care. It leads to better experiences for patients and care providers, including better patient safety, health outcomes and lower costs.
Working together helps share new ideas and experiences for both health care and patient partners. This shared understanding leads to more informed decisions. The PVN shares a common purpose of working together for problem-solving and decision-making to improve BC’s health care system.
The PVN story dates back to 2009, created by the Ministry of Health as part of its Patients as Partners strategy. PVN provides the platform that allows people and health care partners to connect as they collectively seek to improve BC’s health care system seeking.
PVN provides the structure and supports for health care and patient partners to:
- Build relationships
- Learn from each other
- Create a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities
- Inform decisions
BC Patient Safety & Quality Council
PVN is administered by the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council as part of its work to ensure person- and family-centred care throughout the health care system.
In support of this mandate, the Council engages patients, family members, caregivers and the public as partners in the health care system and accelerates the spread of engagement through networking, shared goals, the development of resources and educational opportunities.
Every year, the Council supports patient partners to attend conferences, workshops and programs to learn about the health care system and how to improve it.
If you have any questions, we would be happy to help you! Contact us today.
If you are seeking an answer to a specific health care service concern, please contact your local Patient Care Quality Office.
Oversight & Advisory Committee
PVN is guided by an Oversight & Advisory Committee to ensure that PVN’s decisions reflect a thoughtful understanding of partner feedback. The committee includes representatives from health care organizations and the Ministry of Health, as well as an equal number of patient representatives from across BC.