Member, Emergency Intervention Committee

Interior Health has an obligation to respond to report of abuse, neglect or self-neglect. In emergency situations staff may need to act to protect a vulnerable adult, this may mean bringing an adult to care despite their wishes. Interior Health would like to include patient partners on this committee to help to ensure adults and families are properly informed of their legal rights when these situations occur.

Open to: Patient partners from the Interior region

Lead Organization or Department

Interior Health - Patient Safety Department

Aim

The goal is to ensure that vulnerable adults and families are informed of their rights and are treated with dignity during the use of emergency interventions. Patient partners will be able to provide feedback and improvements regarding what important standardized language will be used by health care providers when notifying vulnerable adults and family regarding their rights.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility

Experiences with dementia, elder abuse, emergency acute care or long-term care, would be of benefit but not required.

Logistics

Vacancies: 2 - 5 Location:

• Sessions will be held by teleconference

Dates:

• Approximately 3 sessions over the next 2 - 3 months
• 1st session the week of May 27-31 (Approximately 1.5 hour session)
• 2nd session the week of June 3-7 (Approximately 2 hour session)
• 3rd session the week of June 17-21 (Approximately 1 hour session)
• Sessions will be held during work hours

Reimbursement

There are no expenses anticipated with this opportunity.

Background

This opportunity is a result of the decision to build an Interior Health Emergency Interventions toolkit to support health care professionals with these complicated scenarios. The notification of rights to adults is an essential step in the emergency intervention process. The patient partner will be asked to discuss and review the current draft “notification of rights” forms and provide feedback and offer suggested improvements to ensure that adults are fully informed during the emergency intervention process. Cases of emergency measures primarily occur in the community and emergency acute care The risk is without a standardized process, adults may not receive notification regarding their rights. Without timely interventions vulnerable adults may be subject to serious life threating abuse, neglect or self-neglect. Attached is the Provincial Emergency Certificate used by health authorities and two DRAFT notification forms. Provincial-EA-Certificate.pdf Form A (fillable) Form B (fillable)

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Carol Stathers
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Okanagan, Interior Region
778.516.3308
cstathers@bcpsqc.ca