Member, Specialized Community Services Program for Adults with Complex Medical Conditions and/or Frailty

Care teams across Vancouver Island are working hard to increase communication between various levels of health care services to improve on access quality. They are seeking to learn from patients’ experiences to inform their improvement strategies. If you have an interest in improving access to and improving the quality of care and service for patients with complex medical conditions, including dementia and frailty, participation on this working group might be for you.

Open to: Patient partners in the Port Alberni/west coast areas

Lead Organization or Department

Island Health Administration

Aim

The aim of this project is to improve access to integrated team-based care and services for patients with complex medical conditions, frailty and dementia. There is a need for earlier identification of these conditions, and referral and rapid response for patients-at-risk to appropriate services and support for their caregivers. Patient partners will help inform the team of the impacts potential improvements to service might achieve.

Level of Engagement

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

Eligibility

• Experience working with mid-sized groups
• Are comfortable telling your story
• Are able to see the "big" picture
• Are familiar with the health care system and are able to offer constructive feedback
• Are, or have been, the recipient of health care services intended to support the management of complex disease/frailty/dementia in the community

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 Face-to-face meetings will be held in Port Alberni with access to teleconferencing, videoconferencing (to other VIHA sites) Meetings will be held on weekdays, to be determined, typically in the PM Initially meetings may be every 2 weeks for 6 weeks then reassessed. Initiative format: Working group/ Committees Connection method: In-Person/teleconference Commitment: Seven months to a year

Reimbursement

Pre-approved expenses for travel to and from meetings will be reimbursed as per guidelines.

Background

This initiative will align with both the Ministry of Health and Island Health’s strategic priorities. The Specialized Community Services Program team has been recently co-located. There has been some initial work completed that supports team function. There is more work to be done to improve access and work flows, further clarify roles and function, and integrate with other services including primary care networks. This project is most directly related to Community Care, but it touches on Acute Care and potentially Residential care.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Ryan Sidorchuk
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Central & North Vancouver Island
250.951.4850
rsidorchuk@bcpsqc.ca