Participant – Phase 2, Family Involvement in UHNBC Psychiatry Discussion Forum

If you or a family member has received care at University Hospital of Northern BC’s (UHNBC) psychiatry unit within the last two years and want to ensure that the perspectives of patients and family members are included in patient care and service redesign efforts, please read on for this meaningful opportunity to share your journey.

Open to: Patient partners in Prince George and the immediate area

Lead Organization or Department

Northern Health – UHNBC Psychiatric services

Aim

The aim of this project is to better understand the patient and family member experience in accessing and transitioning through the different points of care at UHNBC Psychiatry Unit.  In this phase of the work, clients and family members will be asked to share their experiences with a group of clinicians and other health authority stakeholders, and to then take part in facilitated discussions to identify strategies that better involve families in this area of 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 Prince George and the immediate area.
• Patients who have a mental health diagnosis and have been admitted to the UHNBC psychiatry unit within the last two years OR patients who have a family member who meets the above criteria.
• Patients and family members should be able to share their story and experiences with a diverse range of health authority stakeholders without causing harm or trauma to themselves or their family members.
• 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 Anthony Gagné (agagne@bcpsqc.ca) to make necessary arrangements.

 

Logistics

• Vacancies: 4-6
• Tuesday, March 27, 12:30-4:30pm
• This event will be held in-person in Prince George
• One-time event, lasting four hours from late morning to early afternoon

Reimbursement

Parking costs will be covered for patient partners who participate in this event.

Background

UHNBC’s Mental Health and Addictions developed a draft Family Involvement policy approximately 3 years ago.  Staff have been provided training on this policy, but there are still challenges ensuring that family members are included in the care of patients admitted to the UHNBC Psychiatry unit.  In working to make improvements to the system, the team is planning to map the current process of a patient who presents at ER and is admitted to UHNBC, and how and when their family members are involved in their care. Hearing the patient and their family member’s perspective on their stay will be critical to inform the focus areas for improvement. In Phase 1 of this work, Clinicians and other stakeholders from UHNBC (including social workers, PLN, Community Mental Health clinicians, and Psychiatrists) were asked to “map” the journey of a hypothetical patient as they navigated acute psychiatric services.  Special consideration was given to address when and how families are typically involved in this process. Phase 2 will consist of two parts.  In the first part, up to four patient partners and/or family members will participate in a panel discussion, where they will have an opportunity to share their experiences and answer questions in a facilitated setting, without interruption from the audience.  After a brief break, clinicians, patients/family members and other stakeholders will take part in a series of facilitated discussions related to family involvement in acute psychiatric services. While this work is related to care for psychiatry patients at UHNBC, the expectation is that many of the improvement can and will be shared with the other NH locations where psychiatric care is provided (Terrace and Dawson Creek).

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Anthony Gagné
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Northern Interior
250.961.5156
agagne@bcpsqc.ca