In addition to the Patient Voices Network Patient Partner Commitments form, please review and discuss this document together with your mentor/mentee.
Privacy, Safety & Confidentiality Agreement
The following factors should be agreed upon by the mentees/mentors during the initial meeting:
- Objectives of the relationship for the mentee
- Mutual understanding of the importance of confidentiality, respect and trust
- Availability – mentees/mentors are not expected to meet for more than one hour per week and up to a maximum of 3 months.
- Preferred mode of communication (i.e., phone, email, Zoom, etc).
- Please note mentees/mentors should not phone or videoconference each other without notice. It is expected that all meetings are scheduled in advance via email to ensure that the mentees/mentors time and privacy is respected.
This mentorship opportunity is voluntary and conversation topics will be at the discretion of the mentor/mentee and are not sanctioned or pre-approved by the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council. Patient partners are expected to participate in these conversations based on the principles outlined in their signed Patient Partner Commitments form. Any additional meetings outside of the scope of this work is at the mutual agreement/discretion of the mentor/mentee.
If for any reason you want to end the relationship, please contact Cassy Mitchell (cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca).
Confidentiality (adapted from the PVN Patient Partner Commitments form):
- I will respect the privacy of my mentor/mentee.
- I will consider details about medical conditions, family relations, contact information and other facts of a highly personal nature as confidential. I will not disclose any information without the specific permission of the individual concerned.
- I understand that all information obtained through volunteer opportunities is confidential. I agree not to tell, show, copy, sell, change, or disclose this information to others without prior permission.
- I will take all reasonable measures to ensure information is kept secure and disposed of appropriately.
- I will seek clarification from PVN staff if I have any questions or concerns about confidentiality.
- I will notify PVN staff immediately if I believe I may have inadvertently breached confidentiality.
Please refer to this resource for reasons that confidentiality would need to be breached and PVN staff would need to be notified immediately: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/abs2272
Volunteer Conduct Management Process
In the unlikely event that a PVN volunteer does not meet the expectations outlined in their signed Patient Partners Commitments form, we will guide them through a staged process to review and correct the issue. Please refer to the PVN Patient Partner Commitments form for an outline of this process.
The BC Patient Safety & Quality Council will collect personal information under section 26 (c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purposes of operating the Patient Voices Network. If you have any questions about the disclosure of your personal information please contact: Tammy Hoefer, Director, Patient & Public Engagement, BC Patient Safety & Quality Council, 201-750 West Pender St., Vancouver, BC, or via telephone at 1.877.282.1919.
