NHS advocates are being sought for the first local patient champion (LPC) trial that is expected to further enhance patient engagement. NHS East London and the City is the first to trial a scheme involving champions. Potential champions are people who are passionate about their local NHS, interested in assuming a volunteer role, and are willing to speak out on others’ behalf about their experiences of the NHS.
The priority will be to ensure good news and practice is properly considered to further improve NHS services across east London and the City.
LPCs will be independent and engage with patients, the public, clinical professionals and anyone else with a positive view of the NHS. Forging lasting partnerships, building on strong, existing local public and patient engagement will be a priority as well as identifying exactly what matters to patients.
Caroline Alexander, director of quality for NHS East London and the City said:
“The NHS in east London is dedicated to putting patients’ view at the heart of everything we do. Local patient champions will have a very important role as they will tell us what local people want and think. We can use this to improve services.”
Findings will be fed back to a range of organisations including the national patient network that will support local champions who will be expected to work a few hours a week to begin with.
National patient champion and network pioneer, Ashley Brooks, will be co-ordinating and personally supporting LPCs throughout the trial. He will also provide training for the role that underpins the ambitious initiative.
He explained: “Advocates must be passionate about the NHS and its achievements. The good news and practice they find will be shared to turn greatness into real plans that deliver sustainable outcomes to improve local NHS services.
“There are many patients groups, forums and charities, some organised by the NHS and others which are independent. An issue these groups face is the opportunity to feedback positive messages and influence the NHS. The local patient champion role is a unique way of helping these conversations have a platform that currently is hard to find.”
He added: “The establishment of a local steering group, including a refreshing cross-section of stakeholders, will ensure the localism of work is always at the forefront of every decision made.”
It is hoped that, following the trial, more local champions will be recruited across the UK and those in NHS East London and the City are expected to be in place by February 2012.
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Notes to editors
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Anyone interested in becoming a local patient champion should email Ashley Brooks: ashley.brooks@elc.nhs.uk.
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The trial brings together NHS East London and the City community ownership, engagement and quality and clinical governance teams and is being overseen by the national patient champion steering group.
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The White Paper, Liberating the NHS, outlines how the NHS wishes to give patients more say in their healthcare. The LPC trial focuses entirely on public and patient engagement to support this and follows on from achievements made under the national patient champion network.
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NHS East London and the City is a cluster of primary care trust that purchases healthcare on behalf of the local population.
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For press enquiries please contact Savaia Stevenson on 020 7683 4118 or email savaia.stevenson@elc.nhs.uk
