We believe involving patients and thinking about their point of view can help us improve the services we provide.

Our Patient Partnership Council, launched in 2016, is a forum which brings together patient partners with our staff to help improve the quality of care we provide.

On Tuesday 5 April, we held an event to strengthen the forum and highlight its work.

The session included examples of effective patient partner initiatives, such as information films made for cancer patients in collabroration with people who have experienced cancer treatment. These include information about chemotherapy and a guide to our Cancer Services Outpatients department. Another successful project introduced ‘hygiene packs’ for patients in our emergency departments to freshen up.

Linda Van Den Hende, who has been Chair of our Patient Partnership Council since 2019, said the event was “a launchpad for the future” and that together the council “can make a huge contribution to patients.”

Speaking at the relaunch event, our Chair Jacqui Smith said it was an opportunity to “reinvigorate the work of our patient partners” and that “patients are at the heart of what we do.” Jacqui also highlighted how important it is that we ensure the forum is “representative of the boroughs we serve”. 

Kathryn Halford, Chief Nurse, praised the valuable contribution patient partners make and encouraged more people to get involved: “We want more patient partners, so please share your experiences to help us improve.”

If you think you could make a difference and want to take part in our Patient Partnership Council, we would love to hear from you. We are particularly looking for people with experience of our Maternity and Care of the Elderly departments, however we welcome people wanting to make a difference to all areas of our hospitals. Please email bhrut.patientexperience@nhs.net  to find out more.