Our patients are at the heart of everything we do and as a Trust, our vision is to provide outstanding healthcare to our communities.

This is why Patient Partners at our hospitals are so important; as we believe hearing their views will help us improve our services and the overall patient experience.

Patient Partners are members of the public with experience of our hospitals, who volunteer at our Trust to represent the views of patients and their families. They also have the opportunity to provide patient feedback at different committees within our Trust, to ensure their thoughts are heard.

One of our great Patient Partners is Jackie O’Brien, who has been in the role for seven years and more recently, has also been a member of our Patient Partnership Council (PPC).

When starting her journey as a Patient Partner, Jackie was initially a member of the Improving Patient Experience Group, before taking on her current role as the partner for the Cancer and Clinical Support Division. 

She explained: “I first became interested in becoming a Patient Partner whilst caring for my elderly parents due to their ill health. I attended many of their hospital appointments, both at Queen’s and King George; and during these visits I observed outstanding care and treatment, as well as care that perhaps could have been delivered differently.  This was my main motivation when assisting with developing services.

“I am extremely passionate about my role and my vision is for patients to experience outstanding, consistent care throughout their whole BHRUT journey, no matter what department of the hospital they visit.

“We are very lucky that in Barking, Havering and Redbridge we serve a variety of amazing communities. But it is crucial that our community of Patient Partners reflect the diverse population that our hospitals serve.”

While being a Patient Partner in a pandemic has been a different experience for our incredible volunteers, Jackie reflected on how our Trust has adapted during these strange times.

She said: “Since the start of Covid-19, my role has been a little different and to protect volunteers, the majority of my work has been done virtually. The Trust was absolutely rapid in the way it adapted to keep people safe; the teamwork I witnessed was fantastic and must be applauded.

“Although I couldn’t speak to patients physically at the hospitals, I wanted to play a small part in helping where I could, so working with the Trust’s ‘Living With and Beyond Cancer’ team I would call the same patients every couple of weeks to see how they were coping. I found this extremely rewarding as patients were so grateful for the regular contact. Those who I spoke to looked forward to our chats and it was a great way to build relationships, while providing a level of normality during such challenging times.”

To ensure we, as a Trust, continue to improve our services based on the feedback we receive, it is crucial that our committed Patient Partners feel valued and heard.

This is something Jackie certainly feels, as she explained: “Although I am working virtually at the moment, I still feel like I have an input. I’ve always been made to feel like my views are not only welcomed but also valued, as I work with colleagues to improve patient experience. I am given the confidence to raise challenging issues when necessary and I feel extremely valued.

You may be wondering what it takes to be a Patient Partner and what you would get out of the experience and Jackie explained this perfectly when she told us: “The benefits of being a Patient Partner are immense and I feel so privileged to hold this role. It truly is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  If I can help to make even a slight difference through sharing the views of patients, giving my time and my passion for outstanding patient experience it is all so very worthwhile.

“If you are a warm and reliable character, have a desire to talk with patients, a passion for change, an ability to listen and confidence to raise challenging issues then being a Patient Partner could be the perfect role for you.”

If you think you would like to join our Trust as a Patient Partner or a member of the PPC, please contact our Volunteering team for more details, as we currently have a variety of roles available.