Patient experience and carer experience of the Cancer Services provided by Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust (LTHTR) is needed to help with service developments and improvements.
The aim
To understand how best to help and support patients and carers, Health Care Professionals need to know what patient and carer needs are. The aim of the forum is to help put forward ideas, issues and concerns that really matter to those patients and carers and in fact anyone who uses the cancer services.
The commitment needed and the tasks undertaken will vary with how involved you want to be and what is required. Currently we are meeting once a month “virtually” for an hour and then there are e-mails to read. As we gather momentum and opportunities arise, individuals, or the group could be asked to be involved in a variety of different things.
For example:
- Putting forward ideas to streamline procedures.
- Explaining what information is the most essential.
- Reading/ reviewing documents.
- Discussion groups.
- Detailing addition help that is needed.
- Work in a small group to implement an idea.
- Providing feedback.
- Answering questionnaires.
It will be very important to understand what is required and the time commitment needed before agreeing to do a task. Then, equally important to be sure you can meet the requirements and give the required time. Different skills will be needed for different tasks, for example, joining in group discussions, working in a cooperative way with others, contributing to meetings, putting forward ideas.
Whatever you do, support will be available. ANDREA PARTRIDGE is the Service User Involvement Coordinator and will be the first contact point. Andrea.partridge@lthtr.nhs.uk
