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A NEW PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT STRUCTURE FOR NHSSCOTLAND
Annex 2: Patient Focus and Public Involvement: Strands
1. The
Patient Focus and Public Involvement framework broad strands can be described as follows
Building Capacity and Communications
2. The NHS is required to put the patient at the centre of service delivery by building and sustaining the necessary skills at individual, organisational and professional level. Supporting a change in thinking and working that
does with rather than
does to the patient also requires the NHS to provide training and support for the public to enable them to:
take an active role in their own care
make an active contribution to service development using personal experience
be involved in discussions with the NHS about wider health issues.
Key to all this is the communication which links every part, or process, of health and health care. The NHS must ensure that communication is effective at all levels:
between the patient and professional
between NHS and the public
between NHS and other organisations.
Patient Information
3. Feedback from the public repeatedly emphasises a need for better information about their health, their treatment, the options for care, and the availability of health services. The NHS must provide this information for it to be practical for patients to make informed choices or to take responsibility for their own health.
Involvement
4. Greater patient and public involvement is seen as a very important part of improving the quality of service provided by NHS Scotland. The framework sees effective public involvement:
acting as a catalyst for change
helping achieve a major improvement in the health of the public
helping strengthen public confidence in the NHS.
It notes that public involvement has often been seen as a low priority issue, but that NHS Boards must make it a day-to-day reality that is fully integrated across the different levels and different organisations of the NHS.
5. Among the actions to take the involvement agenda forward are requirements on NHS Boards to:
work closely with community planning partners and voluntary organisations in developing public involvement procedures
strengthen existing partnerships and ensure opportunities for patient and public involvement are integrated and in-line with policy for that Board area
produce a sustainable ongoing framework for public involvement.
Responsiveness
6. Previous attempts at making the NHS more 'patient friendly' may have failed because patients felt excluded or patronised. NHS organisations must therefore respect the views and needs of individuals, the wider public and local communities and reflect this in their strategies. They are therefore required to provide:
a range of opportunities for the public to provide feedback on local health services;
flexibility and sensitivity in responding to specific needs
mechanisms for taking account of and acting upon complaints and concerns; and
ways of sharing positive messages about good practice.
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