PEMBROKE –Pembroke Regional Hospital is actively seeking former patients and their family members to serve as volunteers on the hospital’s new Patient and Family Advisory Council.
Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFAC) consist of patients and family members who are interested in providing the health care team with constructive input for the purpose of improving the overall patient experience.
There are currently hundreds of these councils at hospitals across Canada and the United States, and they are a growing phenomenon internationally.
“By establishing this council, we hope to make great strides towards ensuring the patient voice is included in all that we do,” said Sabine Mersmann, Vice-President of Patient Services – Seniors and Community Care who will co-chair the council.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to attract a broad cross-section of advisors, representing all ages and demographics from within our region who will be able to share their stories from recent experiences and make contributions to improve the care we deliver,” Ms. Mersmann said.
The council will also be co-chaired by Barb Schoof, a long-serving hospital volunteer who is currently chair of the PRH Foundation and past-chair of the hospital’s Board of Directors on which she served 15 years.
“It is only from the patient’s perspective that we can understand if questions and fears are being appropriately addressed, care is being tailored to specific needs, patients and families feel safe and that systems are working efficiently and effectively,” Mrs. Schoof said.
PFACs are intended to promote increased understanding and respectful, effective partnerships between patients and families and staff. PFACs are based on the core concepts of dignity and respect, information sharing, participation and collaboration.
They examine issues through the patient lens, an approach that supports holistic, patient-centred care, an improved overall patient experience and creative, cost-effective solutions to challenges faced by the hospital.
Advisors don’t require any special qualifications and will receive any training that is required. What’s most important is their experience as a patient or family member of a patient.
“PRH welcomes the contributions our PFAC members will bring to the health care team,” said Hospital President and CEO Pierre Noel.
“Our patients and their families are partners with us in their health care journey and we can learn a great deal from their insight,” Mr. Noel said. “They have first-hand knowledge and through their stories they can positively impact the patient experience at PRH.”
