Volunteers willing to give a patient’s perspective on NHS community services in east Surrey are being sought for a new patient panel.
First Community Health and Care is launching the panel to enable the public to have more input into the way its community health services are provided and developed.
To achieve its aim of delivering community based healthcare that suits the needs of its patients, First Community wants to listen to the voices, views and opinions of those in the community it serves.
The new panel will help shape the future of community health services in east Surrey and influence the organisation’s approach to developing new ways of delivering healthcare.
In February, two online sessions will take place where the public can learn more about First Community’s services and how patients are currently involved. The sessions will also cover what the aims of the panel should be; how it should run to enable as many people as possible to have a voice and what it should be called, as well as considering how the patient panel should progress.
The virtual sessions will take place on Thursday 4 February 2021 between 6pm and 7.30pm and on Monday 8 February 2021 between 11am and 12.30pm - interested parties need only to attend one session. To register your attendance and be sent the meeting link please email fchc.beinvolvedfirstcommunity@nhs.net by 28 January 2021.
Those unable to attend the online sessions are still encouraged to have their say and can share their ideas in writing to Be Involved, First Community, 2nd floor Forum House, 41-51 Brighton Road, Redhill, RH1 6YS; by sending an email to fchc.beinvolvedfirstcommunity@nhs.net, or calling 01737 775450 and asking to speak to Su Ryan by 28 January 2021.
Su Ryan, First Community’s associate director of scheduled care said: “Our new patient panel will be an exciting way for us to gather insight, views and experiences from communities across east Surrey. The panel will be an integral conduit between First Community and the wider public.
"As well as helping to shape our services, we hope it will enable us to reach and hear the voices of a wide range of people including those who don’t currently use our services, to bring new perspective and ideas on how our community services are run.”