Could your community or voluntary sector group provide views which will help to shape the future of hospital services?
Phase Two of the Path to Excellence programme is looking at how hospital services in South Tyneside and Sunderland can provide the best possible care for people who need emergency hospital-based care, as well as how to best organise planned hospital care for people who need a test, scan or operation.
An updated ‘Draft Case for Change’ document for Phase Two was published in February 2019 as NHS partners set out the process of developing ideas and shared their ‘working ideas’ so far from frontline clinical teams.
A formal public consultation into Phase Two is now expected to take place during 2020.
How to get involved
It is important that we continue to hear a wide range of views from patients and their families and carers, the public, staff, stakeholders and wider partners.
We are keen to hear from you if you are interested in running a small focus group session to ask your service users what is most important to them when accessing and receiving hospital care.
This vital work will help ensure your service users and volunteers are able to influence the ideas which are taken forward for formal public consultation.
We’d like to hear from groups in South Tyneside, Sunderland, East and North Durham.
We are particularly interested in talking to:
Older people aged 65+ and 75+
Patients with long-term health conditions (such as heart disease or breathing problems, or diabetes) and their families and carers
We are also keen to hear from people with an interest in the protected characteristics defined by the Equality Act 2010 that includes:
• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• race
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation
• marriage and civil partnership
• pregnancy and maternity
• Small group sessions.
Focus group sessions will need to take place by Friday 31 January 2020 with data provided back to the Path to Excellence programme by Wednesday 5 February 2020.
We will be able to provide:
A focus group toolkit and support where needed on how to run an effective focus group
Payment of £200-£300 plus reasonable event expenses
If you are interested you can register via Eventbrite
For more information please contact nhs.excellence@nhs.net or call 0191 374 4242.