THE NATIONAL ADVOCACY UNIT, HSE

The purpose of the National Advocacy Unit, is

to be the vehicle for the promotion of public

and staff voice across health services.

Our functions enable us to achieve our

work

1. Insight

2. Influence

3. Intervention

National Healthcare Charter • Statement of commitment stating what you

can expect and what you can do to help. It outlines eight principles :

• Access • Dignity and respect • Safe and effective services • Communication and information • Participation • Privacy • Improving Health • Accountability

• Promoting the concept of partnership and

recognises the shared expertise which exists between patients and clinicians and the different roles and responsibilities

• Outlines supporting arrangements for partnership recognising the role of carers, families and advocates

• Applies to all public health and social care services

Patient feedback • Under utilised resource, the importance of balanced feedback

• Will become the greatest source of intelligence

on performance

– Various ways of gathering feedback

– Examples of best practice, Mercy University Hospital Cork

• Insight 07’ report on patients experience

• Patient feedback an agenda item for team meetings

• Revised patient feedback leaflet seeking balance

1. What worked well

2. What could we improve on

3. What should always happen every-time you or others use this

service “always events”

• You said We did –demonstrating that we are listening, making changes and

profiling improvement

The new patient feedback leaflet

Involvement in decision making

It’s Safer to Ask promoting shared decision making, promoting safety

• Questions to ask your healthcare provider

• Provides space to write down responses / ideas /

suggested options

• Aid to supporting self management

• Suitable for all healthcare settings hospitals,

surgeries, community services, out-patient clinics

Partnership what is driving this agenda

• Economical –burden of chronic disease, imperative to enable and

empower, patients no longer passive recipients of care

• Political –the value of universal healthcare for all, money following the

patient

• Socially-divided attitudes to healthcare and generational shifts in

deference to authority

• Technology –the increasing accessibility of technology, health information,

leading to increased expectations and more informed public

• Intellectually-the developing evidence base, evolving research, informed

public, openness to include patients as partners

Patients as partners

Patients for Patient Safety Ireland

• Facilitating the establishment of and working in

collaboration with a network of PFPSI

• Based on WHO Patients for Patient Safety

• Independent from the HSE

• Activities aimed at improving patient safety

throughout the health system.

Universal Access – Provision of guidance, advice and strategic

support in the promotion of access for

people with disabilities

– Provision of support for compliance with

Part 3 of the Disability Act 2005

– Appointment of Access Officers

– Management of complaints under Part 2

and 3 of the Disability Act 2005

Open Disclosure, Mediation

– Open disclosure seeks to ensure an open and

consistent approach to communicating with patients

when things go wrong in healthcare

– Open Disclosure policy was piloted in CUH and

Mater Hospital

– Being rolled out nationally to acute hospitals

– Developing a policy on the use of mediation in

relation to complaints made under Part 9 of the

Health Act 2004

Customer Contact

• 36,000 calls per month

• 3,500 e-mails per month

• 1,000 contacts from public representatives

per month

• Written representations from the Public

Its safer to ask about your early warning score

A consistent and recognisable message

Transforming the dynamic – how we can make it happen

• Advocacy Unit, will help support implementation of the National Health Care charter, low cost no cost solutions for various levels in the organisation

• One to one level

• Ward, service, department level

• Organisational and regional level

• Help you measure patient experience

• Help set structures for collective involvement of patients locally

• Help build capacity, training for staff and service users to work in partnership

• Develop advocacy services

• Help identify ways of working in partnership with local communities

• Train staff in open communication skills following an adverse event

• Develop patient empowerment resources and literature

Contact the National Advocacy Unit, HSE

Director Greg Price

Contact:

The National Advocacy Unit,

Quality and Patient Safety Directorate

Oak House

Millennium Park

Naas

Co. Kildare

045-880400

yoursay@hse.ie