Features: Patient and Client Council in NI
27 July 2009
Maeve Hully, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland's new Patient and Client Council, explains how changes will affect the patient experience.
One of the key changes the Act introduces is the establishment of the Patient and Client Council - a statutory patient body replacing the four previous Health and Social Services Council. Maeve Hully, Chief Executive, explains how the changes will affect the patient experience.
What is the PCC?
Health and social care in Northern Ireland is going through a period of unprecedented change. The Patient and Client Council (PCC) is a brand new organisation, which has been set up by statute to provide a powerful, independent voice for patients, clients, carers and communities on health and social care issues.
During this period of change, the PCC’s role will be vital to ensuring that the patient experience is on everyone’s agenda. The organisation aims to use a variety of forms of engagement to ensure the patient’s voice is heard and to ensure that other health and social care bodies put effective public participation at the centre of their work.
For the first time, people in Northern Ireland have a single, independent, statutory body representing the interests of patients. The PCC has the opportunity to influence change on their behalf and it intends to do so by working in more formal collaboration with bodies such as the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, the GMC, commissioners, and the Department of Health.
Role of the PCC
The new body will ensure that the patient’s voice will be central to the planning and delivery of services through undertaking continuous dialogue with local communities, patient groups and those providing services in health and social care in Northern Ireland.
In addition, the PCC will provide support and advice to individuals who wish to make a complaint about a service. This will be achieved through a confidential, independent complaints advocacy service.
Although still in its infancy the PCC has a calendar of over 50 events for 2009 aimed at promoting dialogue with patients and local communities on a variety of healthcare-related issues. During June 2009 the PCC was actively engaged with local communities obtaining the patient perspective on GP out-ofhours services and on cancer services.
Proposals have also been agreed to develop five local advisory committees aimed at ensuring that the regional PCC maintains a local perspective.
The main functions of the PCC are to:
- engage with the public to obtain their views on any part of health and social care
- promote the involvement of patients, clients, carers and the public in the design, planning, commissioning and delivery of health and social care
- provide assistance to people making a complaint relating to health and social care
- provide advice and information to the public about health and social care services.