Service User Involvement
"I attend the involvement group, we had a competition for a new name for the group and my idea won (Hear Our Voice). I also go to the regional involvement group in Wakefield. I felt really nervous about talking, the first time I went. But I managed to stand up and say something, this made me feel really good. I want to continue to go to these groups."
- Service user on Bowling Ward, Cygnet Hospital Bierley
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The government's New Horizons strategy promotes and encourages greater involvement and empowerment of service users in their own care. New Horizons asserts that individuals want to be listened to and heard via structured service user involvement in all levels of decision making. In order to include service users more actively in their own care we have an internal Service User Liasion Group (SULG).
The SULG meetings, held every six weeks, are chaired by the Clinical Development Nurse and a designated service user from each ward known as the Ward Champion. The Ward Champion is a representative for all the service users on the ward. The focus of the Ward Champion is on the “community” not the individual. They will be able to listen to the views of fellow service users and collect ideas, suggestions, issues or complaints.
Ward Champions are also invited to participate in the following hospital activities:
- Clinical Audit
- Clinical Governance
- Medical Advisory
- Policy and Practice
- Relevant Ward Development
- Regional Service User Involvement
- Heads of Department
Service users at Cygnet Hospital Bierley are not only involved in local hospital strategies, but also regional strategies. The individual Regional Groups meet regularly and are attended by service users from both NHS and private hospitals from Yorkshire and Humber. At present, the individual strategy groups are:
- CPA Standards
- My Future Plan
- Smoking Focus Group
- Involvement Strategy
- 25 Hours of Therapy
We also aim to empower service users to take an active role in recruitment of staff. For example, forthcoming interviews are discussed at SULG meetings.
For more detailed information please see our full Service User Involvement Strategy (PDF).
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