Call for Interest – NHH Patient and Family Advisory Council
Opportunities Available for Advisors with Experience in Maternal/Child and Surgical Services Care
If you or your family member has been a patient at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) in the past three years, and you’re over the age of 18, the hospital would like you to consider joining its growing Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC).
The Patient and Family Advisory Council was established at NHH in December 2016 following an open call for interest. Now in its third year, the Council is represented in all core patient care areas, providing valued input to NHH staff, managers, physicians and the Board on a variety of hospital activities, projects and program-focused quality committees.
“The PFAC is one way we are working together with patients and caregivers to continuously enhance the quality of care we can provide,” said Linda Davis, NHH President and CEO. “We’re grateful to the generous volunteers who have stepped forward to share their experience and their wisdom in this capacity. From advice and support with real-time patient experience surveys to co-developing a new patient flow process within post-acute specialty services on our first floor, their impact has been significant and continues to expand.”
Advisors currently serve for a minimum of one and maximum of three years. Specific opportunities currently exist for Patient and Family Advisors with experience in and an interest in enhancing NHH care in two key areas:
- Maternal/Child Care (two opportunities, one on a regional Baby Friendly Initiative—see below--and one focused on NHH’s Maternal/Child services); and
- Surgical Services.
Candidates with direct experience either as a patient and/or the family member or caregiver to a patient who received care in these areas at NHH are invited to consider applying.
About the PFAC’s Baby Friendly Initiative opportunity
The successful candidate for the Maternal/Child Care opportunity will help support the local development of Ontario’s inter-organizational “Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Strategy,” a project aimed at enhancing breastfeeding across Ontario. When fully implemented, BFI will provide hospitals and community health organizations with training, tools, guidance, and educational resources to help achieve the World Health Organization’s BFI designation and adopt best practices that meet BFI requirements. Local women with recent breastfeeding experience (positive or negative), or local women expecting a baby in the near future and an interest in breastfeeding, are invited to consider applying to be part of the development of the BFI at NHH.
About the PFAC’s Maternal/Child Services opportunity
The successful candidate for the Maternal/Child Services opportunity will join the Maternal/Child Quality and Practice Committee. Acting in an advisory capacity to the Maternal/Child Program Director and Medical Director, the Maternal/Child Quality and Practice Committee actively oversees and provides advice and guidance regarding the planning, organization, care delivery and evaluation of NHH’s Maternal/Child program.
About the PFAC’s Surgical Services opportunity
The successful candidate for the Surgical Services opportunity will join NHH’s Surgical Services Quality and Practice Committee. Acting in an advisory capacity to the Surgical Services Program Director and Medical Director, the Surgical Services Quality and Practice Committee actively oversees and provides advice and guidance regarding the planning, organization, care delivery and evaluation of NHH’s Surgical program.
Interest from prospective patient and family advisors with experience in other areas of the hospital’s services, beyond the current Maternal/Child and Surgical Services openings, will also be considered for future opportunities and special projects.
How to express interest?
Residents of west Northumberland with an interest in volunteering on NHH’s Patient and Family Advisory Council are invited to review the Terms of Reference and Role Description for the NHH Patient and Family Advisory Council and complete the NHH Patient and Advisory Council - Expression of Interest Form available on the Patient and Family Advisory Council Page under the Patients tab of the hospital website. Those who would prefer to receive the Expression of Interest form and background information in print form, please call the NHH Public Affairs office at 905-377-7757.
Time commitment
The Council meets as a group for quarterly meetings lasting two hours each for a minimum of four times per year. In addition to attending these quarterly Advisory Council meetings, Patient/Family Advisors are also expected to participate—as experience/interest directs—on the specific committee and/or project to which they are assigned, requiring additional background reading and meetings ranging between 6-10 times a year.
Completed Expressions of Interest are requested by June 7th 2019 for consideration in the specific opportunities listed above.