Patient and Family Engagement

What is Patient and Family Engagement?

Patient and Family Engagement refers to opportunities where patients, families and members of the public are encouraged to be active partners at all levels of the health system. This includes in their own healthcare journey, as well as in providing input into decisions that shape health programs, policies, evaluation.

What is a Patient Partner?

Volunteer members of the public, patients, family members, and caregivers current or past who join or engage with staff or a team/committee as an equal team member. Patient Partners are experts with unique experience and knowledge gained through living with a condition or illness, receiving or accessing care or supporting a loved one. This experience and knowledge are important to the improvement of our health care system.

The recommendation is that:

Wherever possible, decisions in an organization that would impact a patient, should have a patient at the table.

Why is being a Patient Partner important?

Sharing your experience(s) as a patient, family member, or caregiver can help us identify where things are working well and where we have opportunities to make improvements. Hearing your experience with the system is very helpful to our learning. We can build on the positives and look for how to grow in other areas, working with you to identify how to improve our services. In this way, you can have a role improving care for everyone.

You are the experts on your own health care experience. Through engagement, you can provide feedback into how you receive health-care services, how these services affect your health and how they support you to take control of your health. With your involvement we can support a people-centered healthcare system.

What do Patient Partners do?

Patients and families work together with staff within the health-care system to share their feedback and experiences in order to improve the quality and safety of health care. Examples include:

• Participating in board subcommittee meetings
• Assisting with the creation and review of policies and documents
• Providing input into discussions around renovations/new construction
• Participating in discussions around facility menu planning
• Sharing opinions and suggestions around recruitment and retention of staff

Interested in becoming a Patient Partner and engaging with us?

Contact us

Please don’t hesitate to contact Patient Relations: