A major social care and health conference will take place in Newcastle and members of the public are invited to come along and have their say.
Healthwatch Newcastle will host its ‘People-driven care’ conference on Wednesday 27 April, from 10am to 3.40pm, at St James’ Park.
Recent research will be shared on GP appointments, home care and dental services in Newcastle upon Tyne. Speakers from local organisations, including Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Gateshead CCG and the Elders Council of Newcastle, will work with attendees to look at the challenges and opportunities for these services, and for urgent care (including GP out of hours).
Alison Cameron is the keynote speaker for the event. Alison is a graduate in Russian who ran medical, educational and cultural projects mainly in the countries most affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Her career was cut short when she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after her colleagues were killed in the course of her work. The consequences included homelessness, multiple admissions to hospital and identity loss.
Alison resolved early on to put what she observed about social care and health services to good use. She now advises organisations on how to work in genuinely equal partnership with those who use services. She is Transformation Fellow at NHS Horizons, an Associate of the Kings Fund and Chair of the Patient Safety Champion Network at Imperial College Health Partners. In 2014 she was named by the Health Service Journal as one of 50 Inspirational Women in Health, and in 2015 was the first patient leader to graduate from the NHS Leadership Academy with a Post Graduate qualification in Healthcare Leadership.
Healthwatch Newcastle Chief Executive Steph Edusei wants the people of Newcastle to take part in the event and say what their local social care and health services should look like.
“We work very closely with social care and health organisations in the city and have the right relationships in place to help influence the way that people in Newcastle receive care. We can be even more effective by listening to the views of people who use these services regularly and passing on views to improve the quality for everyone.”
Ends
Photos: Alison Cameron
Editors Notes
- Healthwatch Newcastle (HWN) was launched in April 2013 as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
- People can book a free place at http://tinyurl.com/zepr8wp
- Guests include
- Alison Cameron, King’s Fund Leadership Associate
- Jonathan Lewney, Academic Clinical Fellow in Dental Public Health Newcastle
- Debora Howe, Oral Health Promotion Lead at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Steve Summers, Clinical Director at Newcastle Gateshead CCG
- Barbara Douglas, Strategic Director at Quality of Life Partnership
- Julie Irvine, Elders Council of Newcastle
- HWN is the independent champion for users of social care and health services in Newcastle upon Tyne
- HWN has statutory powers to ensure that the voice of patients, service users and the public is heard and best practice is delivered in social care and health services
- HWN can give an independent view on local issues affecting social care and health
- PR Media enquiries contact Keith Newman Highlights PR 07814 397951