We are focused on helping to develop a new generation of health leaders. Patient Leaders are the patients, service users and carers with the passion, commitment, knowledge and skills to become agents of change. They are effective and influential leaders who can improve the quality of health services, promote health within their communities and collaborate with others to generate solutions to the current health care problems.

We work to empower, support and develop Patient Leaders through our Centre for Patient Leadership. This is an online learning hub committed to delivering programmes, workshops, coaching and mentoring. It also provides a network of support and a community of practice for current participants as well as for people who are 'graduates' of the Centre.

Problema

There are unprecedented challenges to improving people’s health and wellbeing. Healthcare systems and organizations need to become more patient focused and engage with patients, carers and the public. We know there is a need for innovation and leadership yet the only ones deemed capable of leading ‘us’ are the health professionals – clinician or managers. Current approaches to engaging with patients and the public and creating patient centred services are not working: (A) Clinicians and managers fail to recognize patients as leaders who can co-produce solutions. (B) Patients are seen as a 'problem' to be solved, rather than as a solution to problems. (C) Few services are organized, run, or influenced by patients or users. (D) Current approaches to building the capacity for patient leadership are ad-hoc and underfunded. (E) Patients feel isolated & disempowered, they lack the ability, skills and confidence to become leaders of change. (F) What is on offer does not meet their practical, emotional or psychological needs. Its time to shift our thinking. Patients and their carers, know what its like to live with health problems and they continually find creative solutions to challenges in their daily lives. They understand what needs to be done to improve services and they have the ideas, passion and commitment to make a difference. We can tap into this expertise, insights, and alternative perspectives. We can enable a new generation of health leaders to emerge who have innovative solutions and the potential to create new collaborative systems of healthcare whilst transforming the health and wellbeing of communities. And we can do this through The Centre for Patient Leadership.

Solución

The Centre for Patient Leaders will: (A) Provide learning and support for patient leaders (those seeking to transform services and those leading health improvement in the community). (B) Develop an online network and community of practice and support for emerging patient leaders. (C) Be a pool of talented and high quality patient leaders, from which health organisations can draw to input into health improvement activities. (D) Be a social movement for change promoting a new vision of collaboration and that challenges and alters the fundamental power structures of health care. (E) Enable 'graduates' from The Centre to become accredited Coaches and Facilitators. They can then earn an income through The Centre that fits in with their lifestyle and health needs. They will also become role models for the empowered, creative, proactive and facilitative approach to change that we are hoping to promote within their local communities. Because the Centre is about co-production, collaboration, engagement and participation we expect our work to be continually influenced and moulded by the participants and 'graduates' For more information, see: 'The Rise of the Patient Leader' at www.inhealthassociates.co.uk/articles

Ejemplo

We run learning programmes, action learning sets, telephone coaching & (in the future) online learning programmes for patient leaders. Our major offer 'The Effective Patient Leader' is a five session learning programme consisting of action learning, skills-based sessions & telephone coaching. To date we have run seven independently evaluated programmes (for over eighty people), short courses and day workshops for patient groups and NHS organisations that have reached over three hundred people. Our curriculum develops Patient Leaders' leadership and self-management capabilities from the ‘inside out’ so that once they are confident in leading change in their own lives, they can promote change in their communities via their chosen project or initiative. Outcomes achieved by attending The Centre have included: (1) Increased confidence, well-being and self-esteem. (2) Increased resilience and self efficacy. (3) Improved dialogic, influencing, and decision-making skills, particularly at strategic level (board and committee meetings). (4) Improvement in emotional intelligence. (5) Increased activity in the local community, particularly with health initiatives. Outcomes from earlier programmes we ran that now form the curriculum of The Centre include: (1) Fewer visits to the GP and hospital. (2) Reduced dependence on benefits. (3) Increased employment, voluntary work and community involvement. (4) Improved and sustained levels of optimism. (5) A clear sense of direction and purpose. Examples of Participants include: (1) community leaders who successfully developed community projects, such as nutrition clubs for people from black/ethnic minorities; setting up drop in centres for elderly people; projects on behalf of people with HIV; mental health service user forums, etc. (2) Patient representatives with increased confidence to challenge decision making and push for service change (e.g. a Hospital Governor who was able to input into quality issues; an activist who developed a project on diabetes self-help that received local authority funding. (3) individuals with particular conditions progressing by taking up opportunities in fora, project, patient organisations etc. In summary: We offer Patient Leaders support to make a difference through learning, connection to a community of practice and ongoing support.

Mercado

Few organisations provide 'training' for patient and carers and even fewer have identified 'patients as leaders'. Where training is provided for patient representatives, this is often based solely on the needs of the institution and is didactic and depends largely on providing people with knowledge of the 'system' rather than the skills necessary to negotiate their way around or deal with power. Our competitors largely focus on building the capacity of organisations and health professionals - not the capacity of patient leaders themselves. Or they focus on the 'techniques' of engagement and do little to shift cultures and systems. We are committed to empowering a community of practitioners (patients) who will co-create the future success of the Centre for Patient Leadership.