Delegates at a conference held in Riddel Hall, have heard from Health Minister, Michelle O’Neill, that she wants to see “A Health and Social Care system where service users, carers and the public are fully engaged in a partnership based approach to health and well-being, whether that is at the strategic or individual level of care planning and provision.”

The Minister was speaking at the Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) conference ‘Involving you Improving Care: Our Involvement Story’, organised by the School of Psychology at Queen’s and the Public Health Agency, in collaboration with Health Social Care partners and service users and carers.

PPI is about involving ordinary people and local communities in the planning, commissioning, delivery and evaluation of the services they receive. It is about putting the service user first, enhancing service user choice, meeting demands and expectations, and ensuring views are heard and listened to.

Speaking at the conference, the Minister, said: “I want to see a Health and Social Care system where service users, carers and the public are fully engaged in a partnership based approach to health and well-being, whether that is at the strategic or individual level of care planning and provision.  My vision is for a world class, safe, high quality, person-centred health service and I am fully committed to ensuring that service users and carers will be at the centre of what we do.

“Ensuring that service users are fully involved in the design of services that affect them is one of the priorities I want to see going forward. I can see how important patient engagement should be for everyone using or working within the health and social care sector as we strive to deliver the high quality patient focused services we have a right to expect.”

Jim Walsh, Expert by Experience, Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast and Conference Co-Chair said: “This conference provides a collaborative learning opportunity for service users and carers who use their unique expertise to influence and redesign services.  The event brings together crucial ingredients to safeguard positive and progressive transformations in developing health and social care services well into the future”.

Dr Eddie Rooney, Chief Executive of PHA, said: “When people are meaningfully involved in decision making about their health and social wellbeing, it leads to improved quality and safety, increased effectiveness and improved efficiency, tailoring services to need. That is why Personal and Public Involvement is central to ensuring that the patients and carers are put first when thinking about the future of healthcare.

“Working collaboratively across Health and Social Care can help to deliver a consistent approach to the high standards of service users and carer involvement.”

At the conference Minister O’Neill met with the Association for Real Change (ARC) NI’s “Roving Reporters”.  ARC NI supports people with a learning disability who are keen to learn new skills to become Roving Reporters. ARC NI’s support enables its reporters to tell their own ‘good news’ stories about learning disability services in the social care sector.

Caption – Michelle Tennyson, Assistant Director Allied Health Professions and Personal and Public Involvement PHA, Health Minster Michelle O’Neill, and PHA Chief Executive Dr Eddie Rooney.