NHH is looking for a few good PFAC members

Photo courtesy of Northumberland Hills Hospital

By Cecilia Nasmith

Cobourg

Northumberland Hills Hospital is putting out the call for people who want to make a difference in hospital care to consider joining their Patient and Family Advisory Council.

This is an ideal option for those who have received care from NHH over the past three years (or whose loved ones have), a chance to bring that lived experience of care to future hospital decision making.

Established in 2016, PFAC patient and caregiver partners are now actively engaged in all core patient areas of the hospital, working with staff, manager, physicians, midwives and community partners on a wide range of local and regional hospital activities, special projects and program-focused quality and practice committee. And the single unifying aim of all this work is to make the hospital experience as good as it can be.

It's an extremely committed team, said Jennifer Gillard, Vice-President of Patient Experience, Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships. And it's growing.

“A number of PFAC partners are active in three, four, even more working groups,” Gillard said in the announcement,.

“With over 800 volunteer hours contributed by PFAC in 2024 alone, they would like to expand their capacity. At the same time, we're also keen to continue increasing the diversity of voices bringing lived experience to our discussions and service planning.”

While interest in this work is welcome any time for any program area, the PFAC currently hopes to increase representation in a number of priority opportunities – cancer and supportive care, surgical services/ambulatory care, and communication and community engagement.

PFAC partners meet as a group for bimonthly meetings (six times a year) that typically last two hours. As well – based on their experiences, interest and schedules – they participate on the specific committee or project to which they are assigned, requiring additional background reading and six to 10 more meetings over the course of a year. These meeting times vary, and are usually held in the daytime or early evening in a mix of in-person and virtual settings (though in-person attendance is encouraged whenever possible).

West Northumberland residents interested in learning more are invited to review the Terms of Reference and Role Description, and complete the Expression of Interest form at the Patient and Family Advisory Council page under the Patients tab of the hospital website (nhh.ca). These documents are available in alternate form upon request.

Successful candidates will be expected to complete the necessary confidentiality, vaccination and police checks prior to beginning volunteer activities.

For more information, contact Gillard at jgillard@nhh,ca or 905-377-7757 or reach out to PFAC Chair Bonnie McKee at bkmcdee@tds.net