The patient collaboration toolkit
Good collaboration makes patient involvement meaningful. This happens when patients and staff are bringing something to table in order to achieve a shared goal. Collaborating means giving people time and space to think creatively about issues and working jointly on solutions. In complex systems like the NHS we know this can be difficult.
To help you plan and run more collaborative sessions within your cancer service, the Patient Experience and User Involvement team from NECL Cancer Alliance collaborated with staff and patients to create these materials.
Patient Collaboration Toolkit
Inside this toolkit are resources to help you work in more collaborative ways with patients.
These include tools and session materials to help when working with patients on service improvement projects.
We will also include general tips to help you bring more meaningful patient involvement to all of the work you are doing.
Guide for patients in roles
Here are some tips and advice from other patients who have been in positions within a cancer alliance. This advice has been collated from patient partners on cancer pathway boards and expert reference groups, project partners, patient co-facilitators and staff.
We recommend giving this guide to patients and carers as part of their orientation. This information can form part of their welcome pack.
Journey mapping
Feedback is invaluable to organisations wishing to create or improve on a product or service. Journey mapping is a great way to understand the challenges for all those involved in a pathway from start to finish.
By understanding experiences alongside processes we are able to create better solutions to the issues patients and staff face.
Patient Involvement Cards
It is important to ensure patients and carers are ready to be involved and have support in place when taking on involvement roles. These cards can be used as prompt questions when patients or carers begin their involvement. You may print the cards on normal paper, cut them out and stick the front and backs together. The questions may also be used by staff to prompt reflective conversations and feedback.