Project case study:
User advisory groups
Embedding user involvement and consultation in the service development process
Evolving Communities worked with Dorothy House Hospice Care to create and run a user advisory group. The group aimed to offer an opportunity for service users to express their opinions about the service. We recruited volunteers to the group and promoted a programme of meetings, engagement, consultation and evaluation as part of the project.
Dorothy House Hospice Care
Dorothy House Hospice Care supports people with a life-limiting illness across a large geographical area which includes Bath and north-east Somerset, part of Wiltshire and part of Somerset. Care and support is given at home, in the hospice or at outreach centres. They are committed to consulting with people who use their services about the care they provide.
Our work
Dorothy House wanted to develop an effective process for ensuing user involvement and consultation is integral to the development and improvement of their services. They commissioned Evolving Communities Consultancy to help them to set up and run a User Advisory Group.
The aim of the User Advisory Group is to provide an opportunity for people who have used Dorothy House Hospice Care services to express their open and honest opinions about the service. This includes patients, their family members and unpaid carers, general health and care service users, those interested in end of life care, and those interested in promoting the voice of users more generally.
We recruited volunteer members to the advisory group, supported the group with establishing, administering, and promoting a programme of work including meetings, user engagement and consultation activities, evaluation and reporting. The Advisory Group is now firmly established in the Dorothy House service development process. They work collaboratively with staff and service users, and providing an independent user perspective to influence service development and quality of care.
Read more
- Year 1 report: A year of supporting patient and carer involvement
- Year 2 report: Amplifying the voice of patients and families
- Year 3 report: Impact Report
Working with:
“Thank you so much for all the support, good ideas, feedback and critique that the advisory group have provided over the past three years. I know that your input has significantly improved many of the services and care that we provide to patients and their families and for that I and our Executive Team are extremely appreciative.”
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User advisory groups
