Practice Support Program – working together for better mental health services for children and youth
Focusing initially on family doctors and their medical office assistants, the Practice Support Program (PSP) is increasingly involving the broader community and patients.
The PSP provides doctors and clinicians with tools for improvement in a number of areas, ranging from office efficiency to end-of-life planning and a range of other topics (see GPSC summary below). They are currently finalizing a training module for doctors in coordination with specialist services and schools to better address child and youth mental health disorders including depression, ADHD, and anxiety.
“We’re recognizing that if you want to tackle a problem you can’t just focus on the family physician and practice staff – you need to go much broader,” says Liza Kallstrom, Practice Support Program Lead. “The vast majority of mental health conditions have their onset when the brain is still developing, and they [can respond to] treatment with positive long-term outcomes. We have a real opportunity to change the trajectory of mental health in the province.”
Partner Profile – the General Practice Services Committee
The General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) is a partnership between the BC Medical Association and the BC Ministry of Health. The GPSC aims to improve job satisfaction for family doctors and ensure better health outcomes for patients.
The GPSC supports family doctors in learning more about complex health conditions so they are better equipped to help patients through their journey. A major GPSC initiative is the Practice Support Program (PSP). The PSP provides training to doctors and their medical office assistants on practice and clinical management, including office and schedule efficiency, group medical visits, patient self-management, chronic disease management, end-of-life planning and mental health.
In creating materials or implementing programs, the GPSC is committed to including the patient perspective. PVN members have worked on advisory committees, and provided feedback on training materials and a variety of other resources.
For more detailed information about the General Practice Services Committee, visit their website at www.gpscbc.ca.
PVN represented at national patient engagement conference
BC’s successes in patient engagement through Patients as Partners and the Patient Voices Network are garnering attention across Canada. The Health Council of Canada held an October 25 symposium on patient engagement and BC was well represented as a leader in this area. Kelly McQuillen spoke to the audience about the Ministry of Health’s Patients as Partners initiative, followed by a presentation by PVN member Archie about his own experiences as an engaged patient.
Wyncel of Port Coquitlam was one of four PVN delegates to attend the symposium, and we asked her to share some of the thoughts and themes that resonated with her. She contributed an insightful blog post on the patient/provider partnership, the idea of “co-creation” and the process of transformation.
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“If we focus too much on what is not working, we will become overwhelmed and not appreciate the fact that there are pockets of success out there that are working and that we should follow by example. And for us, the patients, it is important for us to be intentional. We must engage in a meaningful way and remember that we have a purpose in the big picture. We are not just using the system anymore but also there to help build it and make it better.” |
Vancouver Coastal Health unites patients and providers to explore health literacy
Twice a year, Vancouver Coastal Health’s Community Engagement team hosts a forum where senior management, health care providers, and members of the Community Engagement Advisory Network (CEAN) gather together to discuss issues that are important to both the public and the health care system. CEAN is a group of volunteers who support patient and public involvement at Vancouver Coastal Health, and the forums are open to all members.
On October 22, the topic was health literacy. “This was an issue identified by our IPCC [Integrated Primary and Community Care] team,” says Margreth Tolson, Community Engagement Leader at Vancouver Coastal Health. “They wanted feedback on how to mobilize patients to use health literacy skills and how to support those with chronic diseases in self-managing their condition.”
There is no size limit for the forums, and this was the largest since the first one held in 2003. Approximately 80 people attended, with a dynamic mix of patients, providers, and health system staff, according to Tolson. “There was a great buzz in the room. I found that the small group discussions were especially rich – these were rare and valuable opportunities for people from different communities to share and learn from each other. It was clear that they enjoyed connecting with each other and grappling with some of the discussion questions.”
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Carol of Powell River is one of several PVN members who participated in the forum and agreed that it offered valuable networking opportunities, while addressing many important areas. “Decision makers are asking how they can do a better job of assisting patients to be partners in their own health outcomes. It’s not an easy task, but it’s do-able if patients and health care providers work together on acknowledging the gap between receiving information and actually understanding it – and ultimately using the information as part of an individualized patient health care plan.” Read Carol’s blog post about her experience at the CEAN forum. |
Feedback from every CEAN forum is compiled into a report (PDF), circulated to attendees, and then used to inform planning and decision-making. For example, the Spring 2011 forum focused on supporting patients who are in advisory roles with health services, and resulted in a new CEAN orientation program, a resource manual, and skill-building sessions for patients.
If you live in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, consider joining CEAN. There are many volunteers who are members of both CEAN and PVN, and appreciate the resources, skill-building, and partnership opportunities through both organizations. For more information or to join, visit www.vch.ca/ce or email ce@vch.ca.
Featured Placements
- Providence Health Care is forming a Seniors Care Committee and seeking patients from the Vancouver Coastal Health area who wish to be involved. Patients will provide input, feedback, and a patient-centred perspective in support of a “refreshed” three-year strategic plan for seniors care.
- The College of Registered Nurses will be hearing feedback from Lower Mainland patients as part of its review of professional standards. Participants will review a short consultation document, then participate in an in-person session discuss the College’s expectations of professional conduct for its members.
If you would like to learn more about joining the Activated Network and participating in opportunities like these, contact connect@patientvoices.ca and ask about an upcoming orientation session near you.
A resource for health literacy information
Randy, from Duncan, participated in a videoconference last month with the Canadian Centre for Learning (CCL), examining the state of literacy in Canada. He shared links to the conference presentation slides (PDF) and referred us to the CCL website which has a host of reports, resources, and interactive maps. “It’s very interesting reading, and quite relevant to our efforts,” Randy told us.
Do you have a resource for patient engagement or health literacy that you’d like to share? Contact us at connect@patientvoices.ca anytime or post it on our Facebook page.
PVN Team Update
Welcome to Khushnum Sarkari, the new PVN Program Assistant, and Anthony Gagne, PVN’s new Northern Health Liaison. Visit our staff page to learn a bit more about them, and join us in welcoming them to our team.
The newsletter returns in the new year
Due to the winter holidays, there will be no PVN newsletter at the end of December – although you can stay tuned for updates on our website, blog, Facebook page, or Twitter feed. We wish you a happy holiday season!
