Health Issues Centre was proud to partner in the BMJ/IHI International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in Melbourne in October/November.
The forum reflected a genuine commitment to consumer engagement at every step from initial planning through to the implementation, and we were so pleased to play our part in supporting the
event.
With Laila Hallam, a consumer partner from New South Wales, we explored what a true partnership with consumers and community members looks like in a workshop with 160 delegates. We hosted
an exhibition stand which enabled us to connect with many of the 1,300 delegates in attendance. We also hosted a parallel online forum where consumers who were sponsored to attend shared
their insights.
In the conference closing, Laila and our CEO Alison Coughlan shared some insights from the many conversations had that we’d like to share with you here:
- That meaningful consumer and community engagement is a fundamental right and everyone’s responsibility to support, enable and empower;
- Embrace the disruption of engagement – transformation does not occur in the comfort zone;
- Build relationships based in mutual trust and share power;
- Commit to learning and growing together as partners;
- Don’t wait until you’re ‘ready’ – start today: find a clinical, system and consumer champion, decide on a project together, define success, learn together, share the learnings and
repeat…
We commend BMJ/IHI for their commitment and support and look forward to working with them for the event in Brisbane in 2024.
