The Patient Partnership

What does the approach cover?

We encourage and support patients in acting as a partner in their own care:

By ensuring they receive a maximum of information throughout the care pathway;
By listening to what the patient has to say about their situation and experience with the illness;
By taking into account the patient’s priorities and goals;
By encouraging shared decision-making;
By taking account of the patient’s suggestions regarding the care pathway.

We want to enable patients who so wish to be involved at the institutional level

This can take a number of forms:

Cooperating in training professionals;
Being involved in research;
Supporting patients who are experiencing similar health problems to their own;
Participating in the institutional reflection on how to improve quality, safety and patient satisfaction.

How is the Patient Partnership organised?

The Patient Partnership project revolves around four main lines of approach that impact at various levels of care and that include the patients as:

Actors in their own care project;
Resources within teams of professionals to improve the patient’s experience (testimonies, discussion groups, patient coach, etc.);
Interlocutors with whom the professionals work to improve the various processes (patients committee, etc.);
Active members in reflections on the pertinence and coherence of research and training projects within the Erasmus Hospital and the H.U.B.

Discover the testimony of Mme AnhThi Nguyen, oncology patient-expert, who is a member of the Quality, Security and Patient Partnership team and contributes her experience as peer-accompanier.

The Committee of Partner Patients (CPP)

To put this patient institutional involvement into practice, a Committee of Partner Patients (CPP) has been set up at the Erasmus Hospital as well as in each of the H.U.B institutions.

Why become a member of the Committee of Partner Patients (CPP)?

If you have had experiences of care at the Erasmus Hospital and would like to share them, you can join the committee.

As member of the CPP you are a genuine partner of the institution and contribute actively not only to improving the quality and safety of care for yourself and other patients, but also to the continuous training of carers.

You attend regular meetings where focus groups consider questions concerning the patient experience at the hospital. You are of course free to refuse or agree to participate in what is proposed.

You are invited, for example:

To give your opinion on documents addressed to all patients;
To put forward suggestions on how to improve the care pathway;
To propose measures or changes concerning the quality and safety of care (prevention of infections or falls, checking patient identity, etc.)
To suggest possible approaches concerning certain aspects of care.

What conditions must you meet?

Aged over 18;
Attend the Erasmus Hospital on a regular basis;
The desire to input ideas or constrictive opinions;
The desire to help other people and to help work towards a goal that transcends your own health situation;
Fluency in French and/or Dutch;
The ability to listen and empathy;
The demonstrated desire to be involved in regard to other patients, other clinical teams or the institution;
Be available and motivated to commit during the required time; at least five two-hour meetings are held each year.

How to become a member of the Committee of Partner Patients (CPP)?

Simply send an email to Partenariat-patients [dot] qualite [at] hubruxelles [dot] be (Partenariat-patients[dot]qualite[at]hubruxelles[dot]be) briefly describing (the equivalent to one A4 page maximum) your reasons to participating in the Committee of Partner Patients. Remember to give your full details (first name, last name, address and telephone number).

If you are unable to send us an email you can also contact us by post at:

Direction Qualité, Sécurité et Partenariat Patient
H.U.B – Campus Anderlecht
808 Route de Lennik
1070 Bruxelles

Your application will be carefully considered and we will get back to you within 30 days.

What are you committing to?

Actively participating in at least 3 the 5 CPP meetings held every year;
During a period of 2 years;
Strictly respecting the confidentiality of exchanges. Information shared within the CPP is subject to the rules of confidentiality comparable to professional secrecy. To ensure compliance each member receives training on the subject. Each committee member signs a charter of confidentiality ;
Listening to others and adopting a constructive approach;
This is a voluntary commitment with no remuneration;
You are covered by insurance when present at the hospital;
Your travel and parking expenses are borne by the hospital.

How are the meetings organised?

The committee meets physically at least 5 times a year (October, December, February, April and June);
The dates and times are set in cooperation with the participants;
The committee meets on the Anderlecht campus;
Additional meetings are possible depending on the projects;
Each meeting is chaired by a coordinator representing the institution and a patient committee member;
An agenda is drawn up and communicated at least one week before the meeting;
Minutes are drawn up no later than 1 month after the meeting and sent out to participants for validation ;
The minutes are approved at the start of each meeting.

Can I resign from my commitment?

You are free to resign from the committee at any time.

You must notify us of this by email to Partenariat-patients [dot] qualite [at] hubruxelles [dot] be

Contact

Service Qualité, Sécurité et Partenariat Patient

Partenariat-patients [dot] qualite [at] hubruxelles [dot] be (Partenariat-patients[dot]qualite[at]hubruxelles[dot]be)