It’s a matter of building trust with you.

We know from experience that delivering the best service starts with finding real ways to listen directly to the voices of patients and families.

This is why we:

• Ask for your input right at the points where healthcare is delivered
• Engage patients or families as advisors to us when we plan health services
• Ask for your perspective to help senior leaders in healthcare understand what matters most from the point of view of patients and families

Alberta Health Services wants to engage with and respectfully listen to patients and families. Having these meaningful conversations helps us practice what we value and increases our health system’s safety, transparency and accountability to Albertans.

These values are the very foundation of Alberta’s health delivery system now and our action plans going forward.

When advisors tell us about their experiences they directly contribute to improving safety and quality of everyone’s care, they inspire and encourage health care workers and strengthen Alberta’s healthcare system.

Some of the ways advisors are involved are by:

• Taking 15 minutes to answer questions about their experience when called by our phone survey interviewers after their hospitalization
• Reaching out to participate and tell us what they really think at a focus group
• Volunteering their time regularly as an advisor on Alberta Health Services committees

Great advisors:

• have excellent listening skills.
• are compassionate and have time to speak up for the benefit of others.
• have personal patient/family health-service related experience.
• can talk about aspects of their personal experience without feeling emotionally vulnerable.
• have good self awareness about how and what you say and do, affects others.
• are fluent in English (written & verbal).
• can talk about both changes needed and what is working well.
• can maintain others’ privacy and confidentiality.
• bring and listen to diverse points of view (in terms of geographic locale, age, gender, culture, ethnicity, education, employment or abilities) that reflect the population of Alberta.
• share their points of view and skills, abilities, experiences, and networks to help advance Patient & Family Centred Care within Alberta Health Services.
• are people like you.

Advisors may:

• Participate on long term committees
• Attend one time focus group
• Speak at conferences
• Collaborate in solving complicated health care issues
• Get involved in short term working groups
• Give your feedback about facilities or communications plans
• Be members of councils or review teams
• Help to educate others by talking about their health care experiences as they relate to improving patient and family centred care

Recruitment is generally by invitation. Development is underway to make sure that all interested advisors will have a potential place to contribute.

Depending on the type of involvement, we may ask you to:

• Think about your availability in order to make a minimum time commitment
• Sign a confidentiality agreement
• Register with Alberta Health Services’ Volunteer Resources
• Obtain a security clearance (depending on your placement)

For more information, contact us at patient.engagement@ahs.ca