Forward Programme and Strategy 2006
Introduction
Patients for Patient Safety grew through the World Alliance for Patient Safety to ensure that the voice of patients and consumers is at the core of the patient safety movement worldwide. It is working to develop an international network of patients and consumers who are active in raising awareness of patient safety and the importance of patient involvement. Throughout its initial year, Patients for Patient Safety has grown both in terms of size and strength. The foundations for patient involvement in patient safety issues around the world are being built and the potential in 2006 for more patients and consumer voices to be heard, within the work of the Alliance and beyond, is great.
Vision
Patients for Patient Safety envision a different world in which healthcare errors are not harming people and patients and consumers are partners in the effort to prevent all avoidable harm in health care.
The current culture of error and denial can not be allowed to continue and open, honest dialogue must be called for from all stakeholders patients, consumers, health professionals, policy makers and Leaders.
Core Values
1. COLLECTIVE Patients for Patient Safety and Patient Champions are a collective global voice, striving to work together with the World Alliance in the effort to prevent all avoidable harm in health care.
2. OPENESS Patients for Patient Safety and Patient Champions promote open and honest relationships and dialogue between all stakeholders, professional and consumer.
3. HONESTY Patients for Patient Safety and Patient Champions promote and expect honesty in dialogue and communication
4. PARTNERSHIP Patients for Patient Safety and Patient Champions partner with health professionals, policy makers and patient communities to create forums for dialogue and effective mechanisms to build safer health care systems around the world building on, and through, the World Alliance.
5. EMPOWERMENT Patients for Patient Safety and Patient Champions raise awareness and promote issues around Patient Safety to empower patients and health professionals to bring about effective change through education and open, honest dialogue.
6. REDUCTION IN HARM DUE TO MEDICAL ERROR – Patients for Patient Safety and Patient Champions strive to reduce harm through medical error in a professional, transparent and honest partnership with all stakeholders in patient safety development and through the World Alliance, by sharing knowledge, experience, lessons and challenges in an open and meaningful dialogue.
Strategic Aims
In order to carry forward the achievements of 2005 Patients for Patient Safety will work in the global context to promote and contribute to all the action areas of the World Alliance for Patient Safety, contribute and partner with the WHO Regional Offices to create a regional strategy on patient safety and promote issues of patient involvement in patient safety initiatives at all levels through advocacy and open dialogue.
Patients for Patient Safety will
1. Support Patient Safety Champions to work as effective Patient Safety Advocates at a regional and Country Level
· Develop advocacy and communication resources and tools
· Link Champions with WHO Regional Offices and WHO Representatives and other key players in their regions.
· Initiate and run upto 3 Regional Patients for Patient Safety workshops aimed at fostering networks of patient advocates
2. Provide strong patient involvement in the work of the other strands of the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety
· Identify and support Champions to participate in other strand areas working groups such as the Global Patient Safety Challenge Patient Involvement Task Force
· Set influencing priorities with each of the 5 action areas
3. Embrace and nurture the emerging Country Level Activities
· Targeted resources for Champions to initiate Country activities
· Collect stories of experience of champions and others
· Continuously collate and review challenges of particular countries to feed into development of further support provision
4. Strengthen internal structures, and capacity within Patients for Patient Safety to ensure effective leadership, governance and management, both within the patient community and wider external stakeholders
· Review Steering Group skills and experience
· Consider opportunities for the Steering Group to fully embrace and represent the diversity of the global initiative
5. Develop a base line of Patients for Patient Safety Communication and Publicity resources
· Develop and produce a core set of materials posters, pamphlets, video and promotional items, to assist in raising awareness of the Patients for Patient Safety initiative at an international policy level.
In order to reach these aims it will be necessary to work at a variety of levels across diverse cultures and health settings, with patients, health professionals, policy makers and other health care partners.
