Abstract
Short introduction/background: Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) is about lived experience informing better health care delivery. Carers and community groups tell us it is about working together in collaboration and partnership. Meeting people where they are, supporting inclusivity. Valuing all voices to inform health and social care design and delivery.
In 2021 Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) committed to providing accessible information for older people about the services they provide to increase awareness and access. This led to the coproduced Health & Wellbeing - information & support for seniors in the community booklet
Who is it for? The information booklet is for older people across Belfast, their carers and family, the community and voluntary sector and staff to support signposting and access to services.
Who did you involve and engage with? To achieve an accessible user-led information resource, the Trust collaborated with several older peoples groups across Belfast as community partners to identify and co-design what information was required and in what format.
What did you do? The Trust met with 6 distinct Belfast older people’s forums (G6); interviewed older people from community initiatives and from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds and invited the community and voluntary sector to identify information required.
What results did you get? What impact did you have? Co-designed Seniors Community booklet led by older people identifying information needed to help access health and wellbeing services across Belfast.
Partners guided distribution of 18,000 booklets to support equitable dissemination across Belfast.
Online version.
This work forged new relationships within the community and voluntary sector which continue to support discussion and work to improve older people’s services. The development of the booklet was the catalyst to engage with older people’s forums to show that we are listening and responsive to co-creating solutions to identified need. This work has led to:
Engagement with Trust Falls and Frailty Assessment Unit Services to redesign patient leaflet information.
Trust represented at community Dementia steering groups – linking community and Trust better.
Trust and cooperation improved between service provider (BHSCT) and communities
Increased profile and accessibility of Trust services for older people via attendance at local community workshops
What is the learning for the international audience? With the collaboration of older people at every stage of this work, the booklet is needs led, accessible and a practical resource which is widely distributed.
Building relationships and trust has created a firm foundation for further work to improve older people’s experience of health and social care services in Belfast. It has allowed partnerships to flourish and joint working to grow.
By including and involving those who use our services, better and more effective service delivery is achieved. Design and deliver with people not without them.
What are the next steps? The booklet will be updated and reprinted. We will continue to work collaboratively across the city with older people, to ensure the voice of older people continues to be heard and impact on the information the Trust provides.