The Saolta Hospitals Group Patient Council was established in 2014 to enable patients and their relatives to become active partners in the Saolta Hospitals Group. The Saolta Hospitals Group Patient Council comprises of 17 members, all public and/or patient (PPI) representatives. Public and/or patient representatives were appointed following a public advertisement process. Over 100 expressions of interest were received.The Patient Council is led by a patient chair and vice-chair, who are elected by the council members. The Council meets every two months, and it reports to the Saolta Hospitals Group Board.
The aim of the Patient Council is to work with the Saolta University Hospital Group to identify current and future opportunities to improve the care experience for patients, families and caregivers and to do so by building a formal
and structured partnership between the Patient Council and Saolta so as to better identify and incorporate the patient’s perspective in the activities and planning of Saolta. The Council serves in an advisory capacity, making
recommendations which will endeavor to embed the patient voice throughout the organisation and for that voice to be incorporated in organisational activities.
In 2019, the Saolta Group also recently invited two public and/or patient representatives to join the Steering Committee to input into the development of the Patient Engagement Strategy 2020-2023. The Committee organised a World Café event to seek feedback from a broad spectrum of service users, carers and healthcare partners to better understand their priorities and to incorporate them into the strategic development process.