Valley’s vision is to set the standard for a culture of excellent service through our care—every interaction, every time. Patients and their families are often the most knowledgeable members of the care team and can offer unique perspectives and valuable feedback about the care they receive. By forming a council of patient and family advisers, Valley is listening, collaborating and making improvements to care which make the next patient or family member’s journey easier.
Patient advisers represent the views of a diverse patient group, with members providing insight about different genders, ages, incomes, geographic locations and information from personal hospital and clinic experiences.
The role of Valley’s Patient & Family Advisory Council
- Serve as a voice for our patients and their loved ones
- Advise the organization on process improvement ideas and efforts from the patient and family perspective
- Discuss opportunities to enhance the patient and family experience and identify potential solutions
Current work
- Receiving education/training around what putting patients first means at Valley—and providing feedback on how those things translate to patients/family
- Providing feedback on signage and wayfinding for the main campus
- Brainstorming improvement projects to address as a council
Future work
- Finding the right balance to involve patients/family in Valley’s culture of safety – i.e. how do we empower patients/family as part of the process without creating fear, feeling burdened, or feeling that we (as an organization) are passing responsibility over to those in our care
- Hand hygiene and infection prevention from the perspective of the patient/family – what’s the best way to educate patients/family, to involve them in prevention efforts, etc.
- Explore preferences for comfort and amenities in public waiting areas
How to join?
Valley is actively recruiting and accepting patients and family members to serve on the PFAC, either for our monthly onsite meetings or to participate as e-Advisers (communication via email only). Interested in more information about serving on this council? Learn more here, including how to apply.
For more on the Office of Patient Experience, check out this Behind-the-Scenes article.
