Think Tank on Users, Carers and Communities Forum
AIIHPC is moving establish a ‘Users, Carers, Communities Forum, whose members will have a crucial role in the work of the Institute.
A stated aim of AIIHPC is the meaningful involvement of users, carers and communities in the development and delivery of palliative care education, research, policy and practice.
To aid the Institute in its thinking and to inform the process of setting up a forum, a total of 70 invitations to a special Think Tank event were issued to representatives from organisations and associations from across the island of Ireland. The event was held on Thursday 14 June 2012 in The Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley, Dublin. A total of 35 people attended the event, representing 27 organisations/individuals many of whom are involved in user engagement.
It was anticipated that the broad range of organisations invited would help inform and enrich the process of establishing a forum. Those attending were provided with a brief background to AIIHPC and the context of the Users, Carers and Communities Forum within the Institute’s governance structures and across its work areas of education, research and policy and practice.
An outline of activities which the Institute suggested might be considered when setting up a forum was provided to the participants as an aid to generate discussion and ideas. The four areas provided were: Advertising and Marketing; Recruitment and Selection; Training and Development; Appointment and Support.
Participants were invited to identify which area they had experience of or an interest in discussing and, based on preferences expressed, were divided into smaller working groups. They were asked to consider what worked well, from their experience, how things could have been done differently - identifying what AIIHPC needs to consider when establishing a forum.
The attendees brought a richness of experience and enthusiasm to inform and support this particular aspect of the Institute’s work and we gratefully acknowledge their contribution.
Proposals for next steps in the establishment of the Users, Carers, and Communities Forum will be included in the final report from the event. A draft report is currently with event participants for comment.
The Think Tank is part of the Institute’s engagement process regarding the formation of the forum. AIIHPC is committed to further engagement. Anyone who would like to find out more, or who would like to contribute ideas/suggestions which the Institute might consider in establishing the forum, should contact Brendan O’Hara, AIIHPC Programme Manager Policy and Practice, at bohara@aiihpc.org