Co-delivered #meded with technology - a joint blog with @TrevorKet

There is a drive in healthcare education to use technology and involve patients and service users in teaching sessions. Combining these two important agendas, I collaborated with a healthcare sciences lecturer, Trevor Kettle (@TrevorKet). to co-deliver two teaching sessions using the Meetoo app (and Skype). This a blog of two halves, with my reflections and Trevor's reflections (so do make sure you read both bits!)

These were students on two different courses at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Southampton University – both post-graduate, qualified health and social care professionals. The sessions were both 1.5 hours, and the first was co-delivered in person, while the second was co-delivered with Trevor Kettle in the room, and me Skyping in. 

The Meetoo App is a platform for real-time polling and discussion that allows students to share their thoughts and reflections, opinions and ask questions.

This blog is a collection of reflections on these experiences. These are twofold:

-       the process of using technology and collaborative teaching as a process to educate

-       the content of the conversation we had with the students.

Underpinning all of this was a strong equal partnership to co-produce the teaching sessions, the content and process between Trevor Kettle and myself – for which I am very grateful. Far from being onerous, this collaboration to coproduce the two teaching sessions required only a preliminary Skype meeting of about an hour and one or two iterations of the PowerPoint slides being shared via email. We had a short reflective debrief afterwards. Trevor’s perspective on it all in included below...

Red flags on a Monday morning…

Before 11am on a recent Monday morning, I felt in need of another weekend.

I was chairing a group of patients and carers, who meet to review transformation programmes locally.

In preparation for the meeting, I had spoken to the speaker to check timings and they were clear about what they wanted to discuss and how to do that. I was assured all was ok!

The meeting started well, and the first item on the agenda was introduced – prioritizing areas of a specific programme for in depth co-production engagement work. With 40 mins set for the item on the agenda, the first ten minutes quickly disappeared with an introduction on the process that got the programme to where it was that day, and the questions starting flying in… and my internal chimp mind (the italics below) went into overdrive and concepts of mindfulness went out the window.

For everything else, there is MasterCard...

Yearly Pre-Paid Prescription Certificate: £104.00
Orthotics: £20
13 day inpatient stay, with MRI, CT and medications: ???
Neck brace and consultation with Orthotist: ???
Two days of tilt table diagnostic tests: ????

A supportive healthcare professional who understands: PRICELESS
Getting back sailing: PRICELESS

Dear GovNet Advisory Board, This is Groundhog Day, From a Patient.

Since this letter has been published, it has been brought to my attention that there were speakers who had long term health conditions. They were listed in their professional capacity with specific organisations to talk about their organisational experiences rather than from a patients' perspective. Although I can no longer say there were no people with long term conditions at the event, the sentiment of this letter, where the day to day on the ground experience of everyday people with long term conditions was lacking at the event still absolutely stands. I refer to David Gilbert's blog, "We are all patients. Yes and no." to explain this subtle but important difference.
From my perspective, the event still didn't have the opportunity to hear directly from people with long term conditions or carers about what matters to them, and that needs addressing. 
My apologies if I have mislead anyone. 

Dear Rt. Hon Lord Foulkes of Cumnock, Baroness Hilary Armstrong of Hill Top, Lord Archy Kirkwood of Kirkhope, Sir Robert Worcester KBE, DL, Lord Goodlad KCMG PC and Cheryl Gillian MP (GovNet Advisory Board),

As the Advisory Board for GovNet, I wanted to let you know about the Long Term Conditions 2016 conference that took place today that was run by GovNet.

Q&A from Southampton University Seminar

This week, aided by some very simple technology, I contributed to a seminar at Southampton University with Trevor Kettle about the full scope and continuum of patient involvement.

It was a privilege to talk to the students with a very interactive Q&A session. The questions were really challenging - a good sign! So here are my answers to some of the questions asked...

Pupperty

On Thursday last week I was at an event where a professional really honestly said "I'm not really sure what working with patients mean". I appreciated their honesty and mentioned that it is often harder to describe than it is to feel, and sometimes easier to explain what it isn't.

Last week also proved the culmination of another experience where "involvement" was a very visceral feeling of extremes.

Patient Leaders, Posters and Possibilities....

For me, a "poster" was something like this.... And a "paper" was something like this....

But in the world of academic conferences, they mean something very different. A poster is a very visual and accessible way of presenting a piece of work and a paper is actually a 15 minute talk! The point of these at conferences is to share great work and ideas.

HEA Powerful Partnerships Summit

On Wednesday this week, I attended the Higher Education Academy's Powerful Partnerships summit in London. It was a day to explore how partnerships (between many different people, but you can guess that I was there championing patient partnerships!) can support and promote excellence in medical and healthcare education in the UK. There were plenty of tweets during the day (#ppsummit) and food for thought. I was asked to present providing a patient perspective on what needs to change in education of health care professionals.

To disclose or not to disclose?

This post isn't about being secretive, but about the boundaries of privacy and thinking about what we expect from patients when they share their experience and insights. So, I've been wondering for a while..

How much of my role as a patient leader is about my conditions? Is disclosing them essential to my story, insights and contributions? 

The who, what, why, when, where and how of PPI in Meded

I recently had the pleasure of giving the plenary session at the BeSST (Behavioural and Social Scientists Teaching in Medicine) one day conference and AGM. With a brief to explore how patients, carers and members of the public can contribute to medical education, I went down the who, what, why, when, where, how route. As promised, here is a blog to summarise the key points of my plenary session.

Partnerships are possible

I've recently had the privilege of working in a great collaborative partnership with two different professionals: Alf Collins to write an editorial in the BMJ on the Oldham Commission; and Trevor Kettle to co-design and co-deliver workshops on patient and public involvement in healthcare professional education at Southampton University.

I know there is a lot of talk about what it feels like when patients and patient leaders aren't able to work in these kinds of environments, so I wanted to document what is feels like when it does work - to prove it is possible!

Hugs all round

I have been really struggling to feel festive this year. A bad cold, a couple of rough weeks health wise and a very low mood few weeks certainly haven't helped. But what I have found to so hard in recent weeks is the relentless negativity around the NHS. I don't read the Daily Mail. This negativity is from my Twitter feed - a collection of health care professionals and NHS people who are normally passionate and enthusiastic but overcast with the media portrayal, privatisation and reality of our wards and clinics. 

I know the weather hadn't been great (we've had very few of those wonderfully crisp and fresh winter mornings) and that by Christmas every year everyone feels a bit run down. But this year feels more than that. 

Transforming patient experience, WITH patients

I had the privilege of speaking yesterday at the King's Fund Transforming Patient Experience conference. The opportunity to speak about the role that patients can play in improving this has made me think more deeply about both what we can bring to the improvement process as patients, and what some of the challenges are. This post is a summary of the topics I covered in my talk. An abridged video of my talk is available here, thanks to the King's Fund.

Extreme contrasts: a life in two halves

I have recently commented on Twitter a few times that I felt like I was leading two very different lives, as a patient and as a professional...

Talking to others patients who are working in this area, I don't think I am alone with this feeling. Anyone (in whatever line of work) will feel separation and connection between their personal and prefoessional life, but I think the separation and connection are both more extreme and somehow simultaneous when working in this area.

Personal Reflections on The Future of Health

The two days I spent at Future of Health (and the following few days recovering) have been the hardest, busiest, most challenging, intense, overwhelming and exciting couple of days I have ever had.

Let me explain...

What would I do if I was I was in charge of Day One at Medical School?

As a new university year is fast approaching, I have been thinking abut the messages that our future doctors will be getting on their first day at medical school in a few weeks time.

Thinking back to my first day, aside from the intoxicating mix of fear and excitement, the messages I remember were about how hard the next few years would be and how much science we would have to learn. I really don't remember there being much of a patient focus at all, although I know it was six years ago, and memory can be selective. The first time I met a patient was a few weeks in, in the setting of a GP surgery - exactly how you imagine a patient to be, receiving care. But since being a patient myself, I have realised that patients are more than just a problem to be cured, or a recipient of care, they are their own experts and have capacity beyond the walls of the clinic, to supporting every aspect of healthcare through their involvement. Shouldn't we be introducing our future doctors to this wider potential of patients as resources and colleagues in healthcare? And when better to do it than Day One? 

What would I do if I was in charge of Day One of medical school? 

Happy Birthday NHS!

My Twitter has been full of #NHS65 tweets with a range of emotions and sentiments. We all know the NHS has issues, but I also think it is equally important to step back from all the headlines and look at what we have to be thankful - and a 65yr birthday seems an appropriate time!