University to host national health conference

The event, to be held at Walsall Campus, will feature influential speakers and expert panelists with extensive experience of public involvement across the NHS.

The aim is to provide insight and understanding into how the experiences of service users and their carers can be harnessed in order to help shape health and care services around their needs.

Key contributors will offer a number of differing perspectives on how higher education institutions and NHS providers and commissioners can rise to current challenges within the sector.

Professor Linda Lang, Dean of the Faculty of Education Health and Wellbeing, said: “The conference will explore developments across the new healthcare world as trusts, clinical commissioning groups and the wider NHS begin to develop their responses to the need for public and patient involvement.”

Rupy Pandaal, Faculty Service User and Carer Strategy Coordinator, added: “ This responsibility is ever increasingly defined by regulating bodies and by statute for these sectors and the conference will share successful approaches to these challenges.”

The University’s own SUCCESS group (service users and carers contributing to educating students for services) will also be showcasing some of the work they have contributed to this agenda, which has been commended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council following its review of our Adult Nursing and Health Visiting programmes earlier this year.

The event will be held on September 19, from 9.30am-4pm.

Speakers will include Dr Marc Bush, Director of Policy and Intelligence, Healthwatch England, Dr Mark Newbold, Chief Executive of Heart of England NHS Trust, Professor Janice Stevens CBE, Managing Director of Health Education West Midlands and Giles Wilmore, Director for Patient and Public Voice and Information at NHS England.

To book a place please visit www.wlv.ac.uk/serviceuser .

ENDS

For media inquiries please contact Emma Pugh in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736. 

Date Issued: Tuesday, 16 September 2014