Simon Boyd is a patient safety partner at CUH, he's also been volunteering across our hospitals for five years. Here Simon tells us more about his roles at CUH and giving a voice to patients, families and carers.
My name is Simon Boyd and I have two roles at CUH – ward volunteer on D9 and patient safety partner.
The role of a patient safety partner (PSP) is intended to bring the voice of patients, families and carers into clinical meetings which address patient safety incidents. This role supports CUH in listening to these groups in ongoing patient safety work, supporting a culture which is ‘patient centred’.
As a PSP I am actively involved in the design of safer healthcare at all levels in the Trust. This includes roles in safety governance, involvement in compliance monitoring, considering how safety issues should be addressed, involvement in quality improvement opportunities and providing appropriate challenge to ensure learning and change.
Patient safety is at the heart of what CUH does and I hugely value the opportunity to contribute. I enjoy talking to patients on the ward and helping to keep up their spirits. I see both my roles as linked.
I originally became a ward volunteer at CUH in August 2019, primarily on wards for the elderly and in the dialysis unit. During COVID, I was a traffic marshal at the drive-in testing stations and for blood tests. Now I volunteer on our oncology ward. These experiences led me to become a patient safety partner in June this year, 2024.
My desire to be involved with CUH lies partially in my experience of having been a patient here, so ‘giving back’ is important to me.
I find volunteering here fascinating, seeing how excellent healthcare is delivered. Subsequently, taking inspiration from the amazing patients I meet through my volunteering I applied for the PSP role and I’m privileged to now be able to give a voice and provide meaningful involvement opportunities to patients, families and carers.
I’m also hugely impressed by what I see of the commitment and technical skills of nurses and staff. I have never before encountered such a highly skilled, technologically complex and caring environment, and one which is currently very pressured.
Every day on the wards is special. D9 is an oncology ward and it requires empathy and support for patients. All patients are different and I am keen to hear about their views and experiences. Similarly, my patient safety partner role is very interesting as it involves contributing to management meetings, reviewing safety incidents, and seeing what can be done to improve the care CUH provides.
How does my role benefit patients? Ward volunteers can help keep patient spirits up, providing distraction and company at a very difficult time of their lives. Patient safety partners bring a down to earth patient voice and perspective into highly technical meetings, seeking to learn from patient safety incidents where things may have gone wrong.
CUH is a centre for excellence locally, regionally and internationally. It’s quite simply the best. As PSP and volunteer I get the chance to play a tiny role in the way this magnificent hospital cares for patients.