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Meet the Founders | Our speakers | Media | Activities Patient Concern is an organisation committed to promoting choice and empowerment for all health service users. Our core principle is complete consumer independence. Unlike some associations representing patients, we do not accept funding from any vested interests, notably Government, NHS or commercial organisations. Nor do we involve anyone dependent on the healthcare service for employment or business To make sure that there are no conflicts of interest, Patient Concern has special advisers by invitation and supporters who contribute their time, expertise and experience free of charge. This facilitates a totally patient-oriented approach. We operate as a network. Contributors include patients, their advocates, carers, lawyers, patient representatives, journalists, ethicists and human rights activists. We keep in close touch with other active campaigning groups run by patients. Implementing our programme relies on the dedication of volunteers and donations, free of conditions, from well-wishers. Patient Concern is active in all areas of the health service, campaigning on issues that matter to patients and making the patient's voice heard in top level consultation |
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Joyce Robins BA, JP - as a successful journalist and author of 30 non-fiction books, Joyce took a particular interest in health care matters and ran major investigations into the working of the NHS for national magazines. She now devotes herself to vigorous campaigning on behalf of patients and producing user-friendly information leaflets. She has spoken at medical conferences all over the country, making sure the viewpoint of patients is heard, sharing billing with leaders of the medical profession such as President of the General Medical Council and the Chief Medical Officer of the NHS. She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Integrated Care Pathways. Joyce was invited to address the Council of Europe in Paris on end of life issues and to join the Shipman Inquiry discussions on regulation and revalidation of doctors and the complaints system. She gave oral evidence to the House of Commons Health Select Committee on electronic records. When the question of presumed consent to organ donation was investigated she was invited to give oral evidence to the House of Lords EU committee and the Welsh Assembly health committee.
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Roger Goss MA (Cantab) - set up and ran a patient helpline for three years and has organised a number of patient-centred campaigns. Roger serves on various Department of Health, NHS and medical Royal College committees and working groups. As a founder member of the Making Decisions Alliance, he gave oral evidence to the Joint Committee of the Lords and Commons for the Mental Capacity Act. Roger was only the second non-medic to be invited on to the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Editorial Board in its 150 year history. He is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's patient reference panel and of the National Council on Ageing. He has addressed various meetings of medics including the European Society of Anaesthesiologists' annual conference in Lisbon, Munich and Copenhagen on the patients' perspective. |
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Our speakers are much in demand at major conferences held by commercial organisations, by large Trusts and Royal Colleges. Subjects include:: Patient access to records Patient Concern has handled well over 20,000 calls from the media since its launch in October 1999. Both co-directors and some of our special advisors are frequently quoted in the general and medical press, have been interviewed on radio, including several appearances on the BBC's Radio 4 ‘Today' programme, and appeared on many televison programmes and news channels. We were asked to give the patients' perspective on the White Paper on medical regulation for the British Medical Journal, alongside the GMC, the BMA and the Royal College of Surgeons. We have been or are currently involved with: Human Tissue Authority: submitting detailed responses to consultations on codes of practice for obtaining patients' agreement to post mortems, organ donation and use of tissue for research and other purposes. Ministry of Justice (formerly Department of Constitutional Affairs): via the Making Decisions Alliance, of which we were a founder member, securing legal status for medical Powers of Attorney (medical proxies), confirmation of the legal validity by statute of Living Wills in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and then advising on codes of practice for its implementation in 2007. Healthcare Commission: responding to consultations on their work and seeking information on the frequency of breaches of patient confidentiality by its inspectors requiring healthcare staff to produce patients' records without their prior consent. Office of the Public Guardian: replying in detail to the consultation on guidance for the public on how to create a Lasting Power of Attorney for medical and social care under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and meeting with the Public Guardian to express our concerns over the deterrent effect of some safeguards in the proposed procedure. Department of Health: through membership of a special working party, advising on what would constitute a patient-friendly system of access to our healthcare records. NHS Estates: via their patient advisory group developing hospital food and housekeeping services, contributing ideas on improving meals and hospital hygiene. Royal College of Anaesthetists: helping to produce the first patient leaflet detailing the choices, pros and cons of various forms of anaesthesia, their risks and side effects. Nursing and Midwifery Council: pressing for tightening up of guidance on covert medication, an effective system of health and character checks for registered staff, and helping to produce a patient guide on nurse prescribing General Medical Council: representing patients' views on regulation of the profession via participation in various consultations and our membership of their Patient Reference Group. We met with the President to press for improvements in the guidance on withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration. We have also pressed for the GMC to take the lead in attempting to reverse the EU directive banning its testing of staff from EU countries' ability to communicate clearly in English. General Dental Council: providing input to various recent developments, notably the new complaints scheme for patients, advice on ‘whistleblowing' by dentists and supporting the Council in its objection to possible amalgamation of healthcare regulatory bodies as a result of the Chief Medical Officer's review of medical regulation. There are many important health issues where Patient Concern has offered advice and/or responded to consultations. For a list of subjects click here. [home] [about us] [campaigns] [publications] [whats new] [contact us] |
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