Our lived experience and communities panel
Co-production with those who have lived experience is something that we prioritise heavily at the International Forum. This year we have recruited a lived experience and communities panel that is responsible for taking part in the programme design and delivery process to ensure that we represent patients, carers and their communities throughout the conference.
Here are some of the ways we co-produce at the International Forum with our lived experience and community partners:
- Members of the lived experience and community panel sit on our wider programme advisory panel
- We recruit a number of lived experience representatives who review abstracts submitted to the conference
- Every successful abstract presenter is encouraged to bring along a lived experience co-presenter, and we waive the registration fee for that person to attend
- The lived experience and communities panel are responsible for designing and delivering a number of sessions and workshops across the agenda, as well as coordinating meet-ups and networking for all lived experience representatives attending the conference
Mark Dale (chair)
I have been using services for over 30 years in Essex. My experience of this and my experiences of what quality and safe care looks like have enabled me to work locally, regionally, and nationally on Quality Of Care and Improvement. I am a passionate advocate for co-production and I am the lead for participation and co-production at my local NHS Trust. I also am proud to say I am a Patient Safety Partner enabling the patient voice to be heard and services developed and delivered safely.
I am proud to be working on the International Forum London 2024, I am also proud of the fantastic event we have organised and I know the legacy will be lasting.
Carol Munt
Carol Munt is a Health Service Journal top 50 patient leader.
Carol’s aim is to make sure that patients are at the heart of the NHS. She does so by inspiring, challenging and pushing groups to work differently and to develop new work with patients in mind from the beginning.
Her passion for patient empowerment and involvement is infectious. She is an inspiring public speaker and regularly tweets, emails, and attends meetings to share great ideas and best practice.
Carol shares her own experiences and those of her extensive network of the wider community, patients, carers, and families.
Carol contributed to the NHS Dementia Handbook for Carers and Care Providers and is a member of the Patient Leaders Expert Advisory Group NHS work that includes Patient leadership: Taking patient experience to the next level? published by the Beryl Institute
Esther Greaney
I’m Esther and I’m a Lived Experience Peer Support Worker within MPFT’s Shropshire Eating Disorders Service. I have been in this role for almost a year so it is all still fairly new to me, however, I have been an advocate for utilising lived experience long before I became a Peer Support Worker. A lot of my work involves co-production between service users and professionals and this is something that I am very passionate about. I believe we can learn a lot from each other, and continue to work together to change healthcare for the better.
I am proud to be part of the International Forum London 2024 on the Lived Experience and Communities panel, where the invaluable contribution that lived experience voices bring to quality improvement within healthcare is truly being recognised.
Sarah O’Brien
Sarah was diagnosed as autistic as an adult and took this knowledge into research, policy, clinical settings and the charity sector. She has worked with autistic people to support them to have their views heard by the government, by researchers and in designing accessible healthcare services. Taking together these personal and professional experiences, Sarah now focuses on the inclusive involvement of disabled people in different areas of local and national decision making by looking at the processes of how we can actively include and exclude people. She can often be found researching involvement at King’s College London, writing about autism, cross-stitching, or running.
Susan Conquer
My name is Su Conquer. I am passionate about people being involved in shaping services to improve accessibility and inclusion. Particularly for people with different sensory needs or disabilities, so everyone can access healthcare in an equal way. I am a student doing research into co-production and I work at my local Healthwatch helping people to share experiences and work with services to make improvements.
Gabby Mathews
Gabrielle is a multi-award-winning children and young people’s health advocate. A long-term patient, she role models the inclusion of patients in strategic decision-making as a member of the NHS Assembly. She sits as an Oversight Board member to the Research and Economic Analysis for the Long term (REAL) centre at the Health Foundation and is a member of the General Advisory Council at the King’s Fund. Her advocacy work extends beyond healthcare; She is a board member of the #iwill movement and a trustee of UK Youth, an organisation that supports over 7000 youth organisations and collectively reaches 4.1 million young people. Gabrielle is an academic foundation doctor in North Central London with an interest in co-production and power in both research and policy development. Her current thinking is focused on individual and systems leadership and how we can equip and mobilise all health care professionals to lead with and for kindness.
Cristina Serrao
Cristina Serrão joined the NHS in 2018 as London’s first musculoskeletal Patient Director based at University College London Hospitals. Since early 2020, she has been with NHS England and is now the National Lived Experience Ambassador, working in the People and Communities Division. She champions both the promotion of co-production and the active involvement of people using health and care services and their carers in all aspects of the planning, design, and delivery of care through co-produced clinical pathways across England. Cristina has a strong passion for justice and health inequalities to be faced head on and believes we should treat the whole person, supporting their physical, mental health and social care needs. On a personal level she is a strong believer in supported self-management of both physical and mental health, because of her own multiple chronic health conditions and disabilities. Cristina tackles every challenge with an abundance of energy and laughter – breaking down as many stigmas as possible along the way!! Internationally she is a member of the Global Patient Family Advisory Board (GPFAB) at The Beryl Institute and is also a member of the Health Improvement Alliance Europe (HIAE), Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Cristina is named by The Shaw Trust as one of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK 2021 and 2022 in the #DisabilityPower100 list.
David McNally
Bio on its way.
Helen Lee
Helen is a qualified nurse with experience of working in both acute and community settings and was Head of Quality Improvement and Experience in a provider organisation prior to her current role. Helen is now Experience of Care Lead with NHS England and is strategic policy lead for experience of care improvement. Helen is passionate about co-production where people, with lived and learnt experience, partner to understand what matters to people. This ensures improvements are co-designed, sustainable and, ones that will really make a difference.
Helen has seen the huge impact that asking what matters to you can make for people receiving and providing care. This simple question helps us to connect as people and to understand and support each other better.
Internationally Helen is a member of the Health Improvement Alliance Europe (HIAE) Creating, Leading, and Sustaining a Culture of Quality Workgroup, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and a member of the international What Matters To You leadership team.
X/Twitter: @helenlee321_lee #coproduction #ExpOfCare #AlwaysEvents #WMTY #LivedExperience #ImprovingTogether
Serena Simon
Bio on its way.