Patient and Public Focus Groups Output Now Available

Three patient and public focus groups took place on 27 February and 4 March 2013. These followed the initial evidence reviews by clinicians and patient representatives for these key areas of care:

  • Long-term conditions and frailty – services to support patients with conditions that cannot currently be cured but can be controlled by medication and other therapies
  • Planned care - non-emergency treatment that involves being seen by a specialist which may then lead to a treatment or procedure
  • Acute and episodic care – services to respond to unexpected illness or trauma

This was an invaluable opportunity for clinicians to hear directly from our communities about their hopes and anxieties for the future of the county’s health services. The needs and expectations of our patients and communities are, and must continue to be, central to this vital work to agree the future.

The output reflects the rich and diverse discussion that took place. It includes copies of the presentation slides, a summary of the discussions about the areas of care, and the issues patients highlighted in relation to needs and wants.

Remember that this intends to capture the discussion and therefore doesn’t necessarily reflect the views and opinion of all attendees or of the NHS. Instead, it is part of a growing and changing debate through which we can share ideas, test them more widely, and bring together patient experience with clinical evidence in a way that can build consensus about the future.

All involved in the Future Fit programme would like to express their thanks to those who took part. Focus groups will be a key feature in capturing the views of patients and the public throughout the process. Future events are shown on our Events Page.