Patient Empowerment and Engagement Project 

Patient-Power-Group-Phone-Nov-2014-resized.jpgMosaic Community Trust is currently piloting a rights based ‘Patient Empowerment’ project in Church Street, Westminster, with the aim of improving the health and well-being of 1,500 Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) residents.  Results from a recent survey carried out by Mosaic Community Trust have shown that local health services are not being accessed fully by patients resulting in unnecessary visits to A&E services and the likelihood of more complex, intrusive health interventions at a higher cost.

Working closely with two local GP practices and other community health services, this project provides an opportunity for 20 local women to be trained as Patient Champions who will:

  • Raise the awareness of the local community on the availability and effective use of primary care/community health services; and
  • Increase the capacity of the local community to effectively participate in their local Patient Participation Group (PPG) public consultations in order to influence the work of public health services.

Mosaic Community Trust is training 20 Patient Champions to carry out outreach work in their community to increase BME residents’ membership of PPGs, and provide brief interventions and signposting of GP and community based services, including accompanying patients to these services.  This work will also include education about the appropriate use of A&E services and urgent care centres to prevent people using A&E as GP/walk-in surgeries.

Mosaic Community Trust is also working closely with local GP practices, Lisson Grove Health Centre and Paddington Green Health Centre, and other community health services to promote good practice models and approaches including the establishment of community led and community based PPG structures.  It is anticipated that the expansion and sustainability of project activities will then become the responsibility of the community and local health service providers.