Noreen Blanluet explains why she has donated to our Helping Patients Change the NHS crowdfunding appeal.
It’s not news to anyone that all our public services are facing increasing pressures to deliver more with fewer resources, and within a framework of severe budgetary constraints.
These services matter to us. They have the potential to make our life better in incredible ways. So now that everyone’s back is against the wall, I don’t think we should just be sitting back and waiting for the professionals to sort it all out for us.
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Patient Stories Series This week on Click on Wales we are running a series of patient posts in relation to our new crowdfunding campaign for our Helping Patients Change the NHS project. |
We’re not toddlers. We’re a capable bunch with good ideas.
We have much to offer as users of public services: we have experience of what it’s like to be on the receiving end, and we have opinions about what works for us and what doesn’t. We live and work with other services and tools in every area of our life, and we can bring some of these models across to cross-pollinate and improve others.
We should be taking an active part in shaping our services to respond to the current pressures, using our knowledge, experience and ideas. If we don’t, we’ll be failing to take responsibility for something that matters to us, and it will be a tragic waste of potential.
This is why I support the IWA’s project to help patients change the NHS. I am hopeful that this will lead not only to improved and more effective health services, but also to more similar partnership work between professionals and service users in other sectors.
The crowdfunding for the initial project setup is for a mere £2,500. Not that much at all in the greater scheme of things, especially when you think of the project’s potential for enabling work that matters and delivering far-reaching benefits.
I hope enough people see their way to donating too, so that this happens. Even if we “only” pledge a few pounds, that commitment is significant in terms of the stance we are taking, supporting the belief that we, as citizens, can help co-create our public services.
And all the individual donation drops can trickle together into the beginnings of a mighty tide of change… Fingers crossed.
