Patient and service user volunteers are helping transform healthcare education in our collaboration with City, University of London. Hearing first-hand the voice and experience of people affected by breast cancer helps develop empathy in healthcare students, laying the groundwork for a truly holistic approach to care.
Our collaboration with City
Since 2016, we’ve been collaborating with the diagnostic and therapeutic radiography department at City, University of London.
We’re excited to let you know about our new Humanising Healthcare webpage showcasing the amazing impact that volunteers, recruited from our Voices community, are having.
What happened and what was involved?
Creating a patient-centred future
Read a blog by newly qualified radiographer, Btesam, where she shares how the volunteers taught her how to put the patient and their needs at the centre of her work.
“Volunteer sessions allow us to see the humanity of our patients and ultimately make us more well-rounded healthcare providers.”
How well prepared our students are for placement
Watch academic staff and students share their views on how the volunteers provide insights and answer questions that ultimately prepare the students for entering clinical practice and meeting real patients.
Partnership and empowerment
A key aspect of this collaboration is the reciprocal benefit for volunteers – watch our video where they share the amazing range of skills they bring to the role, and why it means so much to them to contribute in this way.
The power to make a difference
Amanda, a retired radiographer who lost her daughter to breast cancer, shares in her blog how privileged she feels to be able to use her own experience to encourage and support the healthcare professionals of the future.
“I thought this collaboration was a wonderful opportunity to see young people and their enthusiasm and to encourage them in their chosen profession… I’ve learnt a huge amount from them and feel very privileged to be involved in the education of these wonderful young people.”
Couldn’t see a course that would exist without them
The staff speak incredibly highly of the volunteers and the impact they make on students and on themselves – even those who were initially sceptical!
So where to next?
Our main aim with the showcasing page is share the incredible impact that patient and service user voices can have on student learning and develop, and to encourage other healthcare education institutions to take their involvement to the next level.
Breaking down barriers
On our webpage, we share a Q&A with City lecturers and academics, and Top Tips from our volunteers.
These documents give a real insight into what the university might need to consider, how it could help them meet specific regulatory standards, and how to ensure they understand their volunteers’ motivations and needs so they can build a long-lasting and successful partnership.
We hope that these will help demystify the process and help institutions get started.
Building connections
We’re starting conversations with other universities who we’ve previously helped with patient expert speakers from our Voices community.
We want to understand more about the patient involvement models in different healthcare education institutions and how we might share their good practice and encourage them in taking next steps.
To find out more, check out our Humanising Healthcare webpage or get in touch with Susanna at Susanna.Glover@breastcancernow.org
Find out about other ways we work to improve breast cancer services and patient experience:
Share your voice
This opportunity has expired. You can check out our Share your voice page for more ways to get involved.