Have Your Say as a Local Hospital User

New Health Forum Seeks more Public Participation

Users of local hospitals are being encouraged to get involved in a new body to increase public participation in the debate on local health care. The Hammersmith Hospitals Trust Patient and Public Involvement Forum is open to all interested members of the public.

The Forum, set up by the Commission for Public and Patient Involvement in Health at the end of 2003, is charged with identifying and promoting issues of local concern to hospital users and ensuring that patients and the public have a say in decisions about hospital services.

The Hammersmith Hospitals Forum will hold its second meeting in public on 21st April 2004 at the Polish Centre, King Street, Hammersmith at 6.p.m. Interested members of the public, or patients on any of the four hospitals involved (The Hammersmith, Charing Cross, Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea and Ravenscourt Park) are most cordially invited to attend.

At this meeting the Forum will consider issues relating to the discharge of patients from hospital and the arrangements that are made for their follow up care. The Forum would especially welcome participation from people who feel they would like to contribute to this debate.

Anyone who would like more information is invited to contact the Forum's Support Organisation, the VSRA, at 1 Gayford Road, London W12 9BY, Tel 020 8762 9735 or e-mail them at Birgit.Hatherall@vsra.org.uk.

April 6, 2004