Consumer voices heard at first consumer health forum Aotearoa

Coming live from Te Papa, via Zoom, the Health Quality & Safety Commission held its first consumer health forum Aotearoa on 24 November 2021.

The forum is run by the Commission’s Partners in Care consumer engagement team.

The first forum started with a karakia, a welcome from Commission chief executive Dr Janice Wilson and a brief introduction to the forum’s origins. Then the 108 attendees split into focus groups to discuss and give feedback on:

• the draft code of expectations
• the forum itself and what they’d like to see from it
• ways for diverse and often unheard voices to contribute to shaping the future health system.

Feedback from attendees suggested the kaupapa of the code of expectations is well supported. There was invaluable reflection on peoples’ experiences of health services and how health providers can improve their consumer and whānau engagement. These insights will help to shape future drafts of the code of expectations. People are welcome to review and continue to give feedback on the code until 31 March 2022.

People were forthcoming in sharing their success stories in engaging diverse and often unheard voices. It was a wonderful opportunity to also hear how people adapted during COVID-19 lockdowns to engage with their own communities.

As the forum takes shape, it is essential to hear from consumers about which topics they would like to see covered and how discussions might be shaped. Early feedback suggests people generally liked having small discussion groups and virtual options, even at an in-person hui.

The Partners in Care team is collating and analysing information gathered from the first forum. Preliminary themes will be shared with attendees before the end of 2021, with a full report available in early 2022.

Forum members will be the first to hear about upcoming forum hui and will be kept up to date with health consumer news.

The consumer health forum Aotearoa has had a very positive response, with over 500 health consumers signed up so far. If you know of any consumers who would like to join, they can do so here.