Linda Gunn is a volunteer Public Partner with Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Following her retirement from the NHS after 42 years, Linda still wanted to play her part in helping others and saw the role with our organisation as a perfect way to keep making a difference.
The NHS has been through a most difficult time in the last few years, in all its forms of healthcare delivery and in the education of new healthcare workers.
Even though I had retired from working in dental care, I felt I still had something to offer and that my experience might be helpful to another part of the NHS. Initially I thought I would be able to help in the response to COVID-19, but I was open to different challenges.
An initial web-based search for volunteering roles in the NHS brought up Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the name caught my attention, as my own motivation for volunteering would be to improve care. I felt, from that moment on, a new, interesting and enlightening world opened up for me.
I applied to Healthcare Improvement Scotland to become volunteer, otherwise known as a Public Partner, at the beginning of 2022, so it is still early days. Since then I have undertaken a comprehensive induction programme and completed an online module on Health Technology Assessment – more of that later.
Meaningful involvement
It does not matter whether we, as patients or carers, have to use the NHS regularly or not. Having the reassurance that it is available to us is one thing, but having the comfort of knowing that we will be treated in the best way by the right healthcare staff who are well trained and professional is, I think, the most important thing to us. This scrutiny of the service in its many forms is what being a Public Partner allows me to be a part of and to contribute to.
As a Public Partner, I have found myself involved in major projects such as the quality assurance of Healthcare Improvement Scotland itself and quick questionnaires such as those of the citizen’s panel.
was not sure which area I wanted to focus on but when I joined HIS, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) – another part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland – was looking for a new Public Partner. I joined SMC in February as one of three Public Partners. We are full voting members of the SMC Committee, and as members of the public, we use our judgement on the value of a new medicine to NHS Scotland. This has been so interesting and a completely new subject for me, so there has been a huge amount to learn, although we are fully supported by the SMC Public Involvement Team.
I was not sure which area I wanted to focus on but when I joined HIS, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) – another part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland – was looking for a new Public Partner. I joined SMC in February as one of three Public Partners. We are full voting members of the SMC Committee, and as members of the public, we use our judgement on the value of a new medicine to NHS Scotland. This has been so interesting and a completely new subject for me, so there has been a huge amount to learn, although we are fully supported by the SMC Public Involvement Team.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland offers a variety of activities which Public Partners can become involved in, because everything that happens in the NHS can be enhanced by including the opinions of those who use the service; the public.
It is clear that much of this is new to me but from the start everyone in Healthcare Improvement Scotland have been so helpful and patient to ensure I understand. As well as talking me through things, an online module was provided through the University of Glasgow which I completed over a few days.
There was a bit of anxiety when I did the ‘tests’ but once I realised I could go back and revise, that helped – after all, it was more about me learning than achieving a score or pass mark.
Astonished and grateful
While I was totally unaware of the processes involved in how new medicines get approved in Scotland, I am both astonished and grateful that when SMC look at new medicines they take into account patients’ views, the views of their families, the experts and clinicians’ views, cost-effectiveness, and as a Public Partner, my opinions. It is such an incredible, sensitive, caring process which is in place to ensure the patients get the best treatment. I feel very honoured to be part of it.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland offers a variety of activities which Public Partners can become involved in, because everything that happens in the NHS can be enhanced by including the opinions of those who use the service; the public.
It is clear that much of this is new to me but from the start everyone in Healthcare Improvement Scotland have been so helpful and patient to ensure I understand. As well as talking me through things, an online module was provided through the University of Glasgow which I completed over a few days.
There was a bit of anxiety when I did the ‘tests’ but once I realised I could go back and revise, that helped – after all, it was more about me learning than achieving a score or pass mark.
New opportunities
New opportunities to volunteer within Healthcare Improvement Scotland come up regularly but I don’t feel I need to contribute to everything, and no-one puts pressure on me. The trouble is, it’s all so interesting it’s hard to say ‘no’.
I am also hugely aware that everyone in the organisation appreciates my time and recognises that I am a volunteer.
I said I wanted to continue to contribute and I still wanted a challenge and to continue to learn. I have learned so much in the last few months and my thoughts and opinions have been appreciated and respected. It is gratifying to see how such an organisation works for the people in Scotland, so that they continue to receive the best care delivered by professionals at their highest professional standards.
Anyone can contribute and have their own opinions valued, and you don’t need to have an NHS background.
Linda Gunn previously worked in dental education in the NHS in Scotland is a Public Partner with healthcare Improvement Scotland.
Call to action – find out more about being a Public Partner at Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the work of the Scottish Medicines Consortium.
- Find out more about the role of a SMC Public Partner.
- As part of a rolling Public Partner recruitment programme, SMC will be recruiting another new Public Partner later this year. To find out more please email his.smcpublicinvolvement@nhs.scot
- Find out more about Volunteers’ Week 2022. This is the 38th Volunteers’ Week, with the focus this year on saying thank you to those who give up their time to help others. Find out more on social media, using the hashtag #VolunteersWeekScot
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