Lay representatives provide an important voice by reflecting the needs and preferences of patients, their families and their carers.
The NHS Constitution sets out the values and principles of the NHS, reflecting that patients are at the heart of everything the NHS does. It is important that the patient voice is heard in the training of the future workforce, which is why patient involvement is part of an accreditation requirement from the Health and Care Professions Council .
Lay representation is important in our programmes to help embed the correct values and beliefs in our students and a patient centred ethos in their professional practice. As a lay representative with MAHSE you could help influence the training of the healthcare science workforce and future leaders in the field of Healthcare Science.
The value that we place on patient involvement in our programmes is outlined in our MAHSE PPI Guiding Principles. The guiding principles document was created in collaboration between MAHSE and our lay representatives.
MAHSE has a patient forum, which was established in order to involve service users in all aspects of the education and training of healthcare scientist. The forum meets twice a year.
What do our lay representatives do?
Lay representatives can get involved by:
Sharing their story and experiences with learners
Bringing their experience to learning groups
Being involved in creating and commenting on learning materials
Being involved in teaching, evaluating or assessing students/learners
Being an equal partner in student education, assessment and curriculum development