Why your voice matters
People and communities are at the heart of the NHS. Their experiences, ideas and insight help us understand what matters most and how services can work better for everyone.
At NHS Thames Valley, we are committed to working in partnership with the people and communities we serve. Listening to patients, carers, residents and partners helps us design services that are more accessible, more effective and better able to reduce health inequalities.
This approach reflects the principles set out in NHS England’s guidance on Working in Partnership with People and Communities, which encourages health systems to involve people in shaping decisions that affect their health and wellbeing.
By working together we can:
- Improve the quality and experience of care
- Reduce health inequalities and reach communities whose voices are not always heard
- Design services around people’s real needs and lived experiences
- Support healthier communities and stronger partnership
Your voice helps shape the future of health and care in the Thames Valley.
Our approach to engagement and involvement
As a new organisation bringing together previous NHS systems, NHS Thames Valley is building a shared approach to listening to and working with our communities.
We are committed to:
- Listening to communities
- Understanding the experiences and priorities of patients, carers and residents.
- Working with partners
- Collaborating with community organisations, local authorities, Local Healthwatch and others who already have strong relationships with local people.
- Being open and transparent
- Sharing what we hear and explaining how feedback informs decisions.
- Reducing health inequalities
- Making sure engagement includes communities who are often under-represented or face barriers to accessing services.
Over time we will continue to develop our involvement approach across the Thames Valley so that communities can play an active role in shaping local health and care services.
