Introductory session on the collaborative planning process that Shared Health’s Public, Patient, and Family Engagement Team led, with patient and family advisors and engagement staff from across the province, to develop a provincial network of advisors. Join us to learn about the collaborative planning process for the Manitoba Provincial Patient and Family Advisor Network, and how engagement staff can access the Network to help recruit advisors for their projects. We will also share what provincial projects we have been working on and what we see for the future. Objectives: • Describe key steps in a collaborative and engaging planning process; • Discuss current and future engagement initiatives in Manitoba; and • Use the services of the Patient and Family Advisor Network.

1. Developing a Provincial Patient and
Family Advisor Network
CHI Patient Engagement Lunchtime Learning Session
April 12, 2023
Presented By:
Colleen Schneider – Shared Health, Provincial Lead, Engagement
Suzie McLeod – Shared Health, Patient Engagement Consultant
Paula Orecklin – Shared Health Patient and Family Advisor

2. Statement of Acknowledgement of
Indigenous Ancestral and Territorial Lands
Health services across Manitoba are provided in facilities
located on the original lands of First Nations, Inuit, and on
the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Manitoba’s health authorities respect that First Nations
treaties were made on these territories, acknowledge harms
and mistakes, and we dedicate ourselves to collaborate in
partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in the
spirit of reconciliation.

3. Learning Objectives
Following this session, attendees should be able to:
• Describe key steps in a collaborative and engaging
planning process
• Discuss current and future engagement initiatives in
Manitoba
• Use the services of Shared Health’s Patient and
Family Advisor Network

4. Welcome
Please complete the poll that appears on your screen.

5. Background on Shared Health’s Public,
Patient, and Family Engagement Program
• Newly created program in January 2021
• Two staff
• Department’s Purpose: To integrate the patient voice in
planning and quality improvement within areas such as:
• Provincial Clinical Teams including the Clinical and
Preventive Services Plan (CPSP) projects
• Quality Improvement and Targeted Practice
Improvements
• Choosing Wisely and Manitoba’s Idea Fund for Health
• Provincial initiatives such as Disrupting Racism in
Healthcare
• Provincial quality and patient safety strategy
• Need to recruit Patient and Family Advisors to achieve our
purpose but how?

6. The Need
• Create a pool of Patient and Family Advisors
• To be provincial in nature due to the scope of Shared
Health
• To be part of Shared Health (not a free standing
provincial organization) but how does it support
Service Delivery Organizations (SDOs) and other
health organizations that are not part of Shared
Health.
• To collaborate with patient and family members and
other engagement staff across the province to explore
how this would look like.

7. What is Collaboration?
“Collaboration is the process of
two or more people, entities or
organizations working together to
complete a task or achieve a goal.”

8. Steps in the Process
1) Getting Started – gathering information and planning first
steps
• Scan of other Patient and Family Advisor groups
• Health Authorities across Canada
• BC Patient Voices Network
• Patient Advisors Network (PAN)
• Identify who needs to be involved
• Patient and Family Advisors
• Provincial Engagement Community of Practice Group
• Other stakeholders or decision markers
• Identify resources needed
• Budget
• Other

9. Steps in the Process
2. Mobilizing the Team – how will the team operate?
• Communication and decision making, reporting
• Logistics considerations
• We created two working groups
• Engagement Staff working group
• Patient/Family Advisor working group – with two Advisors on
the staff group
3. Setting Direction
• Agreeing on mandate to work towards a common
goal/interest
• Deliverables
• Timelines
Outcome of Step 2 and 3 = Terms of Reference

10. Steps in the Process
4. Taking Action – completing the mandate
• Constant communication and attention is needed
• Ensure participation from all members
• Address barriers, if any, to move forward with the work
5. Reviewing and Refining
• Reflect on work and make changes as needed
• Recognize contributions and celebrate successes

11. Development of the Network
• Propose the terminology/name for the Network
• Propose recommendations of how the Network is integrated
with existing Service Delivery Organizations (SDOs)/Healthcare
partner organizations
• Propose and develop processes for sign up/intake of advisors
• Propose and develop processes for SDO/Healthcare partner
organizations to access the Network
• Propose processes around compensation of advisors
• Propose and develop evaluation/feedback forms for both
advisors and staff
• Identify orientation and training materials needed for both
advisors and staff

12. What’s in a name?
• Advisor vs Partner
• Patient/Client/Consumer/Person with Lived Experience
• Family member
• Caregiver
• Public/Community member
Shared Health’s Patient
and Family Advisor Network

13. Process
Step
Start &
End of
Proces
s
Forms
LEGEND Potential
Patient /Family
Advisor
- website
- phone
-email
Expression of
Interest
•Expression of Interest
form
•Parental/Guardian
Consent form
(if under 18)
•Reference Form
•Patient/Family Advisor completes
Expression of Interest form
•If done through website, automatically
populates the database.
•If form is mailed or emailed, then
manual input into the database is
needed.
Screening
•Completed Expression of
Interest Form
•Screening Intake Sheet
•Risk Level/Screening
Protocol
•Reference Check Form
•Specific Interview Questions
•Outline of Possible
Engagement Opportunities
•Criminal Record Check
information
•Child Abuse Registry Form
•Adult Abuse Registry Form
•Patient Engagement Consultant contacts the
applicant to review their intake form
•Completion of reference checks and
screening checks are based on the need of
the engagement activity. One reference
check is recommended. If the applicant is a
current patient advisor in healthcare or is
unable to provide a reference, then references
can be waived. Provide applicant with
reference check form as needed.
•If the engagement opportunity is considered
Level 2 or 3 on the screening protocol, then
additional screening checks will be required
and will be assessed with each request. This
can include: Criminal Record Check (with or
w/o VSS), Child Abuse Registry (CAR) and/or
Adult Abuse Registry (AAR)
•Complete Screening Intake Sheet
Placement on
Network
(or Not Placed)
•Screening Intake Sheet
•If placed on Network, activate on
database.
•If not placed, then indicate the reason
why on database and close record.
Patient/Family Advisor Intake Process

14. • Advisor receives orientation on:
• What is Patient Engagement and levels of Engagement
• Role of a Patient Advisor
• Trauma Informed Engagement
• Communication for Patient Advisors
• Health Equity
• Unconscious Bias
• PHIA
• Non-Disclosure
• Conflict of Interest
• Patient Safety materials – HH and PPE
• Access to Volunteer Portal – TBD
o Reporting of hours and impact
• Complete Orientation section on database to track completion of
training.
Orientation
& Training
Patient/Family Advisor Intake Process Continued
• Advisors are matched to opportunities in two ways:
• Patient Engagement Consultant will contact them directly
(mass email or individually), or
• Advisor sees opportunity posted on website and expresses
interest
• If opportunity is from a Requestor using the services of the
Network, then a list of Advisors is given to the Requestor. If
the Requestor is just posting the opportunity on our website,
then the Advisor/general public is directed to the Requestor.-
do we track this?
• Placement is recorded in database
• Advisor & Requestor notifies Patient Engagement Consultant
when opportunity has ended
• Advisor waits for another match
Placement

15. •Newsletter template
•Exit Questionnaire
•Thank you letter
•Patient Engagement Consultant checks in
informally with Advisor after one month of
placement and ongoing as needed
•Feedback received from Advisor as to how
their experience is with the engagement
opportunity at 3 months, 1 year, at the
completion of project and as needed.
•Feedback received from Requestor on the
Advisors and the engagement opportunity at
the 3-month mark and annually if a long-term
opportunity, and as needed.
•Feedback received from Requestor as to the
outcome of the opportunity and shared with
Advisors.
Retention
Evaluation
Patient/Family Advisor Intake Process Continued

16. Challenges
• Unrealistic timelines to accomplish our deliverables
• Some processes involve and are dependent on other
departments (e.g. Communications)
• Need for targeted recruitment based on the engagement
requests and to ensure diversity

17. First Hand Perspective
Paula Orecklin
Shared Health Patient and Family Advisor
Member of the working group

18. How to request an Advisor from the Network?
• Shared Health’s Website (https://sharedhealthmb.ca/)
• Under Health Providers menu
• Under Integration and Clinical Planning
• Under Engagement
• Two types of request forms:
• Full Support Service
• Available to all Shared Health Programs and
Departments, Service Delivery Organizations (SDOs)
and Manitoba Health.
• Shared Health’s Public, Patient, and Family
Engagement Team will provide support for recruitment,
readiness, volunteer management, ongoing support and
follow-up/evaluation of Patient and Family Advisors and
your engagement activity

19. How to request an Advisor from the Network?
Basic Support Service
• Eligible to all Full Support Service programs, but also
to other health-care organizations, including those that
are health research-based
• Shared Health’s Public, Patient, and Family
Engagement Team will:
• Post the engagement activity/project on the Patient
and Family Advisor Network
• Share it with our Patient and Family Advisors who
will be directed to their organization

20. Next Steps
• Securing a database to assist with the onboarding of
Advisors
• Promoting the Network – internally and externally
• Growing the Network – increasing diversity
• Establishing a permanent ongoing Advisory Council to
the Network
• Creating resources for the Advisors
• Orientation Modules/Videos
• Advisor Handbook

21. Provincial Projects
• Disrupting Racism
• Capital projects
• Provincial Clinical Teams
• Clinical and Preventive Services
Plan (CPSP)

22. Contact Information
Colleen Schneider, Shared Health Provincial Lead - Public, Patient,
and Family Engagement
cschneider1@sharedhealthmb.ca
204-803-7294
Suzie McLeod, Shared Health Patient Engagement Consultant
smcleod7@sharedhealthmb.ca
204-471-2126
Paula Orecklin, Shared Health Patient and Family Advisor
paula.orecklin@gmail.com
Generic email address: engage@sharedhealthmb.ca

23. Last Poll and Questions