1. Chair: Mike Robinson
ChiefExecutive:ProfYi-Mien Koh
AB/
Ms V Barrett
Chelsea
London
SW10 9HH
2 June 2008
Dear Val,
Recommendation of your work
You asked if I would write you a brief recommendation or testimonial covering the work
you’ve done on involving and communicating with patients. I am very happy to
recommend you and your work.
On community involvement, you and I originally worked together on the New Cross
Gate Health Impact Assessment. One of my challenges was to involve the community in
the HIA in a meaningful way. I think that without your help it would have been very hard.
Your knowledge of not just the various groups and communities – especially the very
marginalized one – was invaluable. Working with you I managed to talk with lots of
groups and individuals. I wouldn’t have been able to do it any like as effectively, since it
was your knowledge of the groups, but also the individuals. Why would anyone have
talked to me, an outsider, unless they could check me out with you first. I ended up
sitting in many peoples’ kitchens and hearing about their experience of health, health
care, barriers to health, and the kinds of interventions they wanted. These latter were
not always the same as provider organizations wanted them to have. That information
was very helpful when we came to make recommendations about changing the
interventions to make them more suitable for local needs.
As a result of that work, we then asked you to do some similar community engagement
work on the Clapham Park HIA, and again you were able to reach a lot of people who I
wouldn’t. That’s despite my many years of market research, interviewing and other
trainings. I think you had a very wide network of contacts you can always draw on, to
reach groups via family or friends.
Kirk House
97-109 High Street
Yiewsley
Middlesex
UB7 7HJ
Tel: 01895 452000
Fax: 01895 452108
Website:www.hillingdon.nhs.uk
Tel No: 01895 452000 Extn: 3012
Email: andy.beckingham@hillingdon.nhs.uk
Direct Line Fax: 01895 452050

2. Chair: Mike Robinson
ChiefExecutive:ProfYi-Mien Koh
Then you involved me in some work you were doing for LB Lewisham Education on
involving local families to quantify special needs children in the area. I have since told a
number of people that I was hugely impressed with your ability to reach the most
excluded and marginalized families.
Over a period of years you and I have discussed lots of issues of involving patients,
carers and families in defining the care they want from the NHS and other agencies. I
know you’ve devised all kinds of approaches, and during that time you’ve been a very
effective advocate for many people. Your own individual and your family health
circumstances and experiences have given you unique insight into the problems that
NHS professionals have in communicating with patients and families. I’ve been
seriously impressed by your ability to influence them, and to teach them how to
communicate with you more effectively.
Finally, I really support the training you’ve put together to teach health professionals
how to communicate with patients. It is sorely needed. I also know you are a good
communicator – that was demonstrated when you and I ran a session at the SE Public
Health Conference, and you got a standing ovation from a roomful of people.
So I have no hesitation in recommending your work and your training. I am happy to do
so. If I had any budget I would happily have asked you to come and do that work for us
in my current PCT!
Best wishes, Val.
Yours sincerely
Andy Beckingham, FFPH
Acting Director of Public Health.