The Chair of our People’s Council’s Claire Valsler writes about her experience of being a Council member and how you can get involved with our work.
Hello – my name is Claire, I am 41-year-old disabled person, who is working with Sirona care & health to help drive improvement and support change by ensuring people’s experience is fed into conversations. In short, I am the chair of Sirona’s People’s Council.
The People’s Council was initially created in early 2020. We are a team of volunteers and we have spent much of the last two and a-bit years working on our governance and contributing to focus groups and recruitment panels for senior appointments. In addition, we have fed into our quality priorities, fed back on policies and met with people across the organisation to provide a different perspective.
Personally, I have had the privilege to be on the interview panel for Board members, and learnt a lot about the role of the organisation and how the executive team and Board operates. I am now a non-voting attendee at most Board meetings, and it feels good to bring the voice of the population that we serve to the discussions that influence where Sirona is going.
It’s really important for the People’s Council to be as reflective of the population we serve as possible. As such, I really want to get out the message about how someone can join and be part of our work.
If you are passionate about ensuring that local people have a strong voice in the way community services are delivered and developed, then you can join our People’s Council. The Council works with clinicians, local managers and senior executives to share their experiences to help shape how services are delivered. We are made up of ordinary people who have an interest in how community care is delivered.
To find out more or to become a member, contact sirona.peoplescouncil@nhs.net or call 0300 124 5400. You can also share our poster with anyone who you feel may be interested.
Many thanks for your support and for helping us spread the word.
Claire Vasler
