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Patient & Family Advisory Council

Patient engagement and partnership has been an overall priority for Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team (CKOHT) since 2020. It is a key component for co-designing a local patient-centred health system. CKOHT has had a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) for over 3 years. The PFAC has been involved in the design, implementation and evaluation of local health care improvements and clinical initiatives. This work has been guided by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)’s Spectrum for Engagement to engage patient advisors in projects and initiatives by: Informing, Consulting, Involving, Collaborating, and/or Empowering their participation.  

100% of CKOHT Working Groups have PFAC representation or representation from community members with lived experience to ensure person-centered care in all of the work that we do. We emphasize PFAC’s motto of “Nothing About Us, Without Us” to engage with patient advisors in the full spectrum of planning, implementation and evaluation stages of our work.  

CKOHT has utilized the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool (PPEET) developed by McMaster University for the past 3 years to evaluate the patient advisors’ experience in participating in the PFAC. PFAC members were surveyed using the PPEET which found the following high level results: 

  • High satisfaction rate and overall excellent engagement participating in the PFAC
  • Dedicated CKOHT staff and administrative support is key for high PFAC engagement
  • PFAC members feel valued, respected, listened to, and influential in their patient advisor role

CKOHT will continue to advance and progress with patient advisors co-designing collaborative clinical improvement initiatives at the local level. 

Web Draft
Patient Declaration of Values

The Patient Declaration of Values, drafted by the Ministerʼs Patient and Family Advisory Council in consultation with Ontarians, is to articulate patientsʼ and caregiversʼ expectations of Ontarioʼs health care system. The Declaration is intended to serve as a compass for the individuals and organizations who are involved in health care and reflects a summary of the principles and values that patients and caregivers say are important to them. 

Click here to read the Declaration.

Join Our Team!

CKOHT is looking for patient advisors to join our team! The Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team recognizes the value of lived experience, and has created a team of patient advisors called the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC).

We encourage individuals with unique backgrounds or experiences to apply to join this team, including applicants who self-identify as a member of a racial, ethnic, cultural equity deserving group. We are especially looking to add council members that can share their experiences accessing and receiving care in CK from the perspective of a marginalized or vulnerable persons as we work to redesign care experiences and improve outcomes for all. We are also looking for individuals with experience with accessing and utilizing home care (as a patient, caregiver or a family member of a patient).

The time commitment is approximately 5 hours per month and the majority of the meetings are virtual using Microsoft Teams as an online platform. Patient advisors are compensated for their time. Our Patient and Family Advisory Council is a very dedicated & welcoming group of patient partners, with a high satisfaction rate of participating on the PFAC. In fact, in a recent survey in 2024, 100% of CKOHT patient advisors reported that:

  • They are confident that the CKOHT takes the feedback provided by the PFAC into consideration;
  • Participating in the PFAC is a good use of their time;
  • The work of the PFAC makes a difference to the work of the CKOHT; and,
  • Overall satisfaction with their participation in PFAC.

If you are interested in joining our partnership as a patient advisor, please contact us.