As a 'short hand' we use the word 'patient' to mean health and social care service users, carers (including parents), and members of the public with an interest in improving health and wellbeing.
This conference was a chance for patients, students, health professionals and academics to discuss how students and patients can work and learn together, and how they can innovate to improve practice. We welcomed participation from students not only from nursing, allied health professions or medicine but from engineering, architecture, arts and humanities, and all disciplines.
The day included a mixture of presentations, panel discussions, workshops, posters, commercial stands and demonstrations. Topics included:
- students and patients learning together and how this can be best implemented in the nursing curriculum
- the role of pharmacists, dietitians, nurses, and others in General Practice
- how social and other community resources such as libraries, leisure and sports facilities, befriending, dancing clubs can play a greater role in health and wellbeing
- how students of design, robotics, architecture, computing and digital arts can work with patients on projects to improve healthcare or health
- examples of good practice in how students have worked with Patient Participation Groups in general practice and with condition specific patient organisations across a wider area
- online collaboration between students from different health professions and with patient organisations.
This free conference was a collaboration between the University, the Patients Association and NHS England.
