Community invited to open up about BHB services

20 January 2017: Bermuda Hospitals Board is inviting the community to join a conversation about improving services at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute at an ‘Open Space’ event on Thursday 2 February 2017, from 5:30pm to 8:30pm at Pier Six, on Front Street, Hamilton. Refreshments will be provided.

BHB CEO, Venetta Symonds, comments: “A lot is said about BHB and its services. Our staff work so hard to try and get it right every day and provide excellent care. But we know we can improve and achieve our new vision of ‘Exceptional Care. Strong Partnerships. Healthy Community.’ This community gathering recognises the importance of the voices in our community and gives them a place to talk directly with us about how they think we can get it right more often. It is an event in which they will be heard and make a difference. BHB will not be presenting or setting the agenda. Attendees will come and set up conversations around what is important to them.

“There will be staff participating in the discussions, so questions can be answered if they are relevant to the conversation. But this event allows us to meet with people collectively, listen to what is important to them, act on the feedback and make improvements that will benefit the whole island.”

Mrs Symonds concludes: “This is the first time we have ever tried something of this nature – we are handing over control of the conversation to our community. It comes from a desire to open up BHB and start a two way dialogue to build better, trusted relationships with the people who use our services. We know it will take time for this to happen. This gathering is a first step, and if those who come find it valuable or we find ourselves over-subscribed, we will have more events like this in the future.”

Participants at the event will:

• Start conversations that matter to them: there is no set agenda. People should come prepared to raise what they think BHB can do to ‘get it right’, then put it on the agenda for discussion.
• Be heard: there are no panels or presentations, just open conversation.
• Make a difference: discussions will be recorded and feedback publicly shared. BHB will use this information to shape its priorities for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Space is limited to 80, so people are encouraged to book their place early. RSVP by emailing bettertogether@bhb.bm.

Notes to Editors
The Bermuda Hospitals Board is a quango (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisation) established under the Bermuda Hospitals Board Act, 1970. It has a Bermuda Government-approved Board and a Chief Executive Officer, responsible for King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute. At the heart of both organisations is high quality care to all patients.

With approximately 1,700 employees, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is Bermuda’s second largest employer. King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute are the only healthcare organisations in Bermuda accredited by Accreditation Canada, an independent organisation whose role is to help hospitals examine and improve the quality of care and service they provide to their clients. In addition to providing an extensive list of services for the community, the Bermuda Hospitals Board is part of a referral network that includes some of the world’s leading specialist hospitals.

For more information, please visit www.bdahospitaldev.wpengine.com or contact the Bermuda Hospitals Board Public Relations Department at publicrelations@bhb.bm.

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