An update from Operations Director, Nigel Hare
On the 11th December five intrepid DAA volunteers (Tony Cannon, Marilyn & Alan MacQueen, Chris & Sara Bellworthy) and myself participated in a ‘Consensus Meeting’ at the Buckfast Abbey conference facility. Consensus Meetings are a recognised method used in research and they follow a clear process to creatively and dynamically reach agreement between all members of a group.
The meeting was part of a study that aims to establish the priorities for older people going to the Emergency Department. Whilst this is not directly Devon air Ambulances’ business, you can see there is a relationship with our work. The research is named ‘Patient Reported Measure for Emergency Department patients aged 65 and over’ (PREM-ED 65+), and is being run by Dr Blair Graham, a Lecturer in Urgent & Emergency Care and Doctoral Research Fellow at Plymouth University, and the work is supported by Plymouth Hospitals Charity.
Approximately thirty members of the public took part in the day, the group was split into smaller more manageable groups so that everyone was able take a full part in the meeting. We were certainly looked after, with tea breaks, lunch, and the opportunity to walk the grounds of the beautiful Abbey.
Understanding the priorities that our own patients have is very important to us and so it is hoped that results from this study may indirectly inform us and our own work. Additionally, experiencing the methodology used in Dr Graham’s work will be of huge benefit as our own research develops.
I would like to thank Tony, Marilyn, Alan, Chris and Sara for helping to make the day a success, and to our volunteer Manager Cara Jones for helping with the initial communications.
