- The Patient Voices newsletter issue 6
- The Patient Voices newsletter issue 5
- The Patient Voices newsletter issue 4
- The Patient Voices newsletter issue 3
- The Patient Voices newsletter issue 2
- The Patient Voices newsletter issue 1
What's new?
The Patient Voices programme is continually growing. This page details changes to the website so you can keep up to date with new stories and key developments. General news about what's happening in the programme is in the newsletter, which you can read by clicking on the links at the left.
Don't miss out – if you would like to be notified of developments to the programme, changes to the website, or the release of new stories, rather than having to come back to the website to check to see if new stories have been released, please join the Patient Voices discussion group using the link on the contact page.
Distribution of these stories is funded solely by Pilgrim Projects as a social enterprise. Please let us know how and when you use the stories, so that we can use your experiences to persuade sponsors to support the development of more stories for everyone to use.
19th August 2010
A series of stories from those who use, deliver and develop telehealth services has been released.
2nd August 2010
Another story, 'The magic faraway tree', in a series around recovery and mental health, created at a workshop for La Trobe University, has been released.
July 2010
Eight new stories 'The girl in the garden', 'Butterfly', 'It’s not cool to take drugs', 'Photos', 'Life is but a meta-4-letter word', 'Playing in unfamiliar territory', 'The rules of grief', and 'Healing waters, people and places', in a series around recovery and mental health, created at a workshop for La Trobe University, have been released.
A third presentation, 'Ways of knowing, ways of being', given at the 16th International Reflective Practice conference at the University of Bedford has been uploaded. It can be found on the presentations page.
Two presentations given at the 16th International Reflective Practice conference at the University of Bedford have been uploaded. They can be found on the presentations page.
With effect from the 1st August 2010, Pip Hardy has been designated a Visiting Teaching Fellow in the Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Department of Nursing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
An article appeared about the Patient Voices programme in 'Summons' magazine. It can be found on the articles page.
June 2010
We've been shortlisted for the 2010 Medical Journalists Association awards, in the "Health Champion of the Year" category. For more information, see: http://mjaawards.com/
A new story 'A one-way ticket' is released. This story deals with the experiences of a person with MND.
April 2010
Two new stories are released. "Working as a team?", is a new story around teamwork and development facilated for the RCN. "A carer's story" is the first in a series of stories from pilgrim Projects illustrating carer's experiences.
Four new stories from Pilgrim Projects, "Suicide", "It doesn't happen here", "Not our concern now" and "Parents lost to alcohol" are released.
February 2010
Seven new stories from a variety of projects, "Harry's legacy", "Don’t worry, we are here to look after you", "Invisible disabilities", "Appropriate care", "Mind maps", "Life with the RCN" and "A chocolate watch" are released. Another batch of wordles have been created and added to the relevant story pages. New Patient Voices logo added to website pages.
January 2010
Issue 6 of the Patient Voices newsletter is now available. We have given up on our fax line, as we have received so few faxes this year.
Some major work on the website is coming to fruition (so much for a Christmas break!). The stories (over 250) have been re-rendered and uploaded to the site as flash movies to make them more easily playable from different computer platforms, and now sit on individual pages, to make linking to them easier. Each story page will eventually contain a 'Wordle' providing a quick visual impression of the story content, but these will have to be manually produced as we get time. To see some examples, have a look at Emma Allen's stories.
December 2009
The work of the Patient Voices programme, and the contributions of its storytellers and workshop sponsors has been recognised with shortlisting for the BMJ Group Awards in two categories: Excellence in Healthcare Education and Health Communicator of the Year. We eagerly await the awards ceremony on March 10th!
November 2009
Another story, 'A sunny day in December', in a series facilitated for the University of Nottingham which allows newly-qualified mental health nurses to reflect upon and share their experiences, is released.
There is now an embedded Google search for the site, accessible from the 'Search' tab at the top of every page.
The latest open workshop schedule, with dates for 2010, is now available from the 'Workshops' page.
October 2009
Ten new stories, "Father in CAMHS", "I'll do anything", "An ordinary life", "Getting involved", "My careers officer said...", "Why I became a blood donor", "They're my eyes", "Learning to listen", "From Red Dwarf to black hole…and back again" and "Laura" are released.
These stories, told by a group of service users, carers and PPI professionals, reflect the personal and professional experiences and aspirations that lead to participation in the PPI process.
Please note our new phone number, which has finally arrived. It is 01954 202158, and accompanies our new office address:
The Barn
1 Corbett Street
Cottenham
Cambridgeshire CB24 8QX
For the moment, our fax number remains unchanged.
Two new stories from a Pilgrim Projects/Patient Voices digital storytelling workshop, 'Look both ways' and 'Recovery' have been released. Both are stories told by nursing professionals.
September 2009
Another story, 'Where would I be without Shpresa?', around refugee, migrant and immigrant experiences from the 'Communities of Health' project with Newham PCT has been released.
Another story, 'Nurse in charge', in a series facilitated for the University of Nottingham which allows newly-qualified mental health nurses to reflect upon and share their experiences, is released.
Nine new stories created in a Patient Voices workshop sponsored by Sheffield City Council are released. These stories, told by people who use mental health services and those who care for them, are intended to illuminate the experiences of people affected by a range of serious mental health conditions including psychosis, depression, anxiety and autism, highlighting the needs of those who suffer from such conditions, and of those who care for them.
Another story, 'Breaking bad news: Is there a right way?', in a series facilitated for the University of Nottingham which allows newly-qualified mental health nurses to reflect upon and share their experiences, is released.
August 2009
Another story, 'Maybe it just isn’t the right job for you?', in a series facilitated for the University of Nottingham which allows newly-qualified mental health nurses to reflect upon and share their experiences, is released.
The final story, 'Blink once for yes', from the University of Liverpool 'Get Involved 4 the Future' project is released.
Two new stories, 'Looking for my mum' and 'From darkness into light: new worlds' are released.
July 2009
Two new stories, 'Climbing mountains' and 'Amesegenallo' are released.
June 2009
Four new stories, 'My journey with David', 'Soulmate', 'The real Malcolm' and 'A bed for Betty', in a series around experiences of end of life care created to accompany the National Audit Office's End of Life Care Conference held on 17 June 2009 are released.
Another story, 'Alphonsus', from the University of Liverpool Get fit 4 the future series is released.
Three more stories, 'What if the relationship is not enough?', 'Are we there yet?' and 'Who is an expert?', in a series facilitated for the University of Nottingham which allows newly-qualified mental health nurses to reflect upon and share their experiences, are released.
May 2009
Six new stories around refugee, migrant and immigrant experiences from the 'Communities of Health' project with Newham PCT have been released. These are 'Hope never dies', 'A light at the end of the tunnel', 'A knock on the door', 'How I turned my life around', 'Never give up' and 'A journey that saved my life'.
Four stories, 'Darkness', 'My friend Autopilot', 'One woman's life' and 'You only get one mum', from a Patient Voices worshop run for the Get Involved 4 the Future project are released. Get Involved 4 the Future is being developed by the University of Liverpool School of Health Sciences in partnership with the Forum of Carers and Users of Services and with support from the University of Liverpool Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Seven stories from members of the Isle of Wight Stroke Club, 'The longest night', 'Julie', 'Vicious circles', 'Dancing feet', 'No longer forgotten', 'Too much sun', 'The most wonderful husband in the world' and 'The hidden disability', are released.
April 2009
Eleven new stories ('Out of Africa', 'The first ten years are the worst', 'No holding back', 'Inspiration from an unexpected quarter', 'In the face of a child', 'Could you have anything better?', 'From sole to soul', 'The feet on the sofa', 'Something out of the ordinary', 'It is a wonderful life' and 'Angelic music') from members of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus are released, taking the number of stories on the website to over 200.
'True colours', the first story in a series facilitated for the University of Nottingham which allows newly-qualified mental health nurses to reflect upon and share their experiences, is released.
March 2009
Another story from the RCN, 'From little acorns...' is released.
The pages under the 'Resources' tab have been expanded to include a page containing links to workbooks and educational materials developed around some of the Patient Voices digital stories.
Another story from the RCN, 'Lost and found' is released.
Another story from Pilgrim Projects, 'Resilience', is released.
Two new stories "Demons and despair" and "She's fine, don't worry" are released.
February 2009
The pages under the 'Resources' tab have been reorganised and expanded to include presentations, papers and articles related to the Patient Voices programme.
January 2009
Another story from the University of Huddersfield, 'The complex pathway to motherhood' is released.
Another story from Pilgrim Projects, 'A patient meditation' is released.
The first in a series of stories from the University of Hudderfield 'See you later' is released.
To start the New Year is style, three new stories are released. 'In the humble and hidden life' is another story from members of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, 'The boy whose best friend was a Hoover' is a new story from Pilgrim projects, and 'My mum's smile' is the fourth in the series of stories from Newham PCT's 'Communities of health' programme.
December 2008
Two stories from Pilgrim Projects, 'A week in the life of...' and 'The forgotten memories' are released.
The fourth issue of the Patient Voices newsletter is available to download, and the list of workshop dates for 2009 has been updated.
October 2008
'Shpresa: the medicine that saved my life', 'In sickness and in health' and 'An inspiration to heaven and earth', the first three stories in the series 'Communities of health' from Newham PCT, are released.
'Crossing the road', 'Standing on my own two feet' and 'Inside out', three more stories in a series of stories around issues of faith, calling and vocation, told by members of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, are released.
Two stories from Pilgrim Projects around depression and separation, 'Transplant' and 'Feeling suicidal' have been released.
September 2008
Going into hospital presents particular challenges to people with diabetes. Five new stories ('Taking control', 'Extremes', 'A hospital is no place for a diabetic', 'Double trouble' and 'Hard-boiled eggs') are released. These stories were developed at a workshop sponsored by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement Diabetes in-patients, in order that the ‘Think Glucose' toolkit would be able to carry within it the experiences and stories of some of those patients.
August 2008
As part of ongoing research into the use of the Patient Voices digital storytelling methodology as a reflective tool in medical education, Pilgrim Projects and the University of Leicester Medical School offered a digital storytelling workshop to final year medical students as a student selected component (SSC) of their training. Seven new stories, told by junior doctors, were the result.
July 2008
A series of ten new stories, 'The story of an eagle', 'A second chance', 'Our journey in life', 'Don't knock on my door', 'I remember them', 'Healing', 'Mooshum', 'My family', 'Grandpa's inspiration' and 'Why me?', are released. These stories were created in a CDS workshop (co-facilitated by Pip Hardy) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, as part of the evaluation of the Live Well™ with Chronic Conditions Program for Aboriginal people.
Five stories, 'Max and me', 'Magic light switches', 'Eric's first fifty years', 'I'm back!' and 'My dear friend Arthur', in the series 'Arthur & Co.: stories about living with Arthritis', are released.
June 2008
'Christmas' and 'Be yourself', the first two in a series of stories around issues of faith, calling and vocation, told by members of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, are released.
May 2008
Two more stories 'Once upon a time...' and 'A long and troubled road' in the 'Healing journeys' series are released.
The first five stories, 'My little lost boy', 'Jane and Peter's journey', 'Peaks and troughs', 'Fragile: deliver with care' and 'Something from nothing' in the 'Healing journeys' series are released. These stories were created by service users in a Patient Voices workshop that took place in March 2008 at the Sheffield Hallam University Occupational Therapy department.
April 2008
The third edition of the Patient Voices newsletter is now available from the links at left.
Two new stories are released. 'The other side of the bed', which was created at a Pilgrim Projects digital storytelling workshop, and 'Not just a healthcare assistant' from the Royal College of Nursing.
March 2008
'I used to sit in this chair', 'Not just a piano tuner', 'Tip off' and 'Filling the void', 'A fish out of water', 'I've got it all' and 'Worth more than a bouquet of flowers', in the 'Work in Progress' series are released. These stories have been told by disabled people in order to share the experiences, challenges and successes of their careers.
The order in which groups of stories are listed down the left hand side of pages has been reversed, so that the newest groups of stories are at the top of the page.
February 2008
Another story from Pilgrim Projects, 'Cycling down memory lane' is released.
January 2008
An updated schedule of digital storytelling workshops is now available on the Workshops page
A story from Pilgrim Projects 'Taking my life back', in which a patient describes her realisation that she would have to manage her own care for the Fibromyalgia that was ruining her life, is released.
To start 2008, more stories from the 'Interpreting Tales' series, 'The unlikely interpreter', 'What would you do?' and 'The cost of interpreting' are released.
December 2007
To round off 2007, another story from the RCN Quality Improvement Programme dealing with issues around continence care and dementia, 'Losing Mary', is released.
Two more stories ('So many words...' and 'Too much of a faff') in the 'Interpreting Tales' series are released.
We have released a series of nine stories ('Full of beans', 'Thank you very much', 'I am very lucky', 'Iman', 'The third time...', 'Two for the price of one', 'A fighter from the start', 'When the clock stopped' and 'Nothing but the baby in my tummy') around mothers' experiences of neonatal care for premature babies.
The second issue of the Patient Voices newsletter is released – just in time for Christmas. Click on the link at the left to read it.
A new story, 'Surviving', created by a participant in a Pilgrim Projects story-telling workshop is released.
November 2007
An updated schedule of digital storytelling workshops is now available on the Workshops page
The first seven stories ('A change of heart', 'The world through another person’s eyes', 'Please help us...' 'The naked truth', 'Yasmin', 'The world is full of remedies' and 'Lost in translation') in a new series are released to the website. These stories are part of the 'Interpreting Tales' series, which is the result of a collaboration between Cintra, INTRAN, HITS and TIP, and has been made possible with funding from EEDA. Told by interpreters, service users and service providers, the stories are intended to highlight the need for professionally qualified interpreters where English is not the first language in order to improve access to all public sector services, and especially to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes.
Added a link from the 'The stories' page to a note on how to use the stories from within a PowerPoint presentation.
A story created in a Pilgrim Projects story-telling workshop earlier this year 'Knitting' is released. For a relative or a carer the language of healthcare can be harsh, frightening, guttural and unfeeling - even when interpersonal relationships are strong and care is effective. This story uses a written style that attempts to highlight that contrast.
October 2007
Two new stories created by participants in a Pilgrim Projects story-telling workshop 'CPR' and 'Only connect: a life in stories' are released.
August 2007
Two new stories from Pilgrim Projects and the RCN Quality Improvement Programme, 'Getting it right' and 'Out of reach' are released.
Another story from the RCN Quality Improvement Programme dealing with issues around continence care and Parkinson's, 'Christmas with Mum' is released.
Two new stories from the RCN Quality Improvement Programme dealing with issues around continence care and Parkinson's, 'Simple solutions' and 'I wouldn't have started from here' are released.
The first issue of the Patient Voices newletter is available to download.
Another story from Pilgrim Projects, 'Something for free' is released.
Inverted the table of stories on the 'Find a story' page, so that the newest stories are at the top.
Added details of the current Patient Voices workshop programme to the Workshops page. Come along and learn more!
July 2007
Released six new stories 'The best Dad in the world', 'See me now', 'There's more to life…', 'From pillar to post', 'A much stronger family' and 'If I had to go through it all again…', all from ‘Having a stroke: being a parent’, the result of a collaboration between Connect, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, and the Stroke Modernisation Initiative.
Pip Hardy's Masters thesis 'An investigation into the application of the Patient Voices digital stories in healthcare education: quality of learning, policy impact and practice-based value' is added, along with other papers and publications, to a new 'Research' page.
All website pages get a quick tidy-up to improve behaviour with Safari and Firefox browsers.
June 2007
Another story from the RCN Quality Improvement Programme, 'Nil by mouth' is released. Another story from the Heart Improvement Programme, 'A moving story' is released.
May 2007
Added a page describing the Patient Voices workshop programme.
April 2007
A third story from Connecting for Health, 'Leanna' is released.
March 2007
Creating an Interprofessional Workforce (CIPW), a 3-year programme funded by the Department of Health and hosted by NHS Southwest, has launched the John Horder Award for Innovation as a way of recognising innovation in interprofessional learning and development. This year, the Patient Voices programme was runner-up, and Pip Hardy was delighted to accept the award at the Higher Education Academy Festival of Learning.
Our postcode was changed, so began a rolling programme of updating and re-rendering stories.
Three more stories from the RCN quality improvement programme, 'Where do you draw the line?', 'Getting to the bottom of things' and 'An open-door policy' were released.
Another story from the Heart Improvement Programme, 'Working at the hub' was released.
Another story from the Carers' Resource, 'A plea for dignity' was released.
A second story from Connecting for Health, 'Getting in ... and getting out' is released.
January 2007
We started 2007 by releasing 'Family matters', 'Just John's wife', 'Don't give up', 'Learning to care is part of the job', 'My Michael', 'Just Jack', 'Why am I not the expert?', 'Please, just listen'and 'A permanent holiday?' – nine stories from the Carers' Resource, Harrogate, Craven and Airedale.
Two more stories from Pilgrim Projects, 'The Dormouse and the Doctor' and 'A tribute to St Nicholas' Hospice' were released.
A story from Connecting for Health, 'The nurse's tale' was released.
The first story from the RCN quality improvement programme, 'She always liked to feel useful' was released.
Another story from the RCN PDF programme, 'Imagine a world' was released.
As the number of stories available was now approaching 70, we added the 'Find a story' link to the title bar of each page. This currently goes to one page listing all the stories, together with their descriptions and some keywords. Each story is linked back to the page from which it can be played. Eventually this will become a search page.
December 2006
Uploaded a new version of 'Getting the balance right' to improve audio quality. Rendering the compact versions for the website can sometimes affect audio quality – please let us know of any stories that cause problems.
November 2006
Added information on how to play the movies on a Macintosh.
Added a feedback questionnaire to the contact page. Feedback on all aspects of the programme is always eagerly awaited.
October 2006
In order to help share experience and practice of using and making Patient Voices digital stories, we have set up an online discussion group. We would like to invite you to join the Patient Voices community of practice, where you can check in from time to tell us how you are using the Patient Voices digital stories, or what we could do improve the stories or the website. And of course, we are always happy to hear from new storytellers! To join the group, just email us your details from the contact page on this website.
'A world of difference', the first in a set of stories around issues of professional development from the Royal College of Nursing PDF programme is released.
'Pushing water uphill', 'Working together towards self-care', 'A painful story' and 'What I’ve learned from my dad', four more stories from the Working in Partnership Programme relating to self-care are released.
Released 'Reconnecting with life: stories of life after stroke'. This set of stories is about the experience of living with stroke and aphasia and how people move forward with life after stroke.
Another story from the Heart Improvement Programme, 'Getting the balance right' is released.
September 2006
A story from Pilgrim Projects, 'Bicycle clips!' is released.
Another story from the Heart Improvement Programme, 'A tap on the shoulder' is released.
Added 'For the love of Lee', the first story from the Working in Partnership Programme.
Another story from the Heart Improvement Programme, 'A common language?' is released.
Two stories from the Department of Risk Management, NHS Tayside are added – 'Jimmy's story' and 'Sixty seconds to go...'
August 2006
Added the paper Patient Voices: an investigation into improving the quality of healthcare using digital patient stories.
Added the presentation Voices from the heart of healthcare, which provides an introduction to the programme.
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