Yorkshire Ambulance Service – patient advocate role

Yorkshire Ambulance Service’s long term vision to enhance patient care is to provide additional support to patients more extensively involving volunteers and the voluntary sector in service delivery. In order to achieve this Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is developing a patient advocate role to be trialled in the Leeds area initially, this opportunity is being provided from Q Volunteering funding. The YAS Patient Advocate role will empower patients to improve their healthcare journey by completing a standardised health care plan.

The role of the advocate is a special one and can make a difference for patients in their healthcare journey. They will help patients navigate the healthcare system to improve their experience and where necessary complete a standardised health care plan that will assist in emergency management of these patients.

Advocates are volunteers who are willing to give their time to speak to patients with long term or complex medical needs to complete a health care plan. They need to have good oral and written communication skills, be empathetic, good interpersonal skills and be a good listener and a basic knowledge of YAS/Urgent and Emergency Care.

Volunteers will be recruited from YAS employees (clinical or non-clinical), YAS Volunteer Community First Responder and third party organisations acting on behalf of YAS. It is hoped to recruit 100 volunteers during the trial phase.

There is no commitment in terms of a specific number of hours required but it is expected that volunteers are likely to form 3-4 patient contacts.

Volunteers will be provided with the initial training to prepare them for the advocate role and completion of a standardised health care plan. It is hoped that by March 31^st 2019 there will be 100 volunteers trained as YAS Advocates, with training starting Early February. Please contact Jason Carlyon on 07825 864118 or Jason.carlyon@nhs.net  for more information.