Tower Hamlets Community Health Services recently launched the first episode of their podcast 'I am a GP in Tower Hamlets'. This is co-hosted by Dr Alex Harborne, Clinical Director for Tower Hamlets CHS and Alexandra Hadayah, Lead Therapist for Tower Hamlets CHS.
The podcast initially started as a new QI project to improve communication between colleagues and GP teams and the team wanted to find a creative way of updating them. GP colleagues can be extremely busy and it may be difficult to read email bulletins and information on a busy day with patients.
These short 10 minute episodes therefore explain ELFT's Community Health services and helps GP's to understand which patients would most benefit from a referral. Each month, the co-hosts will talk to a colleague and patient about their experiences of the service and give their top tips for GP's. The newest episode is on the Cancer Care Navigation Service and features a service user.
Dr Alex Harborne said: 'We hoped that GPs might find it more enjoyable to listen for ten minutes to our colleagues and patients to increase their understanding of our services. We also wanted to give the opportunity for the patient voice to be heard through involving them in every episode of our podcast.'
This podcast hopes to give GPs a better understanding of ELFT's services so they are able to make referrals for those patients that would most benefit and can also be used to share positive stories about ELFT's community health services and the great work our staff are doing every day in the community.
Most importantly, this podcast hopes to provide an opportunity for the patient voice to be heard as widely as possible.
Dr Alex Harborne said:
' It has been an amazing experience - it brought so much joy during the process - both to the patient and to colleagues taking part and listening afterwards. I can’t wait to record our next episode– and this time I want to bring the patient voice in much earlier. I think there is great power in the patient voice - this is the voice our GP colleagues want to hear'
Listen to the latest I am a GP in Tower Hamlets Podcast Episode >>