East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) announced the appointment of Sarah Warton, formerly known as Sarah Needham, as the People Participation Lead for Primary Care. Sarah, who recently got married and will be using her married name, brings a wealth of experience and passion to this crucial role.
Joining ELFT in February 2022 as the Practice Manager at Leighton Road Surgery, Sarah transitioned to her new role at the end of October 2023. Her decision to join the People Participation (PP) team stems from a deep-seated belief in the power of giving patients a voice and supporting the People Participation strategy within the Trust.
"People Participation is essential for listening to and understanding the needs of our service users," Sarah explains. "It allows us to shape changes for improvement based on the daily experiences of those who use our services."
Emphasising the importance of PP and co-production in enhancing care, Sarah notes that these approaches enable a deeper understanding of what works and what can be improved, directly from the service users' perspectives. "Being part of People Participation means I can contribute to ensuring everyone has access to the best possible care," she says.
In her new role, Sarah's first priorities include visiting each service to meet with staff and patients, integrating primary care more closely with other teams in ELFT through People Participation, and ensuring that service user participation is central to Quality Improvement (QI) projects.
If you are a service user or carer from East London or BLMK and would like to get involved with the collaborative’s work, contact Sarah by emailing sarah.needham15@nhs.net or calling 07776482337.