The creation of the first ICU patient and family advisory council in the UK

The creation of person centred care is central to national and international policy. One way of achieving person centred care within the critical care environment is to ensure that patients and family members co-produce healthcare services and are involved in the quality improvement agenda. This can be achieved through the use of a Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC). Methods: We invited 12 patient and family members to our first PFAC. We recruited a variety of participants including those who had made a complaint about aspects of our service and those from different backgrounds and specialities. The PFAC met bimonthly in a room off of the ICU. The PFAC was co-chaired by a patient or carer. The agenda for each meeting was also co-produced by the Council. Results: The PFAC identified five main stages of the critical care journey for patient and carers: arrival in ICU, the ICU stay, discharge to the ward, discharge home and ongoing recovery. This led to significant changes within our ICU including: improvements in the provision of information for relatives and patients, improved signage to the ICU and the creation of an information leaflet for ward staff. The PFAC has also helped design our current ICU rehabilitation program. Changes to the downstream ward areas are an ongoing area of work but will include patient volunteers. The PFAC will approve a final report which will be sent to the Chief Executive of our organization. This ICU PFAC Framework will be used for future Councils in our hospital to shape improvements in care. Conclusions: The creation of a PFAC is feasible and appropriate in the ICU environment. Our PFAC has helped established meaningful change in both our ICU and hospital.