Staff, partners and members of the public turned out in force at the Participation Day organised and facilitated by North Lanarkshire Disability Forum in partnership with University Health & Social Care Partnership North Lanarkshire to share their views and help shape health and social care services.
The free event, held at Bellshill YMCA last week, brought together staff, partners, carers, community groups and members of the public. They visited information stands, networked and discussed what matters to them about healthcare, social care and community support.
This year’s event theme was Prevention, Participation and Priorities: Getting It Right for Everyone. The day looked at how early support can help people stay well and independent, how people can play a part in decisions and how services can respond to local priorities.
Visitors could explore information stands and speak to specialist staff and volunteers, meet local organisations, watch short information films and hear how people’s views have helped bring about change.
Maria Barry, Interim Chief Officer for Getting It Right for Everyone, University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s Participation Day such a success.
“It was great to welcome over a hundred participants, which included team those who organised the event, gave presentations, hosted stands and came along to take part and share their views and experiences.
“It was wonderful to bring so many staff, partners and members of the public together to share ideas and talk openly about what matters to them. The standing-room-only presentations showed just how strongly people want to be involved in shaping local services.
“People who use services, care for someone or live in our communities bring valuable knowledge and experience. Their voices must be part of decisions about how healthcare and social care services are planned and delivered.
“Participation Day is about listening, learning from one another and turning people’s experiences into better support.”
