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What We Do

BC Emergency Health Services strives to offer supportive, meaningful care and services in partnership with patients, families and their supporters to provide the best experience possible.
Get involved
Have you, a family member or a friend ever received services by BCEHS paramedics in an emergency situation?

Have you ever called 911 and interacted with a BCEHS emergency medical call-taker over the phone?

Have you ever been transferred to/from a hospital or healthcare facility by BCEHS paramedics?

Help us improve our service. These are ways you can get involved:

 
BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) is looking to evaluate and improve patient outcomes and experiences.

If you are a patient or a patient's representative, and you have had an experience with paramedics and/or called 911 and spoken with an emergency medical call-taker, we invite you to join the BCEHS Patient Advisory Network.

The BCEHS Patient Advisory Network is being set up to:
  • Understand the patient perspective in order to influence change
  • Collaborate with administrators and policy-makers
  • Contribute to overall systems improvements in emergency health services
  • Allow for your voice to be heard as a patient and/or patient representative
There are various levels of engagement opportunities available to patients and patient representatives. You can choose how much or how little time and energy to commit, depending on your availability and interest.

Members of the BCEHS Network will be able to provide valuable feedback on a number of different projects, such as influencing patient-centred language and practices; policies; creating and contributing to surveys; and joining provincial initiatives across the organization.

Examples of opportunities include:
  • attending phone calls or in-person working groups; and
  • completing surveys or questionnaires about patient care or experience.
If you are interested in sharing your perspective to improve or enhance BCEHS services, please email qualityleaders@bcehs.ca and ask about joining the BCEHS Patient Advisory Network.

 
Please take a few minutes to thank a paramedic or dispatcher.

Medical emergencies can happen in the blink of an eye. Here is your chance to thank a paramedic or dispatcher who made a difference in your life, or the life of someone you care about.

 
Please feel free to contact the Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO).

Patients and families who have received services from BCEHS are welcome to submit their questions and comments about the quality of care they received, and also share positive feedback, in the form of  compliments.

The PCQO serves as a liaison between patients and health-care providers during the complaint and the compliment processes. 

PCQO manages patient care quality concerns in an open and transparent manner, for the purpose of shared understanding and quality improvement. Patient or public feedback is then used to identify how we can improve the overall quality and safety of the services we provide. 

PCQO will also be pleased to receive your positive feedback about the paramedics or emergency medical call takers who helped you or your loved one. PCQO plays a key role in ensuring your feedback reaches the person (or people) you want to compliment. 

The PCQO office can be reached by toll-free phone, email and/or in person.

Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm (closed on statutory holidays)

Provincial Health Services Authority Patient Care Quality Office
Suite 202, 601 West Broadway, Vancouver BC V4Z 4C2 

Phone: 1-888-875-3256 (toll free)
Fax: 1-604-829-2631 
Email: pcqo@phsa.ca 


Our work

Background and strategic alignment

BCEHS’ strategic goal is to continually improve the patient and provider experience by delivering high quality, patient-centred care.

Incorporating patient- and family-centred care will enable BCEHS to improve patient outcomes and experience, thereby contributing to an enhanced provincial health system.

Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) values

PHSA’s values are focused on sustained engagement of patients and families. The following five values underpin our people, leadership and culture.

  • Compassion: We show empathy, care and compassion to those we serve and to one another. We believe that simple acts of kindness matter.
  • Respect: We honour the value and dignity of all individuals. We treat others the way they wish to be treated.
  • Equity: We recognize the advantages and disadvantages experienced by patients, families, caregivers, staff and communities. We strive to create just, equitable health systems and structures that continuously provide fair outcomes.
  • Courage: We are fearless in doing the right thing. We support each other in respectfully saying and doing hard things, including truth-telling. We call out colonialist practices that must be replaced to build an effective health system.
  • Innovation: We strive for province-wide solutions by embracing partnerships and teamwork. We listen, share knowledge and welcome opportunities to learn and grow.
The goal of patient- and family-centred care at BCEHS is to continually improve the patient and provider experience by:

  • improving services based on patient feedback and understanding what is important to them;
  • bringing diverse voices into the planning process and allowing for consideration of perspectives that would not otherwise be understood; and
  • targeting resources where they are most effective and valued by the patients we serve.
Click on the BCEHS Patient Voices Framework diagram below to see a larger version:



The work to begin formally incorporating patient- and family-centre care at BCEHS can be divided into the following broad pillars in alignment with Accreditation Canada’s three-pronged approach:

  • Gather patient experience data 
  • Solicit patient input into BCEHS programs, policies, procedures and decision-making
  • Engage patients as partners in their care
Resources

We are listening: PHSA’s province-wide patient and family engagement process.

In the spring and summer of 2017, PHSA, with input from our Patient Experience Council, engaged patients, families, staff and physicians across British Columbia to help develop a Patient, Family and Community Inclusion Policy and accompanying toolkit (how-to-guide).


Community involvement links and resources

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