Actioning Person Centred Care SIG Webinar

This webinar explored what it means to put patient and carer perspectives at the heart of person-centred care, particularly when people feel that their knowledge, concerns or lived experience are not heard, believed or acted upon.

Through lived and living experience, panel discussion and contributions from participants, the session examined trust, credibility and power dynamics in health and care. Speakers and attendees reflected on the impact of labels such as “difficult”, “combative” or “non-compliant”, and on the harm that can occur when patients and carers feel unable to speak up or fear that doing so may affect their care.

The discussion also highlighted the close relationship between patient experience, equity and patient safety. Participants reflected on the importance of recognising intersectionality, valuing caregiver knowledge, creating relationally safe environments and ensuring that patient and carer involvement is embedded in care planning and decision-making.

A recurring theme was the value of simple but meaningful changes in practice: pausing, listening, asking what matters to the person, involving carers appropriately and shifting from adversarial relationships towards genuine collaboration.

Hosted by the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) and the Actioning Person Centred Care Special Interest Group (APCC-SIG), the webinar brought together patients, carers, researchers, practitioners and health and care leaders for a rich discussion on how person-centred care can move from principle to everyday practice.