BSP Patient Forum

The Patient Forum had a successful meeting earlier this month in London. Led by Professor Ian Needleman, the group of volunteers regularly meet to share their experiences and ideas to help shape the future of gum health in the UK.

We were delighted to be joined by Mr Derek Stewart OBE, who is internationally recognised for his work as a patient advocate regarding throat cancer but also much wider across healthcare. Derek led a fantastic “Making your voice heard” session, allowing the members to hack into his extensive experience to help develop their skills and confidence in advocacy for gum health.You can read Derek's reflective blog about the meeting via this link: https://derek-online.blogspot.com/2020/03/making-your-voice-heard.html

Professor Needleman was grateful to the volunteers for their enthusiasm on the day and remarked, “I was struck by how fortunate we are to work with a Forum who are so committed to improving oral health and supporting the BSP. Derek Stewart’s training was hugely helpful in providing a structure that Forum members can use to promote periodontal health when lobbying for change”.

Unfortunately, the Patient Forum meeting planned in Glasgow at the end of this month has been postponed due to Covid-19.