patients council

Collective Advocacy Meetings

We run collective advocacy meetings on wards and other areas of the hospital, so we can inform patients about things happening in the hospital, and hear patient opinion and experience.

These meetings are confidential between patients and the Patients' Council. Because each ward is different, the meetings are different.  We use a range of what are called instructed and non-instructed advocacy models to suit each area. Our volunteers run the meetings. Patients tell us they feel comfortable speaking to a volunteer who has had their own personal experience of being in the hospital. 

Some issues raised during the meetings can be acted on right away, when we pass them on to staff after the meeting. If they can’t be resolved or passed on in this way they are written down and passed on to a member of staff, usually the charge nurse. The charge nurse will write a response on the notes and we take this back to the next meeting. For more information please see this document:

Read our Guide to Successful Collective Advocacy Meetings

Collective Advocacy Meetings take place in different parts of the hospital. These include:
The Orchard Clinic

All four adult rehabilitation wards:

• Ettrick
•  North Wing
•  Swanston
• Craiglea

Children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS):

• Forteviot
• In patient unit
• Day programme

Older people’s services:

• Nile
• Eden
• Canaan
• Jordan
• Ward 14 
• Myreside
• Wards 1 and 2 at Royal Victoria
• The Hive activities centre run by SAMH

We also have other one-off collective advocacy meetings and consultations.