St Andrew's patients have their say during Healthcare Assistant interviews

Patients at our Birmingham hospital have recently taken part in a round of job interviews, helping our staff to put prospective Healthcare Assistants through their paces.

Four people in our care volunteered to take part, each writing their own questions to ask the candidates, before taking part in an interview panel.

Jane Bostock, General Manager explained: "It is really important that the people in our care feel empowered when it comes to decision making, and it is great for them to have a say in the staff who support them day-to-day.

"Our team of Technical Instructors supported four patients to write their own questions, many of which were really challenging and insightful. One asked: ‘How do you feel about working with someone if you know what their background is; does that make a difference to how you treat them?’. The patients really made the candidates think during their interviews, and thankfully many of them rose to the challenge."

The panel interview also gave the candidates the opportunity to meet some of the patients that they may be working with, helping them to really understand what it is like to work for a complex mental health charity.

The patients all found this to be a really positive experience. One individual, JB, said: "I felt privileged to be asked, I felt that it is important to do these interviews because it is an important process that will benefit patients when staff are employed."

Another individual, JW, said: "I enjoyed doing the interviews it was nice to meet new people and see if they would be good to support me."

St Andrew's is committed to ensuring that patients and their carers are at the centre of everything we do. Dr Inga Stewart, who chairs St Andrew's Co-production Network, explained "Working together really does benefit everyone. We are passionate about ensuring St Andrew's has a culture where everyone who uses our services - patients, service users, carers, volunteers and learners - are all fully involved in shaping the care that we provide. This recruitment project is a great example of co-production, that is having a real impact."