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Second meeting for hospital advocacy group

A hospital advocacy group set up to address the concerns of dissatisfied patients and relatives is to hold its second meeting tomorrow.The aim is to inform “countless residents” who have made contact with the group, of recent developments, said the group’s co-founder Mark Selley.Members have met with members of the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s governance committee since the first meeting in March, he said.Tomorrow’s meeting will be held at Paget Gospel Chapel at 7pm.Mr Selley said an advocacy office at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital has been “reactivated”.The person in charge of that office “will be at the meeting to explain grievance procedures”.“It looks like the hospital is going to change their mindset,” said Mr Selley. “We’re very impressed with [governance committee chair Michael] Winfield, who laid out an action plan and plans to see it through.”The group was founded by Mr Selley and Allan DeSilva.Mr DeSilva, whose wife was hospitalised at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in 2011, said it was his idea to give patients a “voice in the community” and lobby for better care.He said he was especially concerned about seniors at KEMH.Nearly 40 Bermudians attended the first public meeting and gave firsthand accounts of horrific hospital experiences.Mr Selley said: “We want all those people who have been in contact with the group since our first meeting to know there has been some favourable outcomes. And we’re urging everyone to come to the meeting on Wednesday, even those who felt intimidated to do so the last time to be assured that things are happening.”Mr Selley said the main goal is to “steer people with concerns in the right direction to getting their problems with hospital treatment resolved”.