The community is being invited to join a conversation about improving services at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

Bermuda Hospitals Board will be hosting an “Open Space” event next month where members of the public can give feedback, ask questions and set up conversations important to them.

BHB CEO Venetta Symonds stated: “A lot is said about BHB and its services. Our staff work so hard to try and get it right every day and provide excellent care.

“But we know we can improve and achieve our new vision of ‘Exceptional Care. Strong Partnerships. Healthy Community’.”

She added: “This community gathering recognises the importance of the voices in our community and gives them a place to talk directly with us about how they think we can get it right more often.

“It is an event in which they will be heard and make a difference.”

According to Mrs Symonds, BHB will not be presenting or setting the agenda, instead attendees will be able to start conversations around what is important to them.

Staff will participate in the discussions, “so questions can be answered if they are relevant to the conversation”.

“But this event allows us to meet with people collectively, listen to what is important to them, act on the feedback and make improvements that will benefit the whole island,” she added.

“This is the first time we have ever tried something of this nature — we are handing over control of the conversation to our community.

“It comes from a desire to open up BHB and start a two-way dialogue to build better, trusted relationships with the people who use our services. We know it will take time for this to happen.

“This gathering is a first step, and if those who come find it valuable or we find ourselves oversubscribed, we will have more events like this in the future.”

People are encouraged to come prepared to raise what they think BHB can do to “get it right”, then put it on the agenda for discussion.

Discussions will be recorded and feedback publicly shared. BHB will use this information to shape its priorities for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

The event will be held at Pier Six on Front Street from 5.30pm to 8.30pm on February 2. Refreshments will be provided. Space is limited to 80, so people are encouraged to book their place early by emailing bettertogether@bhb.bm.