Do you have experience of living with a long-term health condition? Could you spare a little time in 2009 .... and again in 2010?

Then why not use your knowledge, skills and experience of living with a long-term condition to become a Service User Mentor (SUM) volunteer?

The Expert Patients Programme Community Interest Company (or EPP CIC for short) is seeking people in and around the Thames Valley area who live with a long-term health condition to become involved in an exciting and influential mentoring programme with Health and Social Care Foundation Degree students at Thames Valley University.

The Foundation Degree that they are studying for leads to the nationally-recognised qualification of Assistant/ Associate Practitioner in Health and Social Care. EPP CIC is working with the South Central Health Authority (SCHA) on this pilot project, which aims to offer the students an understanding of life with a long-term health condition, by linking them each with a volunteer mentor.

This is an opportunity for volunteer mentors to use their experience to enable the students to reflect on their knowledge and understanding of self-managing a long-term health condition and the effects that this may have on day-to-day living.

The EPP CIC offers volunteers the opportunity to develop their mentorship skills by providing full training and ongoing support. You will be awarded a certificate on successfully completing the mentorship training. Commitment is key to the success of the programme and you will be meeting regularly with your student in 2009 and 2010.

Cheryl Berry, regional manager for EPP CIC said: “We feel the mentoring project is an excellent opportunity for people with experience of a long-term condition to show what life is like from their point of view, rather than from a medical perspective, and would welcome volunteer representation from people living with any long-term condition”.

To register your interest, contact Gill Stokes at the Expert Patients Programme on 07812 694562 or email gillian.stokes@eppcic.co.uk, or Jo Langley on 01225 731324 or email jo.langley@eppcic.co.uk EPP CIC is also offering people living with long-term health conditions the opportunity to become Volunteer Tutors on its expert patient self-management programmes. The company says it will provide with full training and ongoing support for this rewarding role. To find out more, contact Jo Langley (see above).

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