IMPROVING PATIENT AND CLIENT EXPERIENCE

Vanessa BourneHead of Special ProjectsThe Patients Association

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Introducing The Patients Association Listening to patients and speaking up for change

• Independent charity, created more than 40 years ago• Membership made up of individual and corporate

members • Independent and informed voice for and to patients• Our voice is trusted by patients who look to us for

advice on all aspects of the patient experience• Patients Association Helpline

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Helpline

• Operated by volunteers• Receives more than 7000 calls, emails and letters a year• Last resort• Patients’ experience focuses the policy priorities of the

organisation• Recent issues:

– Mixed sex wards– Access to Medical Records– Privacy and dignity– Informed choice

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Our Campaign for Safer Practice since 2000

• Reuse of Medical Devices• Decontamination of surgical instruments • Tracking medical devices in relation to Super Centres

for decontamination• Survey of SHA monitoring of decontamination

“I thank The Patients Association for the pressure they put on us to keep improving standards. Long may they continue”

Sir Ian Carruthers – Acting Chief Executive of NHS, May 2006

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Our Campaign for Safer Practice since 2000

Campaigns follow a pattern:

• Government announcement of what constitutes best practice

• Patients Association survey of relevant staff most involved

• Findings: huge variations / best practice not actioned etc.

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

2005 – Cleaner Hospitals Summit

• Brought together speakers from government, clinical staff, contractors and patients

• Exhibition of those offering innovation and best practice so that we didn’t just complain but offered solutions

• Event was followed by the 100 Day Challenge Report to see what action had been taken

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Campaigns 2006

• Cleaner Hospitals Safer Healthcare Summit

• Initiated the first Patients Association Awards Scheme

• Infection Control – Is it only skin deep? November 2006 survey of infection control nurses and others

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Campaigns 2006

• Increased media interest:

• 2000 – People read about others’ experiences of HCAIs

• 2006 – Everyone has personal experience or knows someone who has suffered from HCAIs

President of the Patients Association, Claire Rayner is one of the leading campaigners as a result of her own experiences

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Next stages of campaign

• Information for Patients: Patients Association’s ‘Ten Top Tips’ – being developed as more information becomes available from different sources

• Information for Visitors: hospitals are not hotels, need for awareness before visits

• New Buildings: PA contributions to design out infection potential through RIBA and LIFT

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Call For Action

• Trust Board – ‘fish rots from the head’• HCAI clinical leads must be sufficiently senior to have

clout• Bad practice affects everyone in the Trust. Information

must be broken down by specialty / ward / department• Publicity – where are the advertisements?• Health promotion before hospital admission on infection

– much wider programme required in schools, workplaces, homes

Everyone, Everywhere, Every time – THE top priority:

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

Why so complicated? - how others manage

• Airlines - jumbo jet crash a month• Hotels - customers don’t have to join focus groups,

workshops etc.

Compared with• rail companies• banks

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

No Real Customer Choice

• Customers loathe tokenism

• Tokenism becomes cynicism

• Cynicism turns into apathy

• Apathy allows bad practice

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

The Patient Journey

• First phone call• Kindness• Confidentiality• Ease of access - signage, parking, communications• Informed choices• One stop shop• Life Standards for privacy and dignity• End of Life standards

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

What National Health Servants can do

• “Somebody knew, somebody kept quiet”• “Fish rots from the head”• Quality is not an add on• Staff as patients• Mindset: customers DO have a choice• No Wildebeest!

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

NURSE!

• Patients do not choose to be patients• Sick, easily institutionalised, powerlessThey need a 24/7• Advocate, defender, supporter, lead carer to be eyes,

ears & VOICE on their behalf• At all stages of patient journey• Bravery essential• Ensure clinical, individual excellence

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

NURSE!

• Selection criteria for students• Curriculum for student nurses• Essence of all care - clinical and individual• Opposite of tokenism• Zeal for excellence for individual patients

Improving Patient Experience and Care through Practice and Quality ImprovementNIPEC Conference, 27th March 2007Hilton Templepatrick Hotel

PATIENTS ARE THE REASON FOR THE HEALTH

SERVICE -

NOT INTERRUPTIONS TO IT