Improvement in patient experience celebrated

The ‘patient experience’ is now in the minds of most healthcare leaders. It is no longer a luxury that can be dispensed with when more pressing initiatives arise. Nevertheless, there is much ambiguity over what is meant by, and what can be done to deliver, a ‘world class patient experience’. The Patient Experience Network (PEN) aims to help address this, by providing a valuable resource for healthcare organisations and individuals wishing to deliver a great experience for patients. A not-for-profit organisation, PEN was established nearly two years ago, to recognise, share and celebrate the initiatives around the UK that are improving the experience of millions of patients. PEN realised that organisations are often either unaware of, or do not take the time to recognise, their own best practice. However, sharing this best practice is crucial for creating a consistent experience across an organisation and for driving continuous improvement. Most importantly, celebration of these achievements engenders incredible pride within teams and inspires them to strive to deliver even more great experiences for their patients. With this in mind, the organisation launched the PEN National Awards (PENNA). Now in their second year, the awards took place on 18 January and proved to be a day of passion, commitment and energy in the celebration of best practice from around the UK. This year, the finalists at PENNA were characterised by their incredible personal commitment to their role, their energy and ‘can do’ approach to all challenges encountered and their passion for improving their patients’ experience. Having listened to the six winners presenting their best practice case studies, what was apparent was the extent of their sense of empowerment. Where this empowerment was reinforced by the healthcare organisation in which they worked there was an expectation that best practice would be sustained and embedded more broadly across the organisation. What was also clear was that best practice does not necessarily require ‘innovation’. It is about putting the patient, their carers and families, at the heart of thinking, which results in a visible and fundamental difference for patients and their outcomes. Quite simply, it can be about ‘going back to basics’ – sometimes the simple things can make the biggest difference.

The winners

 At Lothian (the overall winner), nurses described how they had enabled older patients with enduring mental health problems to decorate their own ward at a small cost of £200. This resulted in less aggression on the ward and improved medical outcomes. Similarly, a children’s ward had worked with younger shorter term in-patients to improve the ambience of their ward and, consequently, the experience of their patients and carers. By doing everything in their power to turn a hospital ward into a home environment, NHS Lothian’s groundbreaking work in delivering heightened levels of patient-focused care was the unanimous winner. Hospital nurses developed a series of patient-focused initiatives on the Thistle Ward (a continuing care facility which cares for older adults with enduring mental health problems), such as enabling patients to choose the colours of the paint used to decorate their ward; bring personal effects into hospital to transform their bed-side areas; and even acquire an aquarium, in order to make patients feel increasingly ‘at home’ during their stay at Edinburgh’s Ellen’s Glen House hospital. The aim was to reduce physical and verbal aggression, improve social interaction, encourage individuality and reduce anxiety. In fact, the benefits of the initiatives to patients – and the hospital – have been significant and very tangible. “We have seen our patients become a lot more content during their stay,” commented Corina Falconer, who, with colleagues Gillian Napier and Jane Montgomery, accepted the award on behalf of NHS Lothian. “Patients have become less aggressive as a result of their new environment. They are a lot happier and, since the initiative, they have got better a lot quicker. It has been a fantastic experience for everyone associated with this work – and there has been a domino effect throughout the hospital, with other wards replicating what we have done. To be recognised in the Patient Experience Network National Awards is something that will inspire everyone we work with.” Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust picked up the prestigious Measuring, Reporting and Acting category award. In particular, the judges praised the Trust’s delivery of the UK’s best performance for aiding patients who have suffered hip fracture. Hip fractures are notoriously problematic, with a high percentage of sufferers dying as a result of the trauma and suffering they experience. The Trust initially set itself the following goals: • Providing hip fracture care of the highest quality. • Adopting a pathway approach to ensure consistency of care. • Ensuring recent evidence and national standards are systematically implemented. • Providing exceptional patient experience – meeting physical, emotional and information needs. In fact, the Northumbria team’s work resulted in mortality rates dropping from 14.3% to 9.8% while the Trust also received widespread recognition from key stakeholders (including the national media) about the speed in which clinical and surgical teams are able to respond to the needs of patients. Physical comfort was improved for patients, with 80% receiving a nerve block on admission, while 97% of patients interviewed believed that staff had done everything they could to effectively control pain. In addition, 80% of patients now receive additional feeding each day, with the help of nutrition assistants and volunteers. The Trust has also made significant advances in achieving timely surgery. Wansbeck is reported to be the best performer in the NHS – achieving a 36-hour time to surgery target (88%), while North Tyneside is the best in the NHS for 48 hours, operating on 99.6% of patients in this timeframe. The Trust’s performance is consistently maintained at the 90% mark. Knowsley Health and Wellbeing achieved two awards, after claiming top spot in the Communicating Effectively with Patients and Families and Personalisation of Care categories. The Trust’s work in supporting patients suffering from cardio vascular diseases (CVD) and strokes – and tackling the unplanned care costs associated with both conditions – has led to huge improvements being delivered at its three hospitals in Merseyside. At the heart of its work was a commitment to ensuring: ‘No Decision About Me, Without Me.’ The Trust spoke to patients about their views on CVD services and made significant changes as a result. The patient journey was mapped and challenged, and a new pathway designed, to speed up diagnosis and integrate all services. Just one year after the new community CVD service was launched, the borough saw significant improvements, with 93% of patients being seen, diagnosed and treated if needed in a single visit; 91% of patients being seen within 10 working days of referral and one third more eligible patients starting rehabilitation.1 Other award winners included Burton-based private healthcare provider, Healthcare at Home, which secured an award in recognition of its work to support caregivers, staff and family. The company was one of a few non-NHS organisations among the 30 finalists. An innovative and far-reaching 18-month project by Leicester City Primary Care Trust and Leicestershire and Rutlands NHS Trust, which delivered a wide range of tangible benefits to young people diagnosed with mental health problems, was also widely praised by judges, after winning the Strengthening the Foundation category. The project team consulted widely with more than 20,000 young people and their families before implementing a plan that has had a major impact locally. :