1. IMPROVING PATIENT AND CLIENT EXPERIENCE Vanessa Bourne Head of Special Projects The Patients Association

2. Introducing The Patients AssociationListening 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

3. 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

4. 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 “Ithank 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

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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:

11. 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?

12. No Real Customer Choice • Customers loathe tokenism • Tokenism becomes cynicism • Cynicism turns into apathy • Apathy allows bad practice

13. 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

14. 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!

15. NURSE! • Patients do not choose to be patients • Sick, easily institutionalised, powerless They 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

16. 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

17. PATIENTS ARE THE REASON FOR THE HEALTH SERVICE - NOT INTERRUPTIONS TO IT