What is Patient & Public Involvement?

Transcription

1 1 What is Patient & Public Involvement? The Government places a legal duty on all NHS Organisations to involve and consult the public in the planning of service provision, the development of proposals for change, and decisions about how services operate. The Patient & Public Involvement system will help to make sure the principals set out in the Kennedy Report (2001) are acted upon throughout the NHS, and that there is an openness in procedures involving and consulting patients and the public. We can only provide services that respond flexibly to the needs of those who actually use our services, if we listen to their experiences, and involve them in decisions about the way our services are delivered. This strategy outlines how we aim to work with the local community to provide and develop the local health services at Essex Rivers NHS Trust. Our Vision: The importance of involving patients and the public Staff at Essex Rivers believe that patients are the most important people in the Health Service, and that we will involve and consult with those who use our services to improve their experiences through listening, responding more flexibly and using their unique views to guide and shape our services. We also recognise that people have a fundamental right to have control over their own lives, and to be actively involved in decisions that affect their lives and well-being. Encouraging individuals to become involved empowers them and improves both the patient experience and health outcomes. Promoting greater involvement which benefit patients and the public will also help the Trust to provide a more effective service, which is valued by patients, the public, and all members of staff. Current Position ERHT acknowledges that taking the patient perspective into consideration can lead to a greater understanding of patient and community needs, priorities and concerns. This is demonstrated by the number of our user, support and special interest groups, the use of a Readers Panel to ensure that all Hospital information is reader friendly, our Comments & Suggestions boxes which have already provided us with valuable feedback on how we can improve our services, carrying out regular patient surveys, and by the patient representatives on various Trust committees and working groups. The Trust also has over 400 people who volunteer on a regular basis, although we are eager to increase the number of patient representatives. We are also developing policies to support members of the public who may have special needs.

2 2 Core Principals It is essential to identify key priorities to take forward Patient and Public Involvement and to have an annual plan to translate the strategy into specific activities and initiatives. This will also demonstrate how and where patient and public involvement will affect decisions and impact on services. We will deliver this strategy using the following core principals: To provide open, equal, access to relevant information about services, treatments and performance Improve patient experience year on year through listening, responding and acting to ensure patients are at the centre of decision making Develop a culture within the workforce which respects patient and public involvement Develop closer relationships with our community and other organisations to ensure the highest quality of care within a comfortable, clean, and friendly environment, as outlined in the local development plan Improve the patient experience and enable informed choice and decision making Improve the experience of specific groups the NHS has traditionally found hard to reach Patient & Public Involvement will be an integral part of the Trust s reporting systems, underpin clinical governance activity, and be integrated at all levels of the organisation What specifically does Involvement mean? The key principals are that patients, carers and the public will be involved in all aspects of service planning and development, and that there will be openness and honesty about the scope of this involvement. We have identified levels of involvement for our service users and carers. These include: Individual Care Planning: This is where patients, and carers are directly involved in individual care planning. It ensures that the patient s needs are at the heart of the care plan. Receiving information from the Trust: This will be done in a variety of ways from exhibitions and public meetings to information leaflets, the internet and use of the local press. Giving Information to the Trust: This is achieved through surveys, consultation documents, individual complaints and compliments, Your Voice Counts, focus groups, patients as

3 3 teachers outlining patient stories, initiatives and special interest/support groups. Active Participation: This includes involvement in Service redesign, patient representation on Trust committees, planning groups, modernisation initiatives, hospital inspection teams, policy development, staff training, designing information leaflets, monitoring standards (e.g. Quality Visits) and clinical audit and research. This also includes individual special events, open days, Patient and Public Involvement steering group, and from November 2003 onwards, the Patient Forums. Strategic Involvement: This includes reporting mechanisms to Trust Board level, the Chief Executive, and Senior Management Administration Group, the Clinical Governance Committee, as well as the newly formed patient forums, from November Strategic Goals 1. Improve key dimensions of the patient experience year on year. 2. Strengthen our accountability within the community by developing a partnership with patient forums and the Community Voluntary Service 3. We will provide a clean, safe, comfortable and friendly environment for patients 4. Relevant information made available to the public and stakeholders via all tiers of involvement ensuring that information is provided in order to empower patients, and enable them to make informed choices 5. We will undertake Essence of Care Benchmarking to ensure Privacy and Dignity, a high standard of nutrition etc 6. Review the Bereavement Services and write policies and procedures to ensure that families are supported during that difficult time. 7. Partnership working between Mental Health Services, Learning Difficulties, and other hard to reach groups. 8. We will ensure that patient s are aware of how they can make their views on the service known, and how we have responded 9. We will provide staff education to ensure a customer focused approach

4 4 What we will do How we will do it Are we there yet? 2003/5 1. Improve key dimensions of the patient experience year on year 2. Strengthen our accountability within the community by developing a partnership with The Patient Forums, The Independent Complaints & Advocacy Service, Overview & Scrutiny Committee, as according to The Commission of Patient & Public Involvement in Health. 3. We will provide a clean, safe, comfortable and friendly environment for patients This will be achieved through data collection of patient experience via surveys, individual complaints and compliments, Your Voice Counts, focus groups, patients as teachers outlining patient stories, from all directorates, PALS, Complaints Datix System, and Essence of Care Benchmarking. Establish structures within Essex Rivers to support the patient and public involvement agenda and ensure representation from the public. Monitor the flow of information and establish a database to provide evidence of PPI activity within the Trust. Review the strategy as a jargon free document. Link PPI activity with the Local Development Plan. Educate staff of the importance of the PPI agenda. Compile a database of existing patient representatives, and assist groups in sourcing lay representatives. Matrons have been in post at Essex Rivers since 2001, and we aim to increase to a further 2 in Patient Care Coordinators have been in post since Introduction of pilot scheme of hoard use keepers Clinical and non-clinical risk assessments are carried out across the Trust, as outlined in the Trust Risk Management Risk Management as an agenda item on the Clinical Governance Committee, which has, lay representation. Your Voice Counts has been recognised as excellent practice and the plan is to establish this in all directorates across the Trust. Ward Managers and Heads of Department have been using Patients as Teachers /Patient Stories, and Observation of Care in some areas of the Trust. We plan to make this happen once a month as a way to monitor patient experience within each area. Considerable improvement has occurred within care of the elderly as a result of the Nutrition Benchmarking project e.g. improved menus, volunteer mealtime project The Patient & Public Steering Group was established in March 2003, with a Non Executive Chair, and Executive Lead. Representatives include, Colchester Community Voluntary Service, Citizens Advice Bureau (Colchester & Tendring), Commission for Racial Equality, Essex Coalition of the Disabled, Information Officer, Communique, PALS. Currently we have 23 lay representatives, and are keen to recruit more public representatives. The PALS Service has been established at Essex Rivers since 2002 and is situated in main reception. Feedback via our communication systems will provide us with data to monitor service delivery.

5 5 What will we do? How will we do it? Are we there yet? 4. Relevant information made available to the public and stakeholders via all tiers of involvement, ensuring that information is provided in order to empower patients, and enable them to make informed choices Piloting new nursing documentation of three wards. The Trust aims to sign a compact with the local Borough of Colchester and statutory and voluntary organisations to develop trust, develop a mutual understanding and work together on common aims. A nursing strategy has been in place since July 2002 this documents outlines the nursing vision in relation to competence; clinical risk and professional development of all nursing staff, and has a patient centred focus. The Trust has launched its website to provide the public with information about services, and intends to build upon this information over the next year. The Trust aims to sign up to the Colchester Borough Compact by December Information leaflets constantly updated and revised 5. We will undertake Essence of Care Benchmarking to ensure Privacy and Dignity, a high standard of nutrition etc 6. Review the Bereavement Services and write policies and procedures to ensure that families are supported during that difficult time. 7. Partnership working between Mental Health Services, Learning Difficulties, and other hard to reach groups. Essence of Care was published in 2001 nationally to focus on what matters for patients. The aim is to identify areas of worse and best practice so that best practice can be spread to all areas of each Trust. It consists of celebrating successes and acting upon key areas for improvement based on the patient experience. A project team was set up in September 2003 to review procedures and to take cogniscence of the publics experience at Essex Rivers. A project group has met to review the policy pertaining to partnership working across Colchester. Following benchmarking during 2003, action plans have been compiled on Nutrition, Hygiene, Privacy & Dignity, Continence care and Tissue viability. Breaking Bad News and Bereavement training for healthcare staff and ancillary workers is underway. There is an improved access to quiet areas within the Hospital during stressful times, and the duty Matron will be key in ensuring accessibility. A bereavement room for relatives has been established near the mortuary. The Disability Steering Group has been in operation since 1998, whose members include clinical and lay representation from

6 6 What we will do? How we will do it? Are we there yet? 2003/5 The Essex Coalition of the Disabled, Mental Health, and Learning Difficulties 8. We will ensure that patient s are aware of how they can make their views on the service known, and how we have responded 9. We will provide staff education to ensure a customer focused approach Patient s views are vital in how we plan and run our hospital. The PALS service was specifically set in August 2002 up for this purpose. Customer focus training was launched in July 2002, and is an integral part of the training and development programme for all new staff. We aim to make this mandatory for all staff. Comments & Suggestions boxes are in place on all Surgical, and Oncology wards, and Radiography. Data is collected, common themes analysed, and action plans are formulated. Comments & Suggestions boxes will be in place across the Trust by April From December 2003, regular articles in the local press regarding changes made as a result of patient feedback will be published on a quarterly basis Diversity training was initiated and made available for all members of Trust staff in June 2003 Customer Focus and Diversity training is are mandatory elements of staff induction Patient experience reviews within all departments provides the Patient as Teacher concept with which to improve our hospital services.

7 7 This strategy is built upon the following key documents: Patient & Public Involvement in the new NHS (1999) The NHS Plan (2000) Involving Patients and the Public in Healthcare: A Discussion Document (2001) Involving Patients and the Public in Healthcare: Response to the Listening Exercise (2001) Shifting the Balance of Power (2001) The Health and Social Care Act (2001) Strengthening Accountability: Involving Patients & the Public (2003) The Kennedy Report (2001) Supporting the implementation of Patient Advice and Liaison Services: A Resource Pack (2001) The New Patients Charter (1998) We anticipate that these measures will encourage patients and the public to feel confident that we are working with them, and that we value their views and support. We believe that effective partnerships with patients and the public will develop mutual respect and understanding for all concerned. This culture will be integrated in all Trust activities so that it becomes a fundamental aspect of healthcare provision and development.