Hi, my name is Jane Danforth. I work as an Involvement Officer for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. It’s a huge integrated mental health, learning disability and community health services organisation covering Local and Forensic services, Community Health services and Offender Healthcare. It’s my first time writing a blog on the Patient Opinion site. I hope you will find it interesting.
I’m really lucky to work in an organisation that supports an Involvement team with two Involvement Centres. It’s true to say I am blessed with great support from the top of our organisation; Professor Mike Cooke CBE (our CEO) my manager and also from Trust colleagues and Patient Opinion (PO)
How can I describe the PO team and what they offer to us? Well, for one, ‘real time’ feedback is starting to change the way we do things in the Trust. 2011 has been the best year for us yet. We were named as Pioneers of the Month for PO last year and we held the record for the fastest posting and response times of any Trust! We get Facebook and Twitter posts about us leading the way for patient feedback and it’s made my job so enjoyable. It has done our Trust the world of good and given us a platform to prove that our ‘Positive’ brand is not rhetoric and spin. PO has made a difference and offered value for money to the organisation. People say how much they like it and find it a great way to share how they feel about our services and what they would like to see get better.
Open and honest feedback sometimes means you have to take a deep breath and think hard about how you are going to respond to stories that are not always complimentary. The support of a great Communications Team makes all the difference. Julie Grant, Head of Communications is my sounding board and someone I can go to when challenges arise. Equally Sam Eagling, managing PALS and Complaints (Service Liaison) helps complete the circle of communication. I know that between us we can help to make things happen and people posting on the site get their voices heard. Things actually can change for the better and we have seen it happen ‘before our very eyes’!
I’m really pleased to say that the majority of our feedback is complimentary. I know staff get a real lift from postings that praise what they do and when we can’t always do what people ask, we can at least explain why some things are the way they are. I really believe it can stop people taking things further when issues arise and over next year we are going to try and evaluate this.
Our involvement volunteers take on many different roles. This year and in 2012 we will continue carrying the Olympic torch for PO.
Our PO Champions are making a difference using a ‘pass it on’ philosophy. Champions are made up of service users, carers, families and staff including Governors. For everyone they tell about PO they encourage others to tell someone else. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool, if you are good you can get always get better and positive feedback is a massive motivator. Equally when feedback is not good you have to listen and work together to resolve issues.
Next month I am going to tell you more about our iPad pilot. We launched a trial across the Trust in Local and Forensic services and believe me it’s been an exciting time! To be honest, It has increased my workload initially but it’s also given me such a buzz when I can see staff becoming responders and our youngest ever posting was from a 10 year old using our child and adolescent mental health services and in case you are wondering? Yes it was positive!
In January, we will be looking forward to the year ahead. My manager Paul Sanguinazzi, Head of Involvement, is keen that we really focus on getting a seamless reporting system that pulls together all our feedback in the Trust.
Other Trusts have started to ask me how we work with online feedback and I look forward to February 9th where we have been invited to speak at the regional PO event in Sheffield about how we have made it work for us in Nottinghamshire Healthcare.
And finally, I would like to share with you a letter of thanks that was given to me at the beginning of the week from a patient who was being discharged. This posting made my year: A letter of thanks for the staff on Ward B2
Guest blog: Nottinghamshire Healthcare keeping it real…
Guest blog: Nottinghamshire Healthcare keeping it real… http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6689328129_8eb159953d.jpg Care Opinion 0114 281 6256 https://www.careopinion.org.uk /content/uk/images/logos/co-header-logo-2020-default.pngUpdate from Care Opinion
Posted by Sarah Ashurst, Associate Director, Service Quality, Care Opinion CIC, on
Thanks for your feedback.
Response from Cassie on 21 Jan 2012 at 18:55
Good to hear that tackling feedback is going well. It's so important to feel listened too. I have arrived on this site after hours (over weeks) of internet research on care homes in Nottinghamshire. The process has been shocking and upsetting - there seems to be a complete lack of information available for people (self-funding) choosing a care home for a relative after long and frequent hospital stays and an apparent absence of anywhere to go for help or advice, including from local service providers. Many people who are searching for a care home are doing so for the first time and yet there must be people out there with expert opinion. It is not good enough that a home has passed CQC standards - more information is needed - can residents make their own snacks, is the decor tatty, does it smell fresh, how many staff per resident, what are the criteria for admittance. There doesn't even seem to be a website where this information is shared. Visiting homes to choose them is obviously essential, but with I think around 400 care homes in Nottingham, how do you select the best ones to visit for your relative? If we get review sites for places you are staying for a weekend away, how come not for somewhere you could live for the next few years? Private companies whether they are McDonalds or care homes are and should be subject to scrutiny and consumer pressure. I have another very specific question about my case relating to care home admission criteria and who is responsible for ensuring there are enough quality care home places available in the area - and I am going slightly out of my mind trying to get the answers for it. There seems to be a massive gap in the system. Who can I ask? Thank you for listening.