Making the most of your survey results Caroline Powell

Uses of Patient Surveys Patient feedback Quality measures across healthcare Compare providers, services Examine performance over time Identify priorities for quality improvement

Co-ordinate with other patient feedback eg PALS, complaints, qualitative work Integrate with other data eg PROMS, clinical data Link to staff feedback Communicate positive messages Other uses of Patient Surveys

Results are used nationally: to feed into the annual health check to monitor progress against national targets in relevant service reviews and investigations to inform the public Used by SHAs to monitor & manage performance of trusts within their region & PCTs for commissioning purposes Monitor their own performance over time Compare their results with similar organisations Inform local improvement activities and measure the impact of these activities on the patient experience. Results are used locally by hospitals to:

Problems With Rating (Satisfaction) Questions Yield positive results, which do not reflect reported experience Do not discriminate well between countries, hospitals, units Do not help to identify causes of dissatisfaction or priorities for quality improvement

Identifying areas for improvement Use relevant survey results to prioritise areas for improvement Consider: – Themes/aspects of patient journey eg admissions process – Domains of care eg interaction with staff – Benchmarking – Areas with most potential for improvement – Historical data – Issues of most importance to patients – Link with other initiatives, data

Making patients’ views count

External Benchmarking

External benchmarking: potential for improvement

Areas with most potential for improvement

Issues of most importance to patients

Historical data

Using results for improvement Engage patients, carers and staff and use their ideas Promote understanding Focus on a couple of key priorities Look at areas where work is already going on Action plan Regular progress reports Repeat survey

Identifying stakeholders Internal Patients Staff Trust Board Executive Lead Steering/Stakeholder group Communications Team PALS Complaints Trust Survey Lead External Local Media Voluntary Groups Local NHS Organisations LINks Local Community

Communication approaches Posters Photographs Patient Comments Presentations/briefings/meetings Public information displays and posters Board report Stakeholder event Press Releases Newsletters Intranet, Internet and s Progress reports/charts

Communicate positive messages: Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Presenting evidence Benchmarks Specialty / Department/ Site breakdown Trends over time Linking patient comments with data

Using patient comments 19% of inpatients were not involved as much as they wanted in decisions about their care and treatment. “I was taken care of in the best possible way that the nurses could, but I wasn’t told a thing about my operation or what they did for me. ” Patient comment

Example 1: confidence, trust and communication Actions taken: Training in customer care for nursing and medical staff Reminders of key patient indicators (e.g. bookmark for junior doctors)

Example 1: confidence, trust and communication Actions taken: Training in customer care for nursing and medical staff Reminders of key patient indicators (e.g. bookmark for junior doctors)

Example 2 % patients receiving information about condition and treatment

What helps towards ‘a culture of improvement’ National commitment Boards prioritise patient experience and use results Locally-relevant, timely, accessible data / feedback Strong clinical leadership Real patient involvement Organised approach to quality improvement Clear, focused goals Patients and patient organisations challenging the information Staff training and support

Further information