Review of Clinical and Social Care Governance arrangements in ...

The following criterion from Theme 5 regarding the participation of service users, carers and the public,
was examined by each review team during the review visits
8.3a The organisation has active participation of service users and carers and the wider public. This includes
feedback mechanisms appropriate to the needs of individual service users and the public.
Support for and the engagement of service users, carers and the wider public is important within health and social
care organisations, and all HSC Trusts demonstrated involvement in partnerships with the voluntary or community
sectors. Trust strategic documents were also used to support this process.
Guidelines have been issued by the DHSSPS to help Trusts develop a strategy in relation to Personal and Public
Involvement. The RQIA considered that the NIAS was not proactive in public participation but relied on the
goodwill and availability of staff on the ground. There was greater scope for NIAS staff, with their local knowledge
to engage with service users but this needed to be supported by Trust senior management.
A range of approaches was used by each of the Trusts that included feedback from partnership groups,
workshops, seminars, complaints systems, user forums and meetings. However, there is a lack of a strategic
approach in how feedback is achieved and used by Trusts.
Recommendation 12:
The RQIA recommends that HSC Trusts make greater use of partners such as GP forums, the
community and voluntary sector and service users in obtaining feedback about services.
Areas of good practice specifically commented on by the RQIA.
In the South Eastern Trust the Podiatry Department in Bangor Community Hospital had created a focus group
of stakeholders that had helped to develop a new assessment process. The project had resulted in better foot
care, including the provision of more suitable foot wear, for residents of 43 homes.
In the Northern HSC Trust diabetic outpatient clinic, through holding monthly meetings with user representatives
additional clinics were secured for patients.
In the Kilkeel area the NIAS actively participated in a committee consisting of health care professionals, SHSSB
and representatives from the local community, formed to investigate ways of working together to provide better
services in the area. The outcome was the provision of doctor out of hours sessions in Kilkeel health centre.
There was also signifi cant investment in a new ambulance station in Kilkeel.
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