Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13 - Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust

ack to the wider Council of Governors,
to help ensure that the Council of
Governors is aware of public comments and
concerns which have been raised in these
meetings. The Membership Development &
Engagement Strategy approved by the Board
outlines the Trust’s policy on the involvement
of members, patients and wider public,
including a statement on the Trust’s approach
to consultation, and addressing the overlap
and interaction between the Governors and
other consultative and representative groups.
The Trust did not undertake any formal
consultations in the past year. NHS North
West London led a public consultation on
proposals for the reconfiguration of health
services in North West London – entitled
‘Shaping a Healthier Future’ which included
consulting with residents living in the London
Borough of Hillingdon.
A selection of examples of public
engagement activities undertaken during the
year are outlined below:
• Members of the Board attended
Hillingdon Council’s External Services
Scrutiny Committee on two occasions in
2012/13. In April 2012 the Medical Director
presented the Trust’s Quality Account and
in September 2012, the Chief Executive
and Medical Director provided an update
on developments at the Trust.
• The Trust continued to hold bi-monthly
meetings of its ‘People in Partnership’
forum. The forum enables the Trust to
listen to the views and opinions of the
communities we serve, share information
about what the Trust is doing and planned
future developments, and provides an
opportunity for members to meet and
communicate with staff, Governors and
fellow members. The People in Partnership
meetings have been refocused to be
meetings between the members and
Governors, and several of the meetings
are now held in the community during the
day, attracting new members and raising a
number of different issues.
• The Trust continued an engagement
project that sought to capture experiences,
manage expectations, and improve the
maternity experience for women from the
Somali community. At a focus group at
the Sahan Centre in Hayes the Trust was
able to provide feedback on action taken
following an earlier session, including
the introduction of awareness sessions on
the maternity department’s mandatory
training programme. The maternity
department has recently commenced
a similar engagement process with an
Afghani women’s group to mirror the
success with the Somali women’s group
engagement.
• As outlined earlier in the report, the Trust
developed ‘Putting People First’ which
sets out the Trust’s vision to be a leader
in terms of the patient experience. The
strategy followed a review of feedback
from patients, staff, and public, and was
widely consulted on with input from
the Local Involvement Network (LINk),
local patient interest groups, Hillingdon
Council, the Council of Governors, and
public and staff members.
• The Trust has continued to work in
close partnership with the Hillingdon
Local Involvement Network (LINk) and
appreciates the valuable contribution that
the LINk provides to the organisation.
Representatives from the LINk have
regularly attended focus groups and
committees and are regular attendees
at our People in Partnership meetings.
This year the Trust has worked closely
with the LINk on the consultation for the
priorities for the Quality Report and the
transfer of catering and cleaning services
back to in-house management. The Trust
looks forward to working with the new
Healthwatch which replaces the LINk from
April 2013.
24 Directors’ report