Annual Report and Accounts 2012/13 - Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

14 2. Progress on our
2012/13 Priorities
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Quality Report 2012/13
CASE STUDY
Members’ Say: What does 'quality'
mean to our Members?
In September 2012 the Trust held the
latest in its series of Members’ Say
events. These are opportunities for
around 200 of our Members to spend
a day at the Trust learning from leading
clinicians about some of our services,
as well as being able to meet with
staff representing different aspects of
the hospital such as infection control,
patient nutrition and nursing care.
Members who come to these events
also have the opportunity to take part
in a range of interactive activities as
well as attend focus group discussions.
The chance to develop an in-depth
dialogue with Members – who broadly
represent the wider public served by
the Trust – is very important to us. The
mix of activities and discussion groups
enables us to really understand, in
some depth, the views and opinions
of Members who have experience of
the RD&E but also other NHS services
locally and nationally. Although
there are a number of similarities
between the views of patients and
our Members, we have found that the
priorities, interests and concerns of
Members are different, partly because
they have broader experiences to
draw on and because they have also
had the opportunity to reflect on their
experiences of using the NHS.
The feedback we receive from these
events helps to inform both our Board
and our Council of Governors in
relation to:
• The Trust’s developing strategy and
strategic options
• Understanding and improving the
reputation of the Trust
• Member priorities for the Trust
• Improving service delivery
• Consulting Members on different
options we are considering to
improve patient experience.
Our Council of Governors has a duty
to represent the views of the public
in their role and these events help
to shape their views about what is
important to Members. Similarly, our
Board recognises the need to consult
with Members and the wider public
and the outcomes from Members’
Say events help the Board to fulfil this
obligation.
Members’ Say – September 2012
In September 2012, the Members’ Say
event focused on two themes:
• Elderly care
• Quality and safety.
We held six focus group discussions
on the issues of quality and safety.
These groups consisted of around 10
Members, who discussed a range of
issues for about an hour, facilitated
in a neutral and independent way,
by a trained member of staff. These
discussions were very rich and the
results below are based on an in-depth
analysis of the results, picking up some
of the common themes that emerged
from the dialogue.
Quality matters
The groups were asked to say what
quality meant to them. The purpose of
this was to help us to understand what
Members mean when they talk about
quality; how important it is to them in
comparison to other factors; whether
their assessment of quality is the same
in healthcare as in other settings; and
what key factors were most important
in determining and assessing quality.
There were five key issues that emerged
from this discussion. Comments in bold
were those that were highlighted the
most by respondents. For our Members
quality means:
“First rate outcomes”
• I get the treatment I need,
when I need it, to deal with my
health issue
• I know I will get access to the
latest technologies/drugs
• My expectations were met or
exceeded.
“Personalised care”
• I receive tailored care that is
individualised and where I have
a real say in my own care
• I know what is happening, what
will happen next and some of the
care options I have
• I get first rate after-care.
“A positive experience at every
stage”
• I am treated well, with respect,
friendliness, empathy, care and
dignity – I feel I am looked
after and that my care really
matters to everyone I come into
contact with
• I am confident that there is good,
effective communications with
me and between staff caring
for me and by all staff from the
receptionist onwards