Focus Magazine - Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Putting patients first is our priority – we want to make sure that wemeet your expectations and consider your views.Our Patient Experience Team isan extremely motivated group,working to improve the patientexperience across our hospitalsto ensure that your journey is apositive one.They also aim to resolve anyconcerns you raise and supportany learning from these withstaff so that best practice can beimplemented for YOUR benefit.Assistant Chief Nurse,Shelley Bailey heads the PatientExperience Team which consistsof:■ Dignity, Privacy and Respectlead, Gill Pownall■ Patient and PublicEngagement Facilitator, IslaDowds■ Voluntary Services■ The Chaplaincy Team■ The Patient Advice andLiaison Service (PALS)Dignity, privacy and respect:Gill works closely with allstaff groups to ensure bestpractice is embedded intoall our services. She providesbespoke teaching sessions toassist with improvements topractice and support changesto the environment. She alsohelps wards address patients’concerns so we can learn fromthem.‘Patient Journey’Isla’s new role helps gatherfeedback, both small and large,so that we can improve ourservices to you. At the heart ofpatient and public engagementis the belief that by harnessingthe experience and expertiseof people who use, or mayuse the NHS, we can improveour service design, delivery,experience and outcomes.We are fortunate to haveover 300 volunteers working invarious areas of our hospitals.They are a real asset as theyimprove the patient journey;reduce the workload on nursesand their fundraising helps buyadditional equipment which ourpatients benefit from.‘Get things right’Our Chaplaincy team consistsof Muslim, Roman Catholic,Christian, Hindu and Sikhchaplains who provide religious,cultural and spiritual care tostaff, patients and carers. Theteam is strengthened by 60volunteers who support thechaplaincy work. Ring 365819 ifyou need their support.The Patient Advice andLiaison Service (PALS) teamprovides a free, impartial andconfidential service. We alwayswelcome your feedback, bothgood and bad. If you have anycomments with any aspectof your care contact PALS on364021.Please remember, someof the best ideas come frompatients and carers – after all,you are in an ideal position totell us about the quality of ourhealthcare services. We need tolearn from you, and by telling uswhat you think, you can help usimprove our services and makethem more ‘patient centred’.FOCUS August 2013 page 10