By RDaSH pledges to improve hospital services following Big Conversation
On Tuesday 19 October, the Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) pledged to improve their hospital services for patients following their Big Conversation with the public.
The RDaSH team have announced how they are making improvements in key areas of their care and treatment schemes, including their risk assessments and record keeping.
In a post of their website, they stated that patients had said there was a lack of information and inclusion regarding processes which includes poor communication and a lack of empowerment.
They also revealed how they felt there was a repetition in assessments with patients feeling more like data subjects to doctors.
They expressed their wish for their hospital services to be more “person centred or holistic”.
It came to their attention that incorrect, “stigmatising, discriminatory and insulting” language was also sometimes used by their staff.
Common issues include reviews sometimes being missed, clinical appointments feeling rushed and poor staff attitudes with patients feeling unsupported and not listened to.
During the Big Conversation, patients suggested some solutions to these problems.
They proposed improving communication, utilising their Wellness Recovery Action Plan more, allowing more patient input, writing up core documents which follow individual patients, supporting positive risk-taking and giving patients more choices with regard to their treatment.
In response the public’s statements, a spokesperson for RDaSH said: “Work is being done to make our services better.
“We have set up focus groups to work together to improve our record keeping, clinical risk assessments, care and treatment plans.
“These groups also ensure our clinical caseloads are at a safe level to enable our staff to work effectively and deliver the care needed to our patients.”
Their improvements include focusing more on cultural change from recruitment throughout employment to support staff with the right approach and ensure that their focus is on quality.
They have pledged to improve their language and behaviour when dealing with patients also by launching their Culture Charter and creating communities of practice which enables people to share best practices.
These Big Conversations reportedly helped the staff to understand cultural barriers better from the staff’s perspective.
RDaSH are also working towards reviewing their policies and guidance so that their staff members can provide the correct amount of support and clinical care to patients.
They aim to enhance their staff training and alter their clinical system to ensure the removal of duplications and improve overall templates to increase quality for everybody.
Developing reports will ensure that patients receive the correct clinical care at the right time.
Any caseloads in focused services will also reportedly be reviewed to guarantee that there are appropriate numbers for staff to deliver safe and effective care to patients.
Their focus is on creating “good quality, person centred and [un]rushed” services at their hospitals.
Finally, in a bid to improve their communication, they are developing a patient leaflet on what to expect when entering their services.
Hopefully, these improvements will ensure that locals feel properly taken care of whilst on their premises.
(Photo: Luke Jones)
