Emergency department

The patient experience is about how we engage with our patients and listen to what they are saying about their time in our emergency departments at our Trust. We measure our patient experience in real time using the I track device which has a set number of core questions. Patients are chosen randomly to answer these questions.

January’s results for six of the Trust core questions are shown below:

  Charing Cross Hospital emergency department Paediatric emergency department Emergency unit Hammersmith Hospital Emergency Department St Mary’s Hospital
Month January 2012 January 2012 January 2012 January 2012
Responses 306 11 167 112
How would you rate the courtesy of our staff? 92.08% 87.91% 89.44% 86.00%
Overall, how would you rate the care you received? 87.17%  84.09% 86.68% 83.56%
Were you involved as much as you wanted to be in decisions about your care and treatment? 84.41% 86.36% 85.19% 79.25%
Did you find someone on the hospital staff to talk to about your worries and fears? 73.83% 77.78% 74.37% 70.55%
Were you given enough privacy when discussing your condition or treatment? 94.00% 100.00% 92.73% 86.11%
How would you rate how well the doctors and nurses worked together? 85.67% 82.50% 86.27% 79.52%

According to feedback the most challenging area is ensuring patients have someone to speak to regarding their worries and fears.

As a result of the feedback we have been given so far:
1. All patients who are being admitted receive an inpatient information leaflet which informs the patient of the next steps. The aim of this is to alleviate any worries and fears in relation to the next step in their inpatient journey.
2. We aim to give all our patients who are discharged a copy of their GP letter so any care they have received while with us is documented for them to read and digest after their visit. If a subsequent visit to the GP is required then the patient has to hand the outcome of the hospital consultation.
3. We have a structure in place now that has embedded I track into daily practice in our departments.
4. Staff has been asked to ensure that privacy is given to patients and to involve the patients in their care and ensure any questions are answered.
5. Patient information leaflets on specific illnesses and diagnoses are also being reviewed and updated to encompass conditions such as abdominal pain, headache and diarrhoea and vomiting.

In the future we are going to have focused patient experience meetings with a table top exercise to identify any gaps in our delivery. We have identified three senior leaders to support the staff on the ground who will visit the areas to assist with raising the profile of the patient experience.

Part of assisting in the patient experience is ensuring that all staff are courteous and respectful to all our patients, relatives and visitors. We aspire to train all of all our emergency medicine staff in these specific requirements. All staff will be trained in I care by our nurse champions. This is delivered on a monthly basis to new starters to ensure that all staff are aware of the standards we expect for attitude and behaviour.