Patient Experience & Inclusion
Here at the Trust, we know that patient experience is more than just meeting our patient's physical needs, but also about treating each patient as an individual with dignity, compassion and respect. We do not want to just meet expectations, we want to exceed them. We will continue to actively promote and develop ways of seeking feedback from patients and carers and involve them in the design and delivery of our services. We use feedback from a number of sources, including the formal patient experience mechanisms listed below, as well as concerns and complaints to improve the care we provide.
Patient Experience Team
Cheryl Farmer -
Head of Patient Experience
and Inclusion
Yvonne Mahambrey -
Quality Matron, Patient Experience
Francine Daly -
Patient Experience Manager
You can contact the Patient Experience team via email: patientexperienceandedi@sthk.nhs.uk
Please note the patient experience team mailbox is monitored Monday to Friday, 09.00am to 5.00pm (excluding bank holidays) and the team aim to acknowledge emails within two working days.
How do we measure patient experience?
Please visit our patient feedback page.
- Your Experience Matters
The Patient Experience Manager visits clinical areas to speak to patients to understand their experiences firsthand, enabling patients and their carers to comment on the quality of the care they are receiving. The information obtained is shared with the ward staff, both the positive comments and the areas for improvement. Actions are taken to resolve any issues that can be addressed immediately, with on-going work to deliver longer term improvements. The Patient Experience Manager confirms that actions have been taken as part of the on-going rolling programme.
- Patient Participation
As a patient or carer you may have different views from those of healthcare staff. Your participation and involvement is important to help us make sure that our services meet your needs and is as patient-focussed as possible. We need to learn from you, and by telling us what you think you can help us to improve our services and ensure services are person-centred. Visit our patient participation page.
- Patient Advice and Liaison Service Team
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) provides impartial advice and assistance in answering questions and resolving concerns that patients, their relatives, friends and carers might have when accessing the NHS services provided by MWL. Visit our Patient Advice and Liaison Service page.
- Patient stories
The Trust shares patient stories at our monthly Patient Experience Council meeting and Trust Board. These stories are delivered by patients, relatives, carers or they are anonymised and shared by Trust staff. The Trust shares stories to bring patients’ experiences to life, using the patients’ own words and encourages the Trust to see the patients experience through their eyes and focus on the patient’s journey. Patient stories are an invaluable way of helping the Trust to understand what matters to you and ensuring that improvement of services is centred on the needs of the patient.
- Friends and Family Test (FFT)
The Trust also uses the information from the Friends and Family Test to monitor patient experience. FFT results are gained via text message, interactive voice message, FFT cards, QR codes or online surveys. Visit our Friends and Family page to provide your feedback.
- NHS Website
The NHS Website provides the Trust with valuable reflections from patients and carers. These are used to provide feedback to clinical services whether positive or negative. The Trust also uses the comment section to ask contributors to make contact with the Trust so that concerns not raised elsewhere can be resolved, wherever possible.
- Every Experience Matters Surveys
These surveys have been designed for you to complete after you have been an inpatient or attended the Emergency Department (ED). The surveys are completed via web-link/QR code (visit our patient feedback page) or via postal survey.
- NHS 111 First Survey
NHS 111 First is a national initiative that asks people who are thinking of walking into the ED to call 111 before they go. This survey has been designed to help evaluate the system and encourage others to use NHS 111 First in the future. Visit our patient feedback page.
- Open and Honest Care surveys
Surveys are available throughout the Trust. They enable us to collate information on what we did well and what we can do better whilst you are currently using the service. This information is cascaded through the Trust both at clinical and ward levels.
- Online feedback
Please visit our patient feedback page and provide feedback by completing an online web form, or you can email your feedback to patientexperienceandedi@sthk.nhs.uk
- National surveys
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) use national surveys to find out what people think of the NHS healthcare services that they use. The results help assess NHS performance.
Click here to find out more.
- Healthwatch
Healthwatch are the independent champion for people who use health and social care services and are there to make sure your views on local health and social care services are heard. Please click here for more information.
