One of the advantages of being at work between Xmas and New Year is that it gives you the chance to catch-up on all those things that you've meant to do but somehow not found the time. This can include just tidying up the office a bit or answering emails that you meant to a few weeks ago.
I've also been using the time to read through some of the commendations we get every day from patients as part of our Your Care Matters programme. One that particularly struck me was this one :
"Miss XXX and the Dr who did my ultrasound were great in getting my problem dealt with very quickly; I came out of Hospital with the all clear on my health. Also I had to attend A&E on the 26th November with a broken ankle I was in and out of A&E in one hour fifteen minutes. Great service from ESH. I also I saw a Manager pick up a dropped cup in reception, that shows every level of staff care about ESH."
Why I like this commendation is because a patient saw a member of staff picking up litter - it happened to be a manager but that's not the main point - and that is about all of us taking responsibility for the everyday that happens in our hospital. It also shows that patients notice us taking responsibility and it shows them that we care and these small things help provide reassurance that we also do the big things well.
Small things
Small things https://patientopinion.blob.core.windows.net/profile-pictures/b193459d-4ff7-41e1-b0a7-e857e966db8a.jpeg Care Opinion 0114 281 6256 https://www.careopinion.org.uk /content/uk/logos/co-header-logo-2020-default.pngUpdate from Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Posted by Ian Mackenzie, Director of Information and Facilities, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, on
Response from James Munro, Chief executive, Care Opinion on 31 Dec 2013 at 16:05
Thanks for this interesting post - it confirms a view I have formed after reading many thousands of patient stories on Patient Opinion.
The small things really do matter, both in building trust and hope - but equally, in taking it away.
Sometimes people comment on the cleaning, or the drug round, in a similar way: "The dressing remained under the bed for her whole stay. If they can't get that right, how can I trust them with my mother's safety?"
This often seems strange, irrational even, to healthcare staff. But, when patients or carers themselves, they'll form their own judgements in the exact same way.
Response from Ian Mackenzie, Director of Information and Facilities, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust on 2 Jan 2014 at 08:31
I agree - one of the most commonly mentioned things in all our staff commendations is Tea - patients and carers often comment about being offered tea or given tea and how that is seen as both comforting and caring.