Background Stakeholders need a voice that is focussed on the quality of a service rather than numbers. They want to provide feed-back and make recommendations developing a true partnership. User involvement can provide this process. A group was set up 3 years ago to develop this and has now moved from “meeting” to “making happen”

Aim

• Help in identifying areas requiring improvement

• Demonstrate the patient’s right to have a say in their care. (NICE, 2004).

• Demonstrate compliance with the End of Life Care Strategy (DoH, 2008).

• Legal imperative for all organisations providing NHS funded services. (National Health Services Act 2006, Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, 2008)

Materials and methods A steering group was set up incorporating senior members of staff including a Trustee and the Chief Executive. This group identified various methods for involving our stakeholders which included

Interviewing patients, carers, volunteers and paid staff

Listening exercise with carers

Questionnaires Productive Ward Series

a template for writing reports on these activities

a leaflet to hand-out giving an explanation of “Involvement”

Results As a result of this we are now:-

• Piloting Nurse Led Clinics

• Opening Day Care to bereaved carers

• Using a new discharge planning template on the inpatient unit

• Implementing a “Carer’s Break” scheme via Day Care

• Developing a complementary therapy strategy based on user feedback about the value of this service to them

Conclusions The moving from “meeting” to “happening” has helped to promote the principles of equality, fairness and inclusiveness by actively seeking to engage with our stakeholders including our staff.

The identification of services valued by patients and their carers has ensured that our finances are spent in addressing the needs of our patients rather than what we consider their needs to be.