Humber Acute Services Programme - What Matters to You revisited

We Asked

What was important to you when thinking about your care in hospital. 
Throughout April and May 2021 we asked patients, public, staff members and Local Councillors what matters most to them. Whilst we received nearly 4000 responses to our survey, the number of responses from some groups and communities was relatively low.

We therefore wanted to provide a further opportunity for feedback so reopened the survey between August and December 2021. A further 148 responses were received.

You Said

That being 'seen and treated as quickly as possible" was most important. 
In the questionnaire, participants were asked to rank nine statements in order of importance with the option to add any further comments at the end. I am seen and treated as quickly as possible came out top in both rounds of our What Matters to You engagement. 

You also said it was important that:
- You are kept safe and well looked after.
- There are enough staff with the right skills and experience.
- Things go well for you, and you are satisfied with your care. 

The order of preference varied between different groups; however these three statements were prioritised most highly when averaged across the board. The three things that were consistently ranked lowest were: I know services will be there when I need them, I am looked after in good quality buildings and the latest equipment and services are good value for money. This again is consistent with the results from the first round of engagement. 

It is important to note that participants were forced to rank the statements in order of importance, so it does not mean these factors were not important at all, just less important than the others. Some comments noted that it was difficult to rank these statements and that they were all important factors to be considered. 

We asked about what matters most because we want to pay particular attention to the things people have told us are most important when we look at how we might provide services differently in the future. 
When we compare the different ways of organising our services (known as the options appraisal stage of our change process), we will look to prioritise those options which make the biggest improvements to those areas you told us were most important to you. 

You said that being “seen and treated as quickly as possible” was most important.
The feedback so far tells us that we need to pay particular attention to the current challenge of long waiting lists, particularly in those services most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We also need our longer-term plans to ensure patients are seen and treated quickly in all services and that we design them in a way that means they can withstand any future shocks.

You said that compassionate and caring staff meant you were happy with your care.
The most common reason given for a positive experience was linked to the staff providing the care. When planning how we provide services in the future, we need to ensure staff have time to care. We need to make sure our plans for the future make the best use of the skills, talents and experience of our workforce, including those who will make up the workforce of the future. To do this effectively we also need to make sure we involve our existing staff in the planning process so that we can capture their ideas and aspirations in what we do. This was also a key theme from our first round of engagement in Spring 2021. 

You said that social distancing measures implemented due to the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on your overall experience.
Participants told us that social distancing measures such as telephone appointments and restrictions on being able to accompany family members or loved ones to appointments had impacted negatively on their overall experience of accessing hospital care. In line with Government guidance, many of the restrictions  imposed as result of the Covid-19 pandemic have now been lifted or relaxed, mitigating any future  negative impact on patient experience. 

You told us that different people have different priorities. 
Whilst overall there was a high degree of consistency in prioritisation across all groups and cohorts of the population, there were some differences when we compared results by age or by role (for example, staff  did not rank being seen and treated as quickly as possible as highly as members of the public or  parents/carers or relatives).

We Did

Next we will:
Use the feedback captured from all our What Matters to You
engagement activities to ensure that our decision-making process is fully informed by a range of views and opinions and truly reflects the priorities and preferences of local people. 

We will reflect on what went well and what could be improved and embed that learning into how we plan for formal consultation to ensure our engagement is accessible and inclusive.

The next step is to gather feedback from a range of stakeholders around travel and accessibility, to better understand how people travelling to receive care and treatment may be impacted should changes be made to the location of services in the future.