Measuring patient experience

In February 2020, we started a project to improve how we collect and use your feedback on our services.

This included undertaking a series of workshops and a survey of over 750 patients, stakeholders and staff to understand what kind of feedback would be most useful.

Read a summary report of the survey results from May 2020 (pdf)

Finding the right solution

Because this isn’t a straightforward task, and to make our actions as effective as possible, we have partnered with leading healthcare review organisation, iWantGreatCare, following a tender process, to develop a bespoke solution.

After discussing both organisational and people needs for the project, we worked closely with the provider to set up focus groups with our staff, service users and their carers to get a deeper level of understanding of the challenges and opportunities of gathering feedback.

Read a summary of the focus groups (pdf)

Visit the iWantGreatCare website (opens new browser tab)

In summer 2021, the outcome of this collaborative approach has been a set of seven questions, which, alongside the three Friends and Family core questions, and demographic questions, will help us collect reliable, consistent and comparable information about how people experience our services.

Survey questions

Were you treated kindly?
Did you feel safe? (inpatient services only)
Were you listened to?
Was the information you were given easy to understand?
Were you involved as much as you wanted to be in your care or treatment?
Was the place where you received your care and treatment suitable for your needs?
Was the location clean? (only where patients attend an appointment on site)

From December 2021, anyone receiving our care will be asked these questions, which vary depending on the service, to rate each aspect of their experience on a five-star scale, from ‘Not at all’ to ‘Totally’.

While the survey has been designed for patients; parents, carers or advocates will also be able to complete it on their behalf.

We’ll also ask for some optional demographic information to help us identify trends.

Accessible to all

The new tool will enable all of our patients to give feedback easily.

You’ll be able to complete the survey by SMS, QR code, kiosk, our website or on paper.

Give feedback on the iWGC website (opens new browser tab)

The survey will also be available in different languages and in Easy Read format.

Your feedback is valuable

We appreciate it takes time and effort to share constructive feedback with us, and we want to keep you updated on how we’re acting on those views to make significant changes across the organisation, so we’ll be sharing progress regularly on our website and social media.

Email patientexperience@berkshire.nhs.uk

PALS

If you’d like further support about the care you receive, or resolve any concerns you have when using our services, you can also contact our patient advice and liaison service (PALS)