Combined Healthcare Puts Patient Voices at the Centre of its Culture of Care Programme
A new programme is being introduced in collaboration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to develop a culture of care that puts patient voices at the centre of decision-making across Combined Healthcare’s mental health and older adults inpatient wards.
The Culture of Care standards are part of NHS England’s Inpatient Quality Transformation Programme, which aims to improve the culture of inpatient mental health care, with particular consideration of the experiences of inpatients with learning disabilities and autism. The goal is to make these environments safe, therapeutic and equitable places for patients to be cared for, as well as creating fulfilling places for healthcare staff to work that are trauma and autism informed, and culturally competent.
The programme is based on co-production, with the voice of patients a central component to identifying opportunities for quality improvement. Ward teams, including experts by experience, have led regular community meetings, allowing patients and their loved ones to provide feedback on the care they have received and the environment on the ward. The programme is not limited to large-scale change; ideas and changes considered to be small can collectively make a big difference to the care provided.