Themes
- Patient involvement in designing and improving services
- Improving the patient experience
Some of the highest instances of coronary heart disease in England and Wales are in Corby and Leicester, and patients from Corby attend Kettering District General Hospital where a new Catheter Laboratory is due to open in June 2007. In the past patients from Corby and Kettering had had to travel to specialist heart services at different hospitals throughout the country, so had plenty of experience of different services and how they were delivered. Kettering Hospital decided in 2005 to set up a Cardiac Patient Council to support the business case for the new facilities, and involve patients in the design and development from the beginning.
Impact on services
- Patients were involved in the design of the new building before work started, and commented on waiting areas, size of offices, space for private meetings with clinicians etc, based on their good and not so good experiences in other hospitals
- As building work progresses Cardiac Patients Council members will be involved in planning and commenting on the internal design and signage, to ensure it’s easy for patients to find their way round and get to the right place
- Patients have commented on information materials, and found an error in a document that had already been scrutinised by two professional committees and which was just about to go to print
Recruiting and supporting volunteers
The group was recruited through articles in the local paper, which led to a feature on the local radio station, as well as posters in libraries etc. The group met for the first time in September 2005 and now meets every two months, with eight core members and a similar number of corresponding members. Members of the groups come from the northern half of Northamptonshire and meet in a building in the town centre, with easy parking and travel access. Although they have all had a heart incident most people make a sufficient recovery so as not need any special support to participate in meetings. There is an ongoing programme to recruit new members by inviting then to join when they attend the education talks given at phase 3 of Cardiac Rehab programme, posters on the hospital information boards, and the ‘Discovery Interviews’ programme which is part of the evaluation process for all cardiac patients at Kettering Hospital.
The group has developed Terms of Reference and there is an induction pack which provides information for potential volunteers to participate. Once an individual has expressed interest in the group they receive the induction pack and then a follow up phone call before they attend their first meeting.
Future developments
- Members of the Cardiac Patients Council are now starting to work with current patients, to assist them with a patient journal which is a helpful tool in evaluating and improving services. Individuals need to be CRB checked and undergo health screening before they can undertake this role with other patients.
- There is a new group due to start meeting at Northampton Hospital in June and there are plans to develop similar a scheme at University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust
Further details
Ben Knight
LNR Cardiac Network
Service Development Team Manager
01536 493355
ben.knight@kgh.nhs.uk
www.improvement.nhs.uk
www.heart.nhs.uk
