Patients and their families at the Royal United Hospital in Bath can now easily provide feedback about their experience thanks to new technology.
Jo Miller, Chief Nursing Information Officer and Reshmi Ravi, Senior Sister | Photo courtesy of the RUH
As part of a pilot project being run in the hospital’s A&E and Orthopaedic departments’ waiting rooms, patients can now give real-time feedback about the service they are receiving from the RUH by simply scanning a QR code on their mobile device or sending a text.
They are able to give feedback on a range of different topics, from their overall experience of the waiting room and what could be improved, to the welcome they received from staff when they arrived and how well they have been communicated with during their visit.
Within A&E, QR codes and stickers have been installed on the partition screens between chairs and in the Orthopaedic department they can be found on display banners and the arms of chairs.
This feedback compliments the RUH’s Friends and Family Test, a national NHS survey which is a simple and anonymous way for patients, their friends, family and carers to give views on the care or treatment they have received at their local NHS trust.
Jo Miller, Chief Nursing Information Officer, said: “To make visiting the RUH or having a stay in hospital the best possible experience, it’s essential to find out from our patients what we’re doing well and where improvements could be made.
“We always encourage patients and their families to complete the Friends and Family Test in person or online via our website, however, we have found that feedback levels have dropped during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re hopeful that this pilot project will give patients and visitors a quick and convenient way to share feedback with us while they wait for their appointment or to see a clinician. If it proves a success, we will look to extend it to other areas of the hospital.
“I would like to reassure everyone that takes the time to leave us feedback that we take on board all comments and suggestions – whether that’s praise or criticism.
“Our patients are at the heart of everything we do, which is why we are so keen to encourage feedback and make sure we take action when improvements are needed.”
The project is being run in partnership with Hello Lamp Post, an engagement platform which uses everyday objects, such as benches, lamp posts, bus stops and information points to communicate with people, share information and gather feedback in the moment, through a simple text message interaction.
Tiernan Mines, Chief Executive of Hello Lamp Post, said: “Our technology is playing a crucial role in enabling the RUH to gather more feedback from its patients.
“By automating the feedback process, Hello Lamp Post is able to save staff time by gathering patient and visitor feedback, and provide it all directly into the hands of the hospital.”
You can complete the RUH’s Friends and Family Test on the hospital’s website here.
