Staff at the Royal United Hospital in Bath have been recognised for going above and beyond to improve the experience of the people they care for.
The Maternity Triage Team with Chief Nursing Officer Toni Lynch (in red) at the RUH | Photo © RUH Bath
The hospital’s recent Improving Patient Experience Awards recognised the teams and individuals who showed initiative and continuous commitment to improving patient experience in 2024/25.
First place went to the Maternity Triage Team for the successful improvements they made to their service.
The triage team provides individual care for women and birthing people who have concerns during or after pregnancy, ensuring those who need urgent care are seen first.
After listening to feedback, the team introduced a single point of access for all enquiries, leading to an immediate urgent care review if required. Feedback from women, families and birthing people describe a responsive and supportive team and positive experiences of the new system and department facilities.
The first runner up was the Pain Clinic nursing team for developing a dedicated pain information session for patients. The new session provides patients who have been referred to the service with additional information and support about what to expect from their treatment and help them to make informed decisions about their treatment plan.
Joint second place runners up were Art at the Heart, the RUH’s in-house art and design team, for their work on children and older patients’ wards.
To improve patient experience, Art at the Heart introduced a musician in residence and artists in residence along with other ward-based art activities. These combined efforts create a therapeutic environment where patients can find comfort, joy, and healing through music and art, greatly improving their overall experience during their hospital stay.
The Listening Service was another joint runner up. Introduced by the Patient Support and Complaints Team, The Listening Service provides patients, families and carers with an opportunity to reflect on their or their loved one’s care and share their thoughts and feedback on the service they received.
This also provides an opportunity for the organisation to learn from experiences and help to facilitate change and improvements in care.
The other joint runner up award went to the Critical Care Outreach team for the development of the Call for Concern service.
The service gives patients and families an additional way to raise concerns if they feel they or their loved one is not getting better or is deteriorating, regardless of hospital intervention. It allows those who know the patient best, or the patient themselves, to flag, to an identified team via a dedicated telephone number, signs of deterioration – some of which maybe subtle, softer signs.
The service provides access to a 24/7 Critical Care Outreach team via a dedicated answerphone / mobile phone, for relatives, carers, and patients.
It is currently in 12 clinical wards and continues to be rolled out across the NHS Trust.
Chief Nursing Officer Toni Lynch, who presented the awards, said: “At the RUH we are committed to ensuring the people we care for have the very best experience when they are at hospital.
“These awards recognise the hard work, commitment and innovation of our staff and are examples of just some of the initiatives that are taking place across the Trust to benefit our patients.
“I have seen first-hand the difference that these projects have made to our patients and I’d like to thank all of our staff who go above and beyond every day for the people we care for.”
