Lambeth Residents Speak Out About Dignity in Care

Date: 18/06/2010

A feedback report from the workshops which took place at the meeting has been sent to King's College Hospital, Guy's and St Thomas Hospital, NHS Lambeth and SLaM and Lambeth Council for a response.

All responses (when received will be published) on the website. However, below is the initial Improving Dignity in Care report.

Key Issues

Hospital care

Male nurses should not be attending to female patients

Patients should be informed of the Dignity and respect agenda on admission

Take time to put patients at ease on arrival and give an introduction to/familiarisation of the wards

Dignity and Respect should be extended to transport

The amount of time spent in outpatients department

Give patients information about treatment and care plan – make sure that consultant’s respond to/ and give people space to ask any questions about their treatment.

Explain a patient’s treatment in a way they can understand, taking into consideration that patients communicate differently and have different needs regards to disability.

Staff in wards who are not in uniform should make their ID cards clearly visible
All patients should be treated as individuals and given time to talk about concerns regarding their care and treatment.

Introduce systems for patients to provide feedback even to show they have understood what is being provided to them

Support lone patients to have a one 2 one representative who can be called upon when they require support

Variation in patient experience between one department and another and a variation in the understanding of what dignity in care means between full-time staff and agency staff.

Adult Care

Monitoring of adult care needs to include random unannounced visits

Information is needed on how dignity and care is being monitored when a patient is being cared for within their own home.

GPs

Ensure receptions know they are there to help and not to protect GPs.

A local GP practice which makes the effort to provide a personable and personal service to patients.

Generic

Provide more training for providers and involve patients and service users in developing training.

Have better liaison between agencies

Education for the public on health issues and dignity

Introduce greater consequences and accountability when things go wrong
Confidentiality is respected.

Provide support and training to staff to ensure they are aware of the values and expectations of the NHS in respect to providing dignity in care.