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Showing results for tags 'Communication'.
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News Article
Language around birth should be less judgemental, midwives' report says
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The language used around childbirth should be less judgemental and more personal, a report led by midwives has found. Most women consulted said terms such as "normal birth" should not be used, it says. The report recommends asking pregnant women what language feels right for them. Maternity care has been under the spotlight after a recent review found failures had led to baby deaths. The new guidance "puts women's choices at its heart, so that they are in the driving seat when it comes to how their labour and birth are described", Royal College of Midwives chief executive Gill Walton said. About 1,500 women who had given birth in the past five years gave their views. Most preferred the term "spontaneous vaginal birth" to "normal birth", "natural birth" or "unassisted birth". Words suggesting "failure", "incompetence" or "lack of maternal effort" should also be avoided, they said. They wanted labour and birth to be a positive experience and for the language used to be non-judgemental, accurate and clear. Read full story Source: BBC News, 15 June 2022 -
Content Article
Royal College of Midwives: Re:Birth summary report 2022
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Maternity
In every aspect of our lives, language matters – and in health and care settings, it’s even more important. How we communicate with each other can determine the quality and impact of the care given and received, which is why developing a shared language is so important. Pregnancy and birth are extraordinarily personal, and personalising care is central to good outcomes and experience. There has been a great deal of debate in recent years about the language around birth, and the impact it can have. During this project from the Royal College of Midwives, for example, women said terms such as ‘failure to progress’ or ‘lack of maternal effort’ can contribute to feelings of failure and trauma. There has been particular debate around the term ‘normal birth’. Despite being the term used by organisations including the International Confederation of Midwives and the World Health Organization, it has often taken on negative connotations in the UK, and particularly in England. In 2020, the Royal College of Midwives, which counts the majority of midwives practising in the UK among its membership, took the decision to address this, and to try to develop an agreed shared language, working with maternity staff, users of maternity services and others involved in the care and support of pregnant women and families. Over the course of 18 months, the consultation has involved nearly 8,000 people from across all four UK nations. How we use language inevitably evolves over time, but the Re:Birth project will help to embed a shared, respectful way of discussing labour and birth. -
Content Article
Type 1 diabetes is a life-long condition that causes the level of glucose in a person’s blood to be too high. It is caused by the body’s immune system attacking the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, the hormone that allows the body to use glucose as energy. It cannot be cured, and people with diabetes need to inject or infuse insulin multiple times a day to control their blood sugar levels. Peer support communities can help people with type 1 diabetes to manage their condition safely and feel less isolated. In this blog, Paul Sandells, a diabetes peer supporter and advocate, talks about the important role of peer support in helping people with type 1 diabetes improve their blood glucose control and deal with the burden that diabetes can place on daily life. -
Content ArticleThis masterclass, facilitated by Peter Walsh, Chief Executive Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), and Carolyn Cleveland, Founder and Owner C & C Empathy Training Ltd, will provide participants with an in-depth knowledge of what needs to be done to comply with the duty of candour; clarify ‘grey areas’ and provide guidance on dealing with difficult situations which may arise. It will provide participants with an understanding of good practice in implementing the duty and, in particular doing so in a meaningful way with empathy, to not only comply, but to work with patients and loved ones in a way that puts the emotional experience at the heart of communication. Staff with responsibility for implementing the duty of candour and responsible for quality, safety, clinical governance, safety investigations, complaints or CQC compliance, patient experience and executive teams would benefit from attending this one day masterclass. For more information see the flyer attached. The next events are on the 18 July, 17 October and 12 December.
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Content ArticleCall 4 Concern is a patient safety initiative enabling patients and families to call for immediate help and advice when they feel concerned that they are not receiving adequate clinical attention. Here is the University Hospitals Sussex Trust's leaflet.
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Content ArticleCall for Concern is a patient safety service for adult inpatients, families and friends to call for help and advice if you or your family are concerned that there is a noticeable change or deterioration in condition. This service is delivered by the Critical Care Outreach team who are available 24 hours a day to help support ward teams in the care of acutely ill patients. We also offer emotional support to patients and their families who have recently been discharged from the Critical Care Unit as this can be an anxious time. When can I call? After you have spoken to the ward team or doctor but feel the healthcare team are not recognising or responding to your concern. If you have been a patient in Critical Care and are experiencing difficulties such as anxiety, bad dreams, low mood or feeling emotional.
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Content ArticleFrimley Health has launched a new service for members of the public to independently raise concerns if they believe a patient’s clinical condition is deteriorating. The Call 4 Concern programme enables friends, relatives – and the patients themselves - to make a direct referral if their concerns have not been alleviated by first speaking to the medical team. The Trust’s critical care outreach practitioners will then review the patient, liaise with the medical team and take any appropriate action. At Frimley Park Hospital, call 07717 303231. At Wexham Park Hospital call 07909 930728. The Call 4 Concern programme is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has previously been successfully implemented by several other NHS organisations.
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News Article
Doctors' concern over reduced mention of women in NHS advice
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Leading doctors say they have concerns about the NHS reducing mentions of the word "women" in ovarian cancer guidance. They say "it may cause confusion" and create barriers to care. But NHS Digital, which writes the online advice, said they wanted to make it relevant for everyone who needs it. The updated guidance now says that people with ovaries, such as trans men, can also be affected. Until February, the NHS guidance began by explaining ovarian cancer was "one of the most common types of cancer for women". Now, the only specific mention of women comes on the third page with the explanation that ovarian cancer can affect "women, trans men, non-binary people and intersex people with ovaries". NHS Digital said the changes were introduced to make the advice more relevant and inclusive. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which represents thousands of women's health specialists and pregnancy doctors, said the language used "does need to be appropriate, inclusive and sensitive to the needs of individuals whose gender identity does not align with the sex they were assigned at birth". But it added: "Limiting the term 'woman' to one mention may cause confusion and create further barriers for some women and people trying to make an informed choice about their care. "We would therefore support the use of the word 'woman' alongside inclusive language." Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 June 2022 -
Content Article
Safety Chats: Part 3 - Starting the conversation
Gina Winter-Bates posted an article in Good practice
In a series of blogs, Gina Winter-Bates, Associate Nurse Director Quality and Safety at Solent NHS Trust, shares her experience of implementing Safety Chats. In Part 3, Gina shares with us how the Safety Chats were conducted and the key themes that came out of them, and what empowers and blocks staff in improving safety. -
Content ArticleThe Patient Information Forum (PIF) has launched an update to the UK’s only assessed quality mark for print and digital health and care information. The update places a greater emphasis on inclusion and reflects the huge evolution in health and care information since the PIF TICK was launched in 2020.
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Content Article
Patients “taking back control” (BMJ, 13 May 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Patient-centred care
BMJ opinion piece from BMJ Chair Richard Smith. -
Content ArticlePresentation from Peter Walsh, CEO of Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA), on a 'Harmed Patient Pathway' launched jointly by AvMA and the Harmed Patient Alliance in February 2021.
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Content ArticleA podcast from The QI Guy, Jonathan O’Reilly. Each month Jonathan speaks to a leader, implementer or educator in the field of quality improvement in the UK’s public services and beyond. In this episode Jonathan speaks to Patient Safety Learning's Helen Hughes and Claire Cox, Patient Safety Lead at Kings College NHS Foundation Trust, about patient safety,
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Content ArticleThe Accessible Information Standard is a set of principles for the presenting, sharing and discussing information with patients. It aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand, and any communication support that they need from health and care services.
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Content ArticleBullying, discrimination and harassment between healthcare workers can have an impact on how well individuals do their job, and may therefore lead to an increase in medical errors, adverse events and medical complications. This systematic review in BMJ Quality & Safety aimed to summarise current evidence about the impact on clinical performance and patient outcomes of unacceptable behaviour between healthcare workers.
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News Article
NHS Scotland to improve patient safety through 'compassionate communication'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A study conducted by NHS Education for Scotland and Health Improvement Scotland found patients felt safer by having someone listen to their experiences after adverse events. The findings were published in the BMJ and have been positively received by NHS boards across the country. Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Donna Maclean said: “The compassionate communications training has seen an unprecedented uptake across NHS boards in Scotland, with the first two cohorts currently under way and evaluation taking place also.” Clear communication and a person-centred approach was seen as being central to helping those who have suffered from traumatic events. Researchers found many said their faith was restored in the healthcare system if staff showed compassion and active engagement. This approach is likely to enhance learning and lead to improvements in healthcare. Health boards were advised that long timelines can have a negative impact on the mental health of patients and their families. Rosanna from Glasgow, who was affected by an adverse event, said: “I believe this study and its findings are crucial to truly understanding patients and families going through adverse events. “Not only does the study capture exactly what needs to change, but it also highlights the elements that are most important to us: an apology and assurance that lessons will be learnt is all we really want. Read full story Source: The National, 30 May 2022 -
Content ArticleThis study from McQueen et al. explored what ‘good’ patient and family involvement in healthcare adverse event reviews may involve. Nineteen interviews were conducted with patients who had experienced an adverse event during the provision of their healthcare or their family member.
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Content Article
Safety Chats: Part 2 – Safety as measured
Gina Winter-Bates posted an article in Good practice
In a series of blogs, Gina Winter-Bates, Associate Nurse Director Quality and Safety at Solent NHS Trust, shares her experience of implementing Safety Chats. In her first blog, Gina explained what motivated her to introduce Safety Chats into her Trust. In part 2, Gina reflects on how we know we are safe and the safety measures her Trust has put in place. -
Content ArticleThis study from Shepard et al. aimed to explore staff perceptions of patient safety in the NHS ambulance services. The authors interviewed 44 participants from three organisational levels, including executives, managers and operational staff. They identified five dominant themes: varied interpretation of patient safety; significant patient safety risks; reporting culture shift; communication; and organisational culture. The findings demonstrated that staff perceptions of patient safety ranged widely across the three organisational levels, while they remained consistent within those levels across the participating ambulance service NHS trusts in England. The findings suggest that participants from all organisational levels perceive that the NHS ambulance services have become much safer for patients over recent years, which signifies an awareness of the historical issues and how they have been addressed. The inclusion of three distinct ambulance service NHS trusts and organisational levels provides deepened insight into the perceptions of patient safety by staff. As the responses of participants were consistent across the three NHS trusts, the identified issues may be generic and have application in other ambulance and emergency service settings, with implications for health policy on a national basis.
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Content ArticleThis article in the journal Trends in Neurology & Men's Health provides an outline of the role of human factors in preventing harm in healthcare. The authors describe the scale of medical errors and look at some specific ways that changes to personal and team working factors can improve safety for staff and patients.
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Content ArticleDue to the large numbers of employees who aren’t office based and are offsite for most of their working hours, Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) wanted to improve the ways they could communicate and engage with all staff, including those more dispersed. Through different approaches, YAS developed three schemes: appointed a number of employees as cultural ambassadors; procured and implemented an app called ‘Simply Do Ideas’; and established a range of staff equality networks with the aim of making sure staff from under-represented groups also had their voices heard.
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Content ArticleThe debate about which is better for learning, listening or talking, highlights one of the reasons why the After Action Review (AAR) can be such a powerful agent of change, as Judy Walker explains in her LinkedIn article.
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Content ArticleIn this guest blog for the Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB), Taffy Gatawa, Chief Information and Compliance Officer at everyLIFE Technologies, talks about the importance of ensuring that healthcare technologies comply with recognised standards. She discusses everyLIFE's experience on PRSB’s Standards Partnership Scheme, and their journey to implementing standards in their digital products. Taffy describes a process of learning and feedback, achieved through desktop research, clinical reviews and critical engagement with PRSB and customers.
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Content ArticleThis video is based on research interviews with acute medical patients and examines how staff and patients in hospital can create safe care together. It includes quotes from real-life patient experiences and highlights the importance of listening to and reassuring patients, and involving them in their care.
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EventThe Deteriorating Patient Summit focuses on recognising and responding to the deteriorating patient through improving the reliability of patient observations and ensuring quality of care. The conference will include National Developments including the recent recommendations on NEWS2 and Covid-19, and implementing the recommendations from the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch Report Investigation into recognising and responding to critically unwell patients. The conference will include practical case study based sessions on identifying patients at risk of deterioration, improving practice in patient observations, responding to the deteriorating patient, improving escalation and understanding success factors in escalation, sepsis & Covid-19, involving patients and families in recognising deterioration, and improving the communication and use of NEWS2 in the community, including care homes, and at the interface of care. For further information and to book your place visit https://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/conferences-masterclasses/deteriorating-patient-summit or email kate@hc-uk.org.uk hub members receive a 20% discount. Email info@pslhub.org for the discount code Follow the conference on Twitter @HCUK_Clare #DeterioratingPatient
