Your questions answered

Over the past few months, colleagues have been asking questions about Patient First through various forums, such as the weekly staff briefing. These have been pulled together into a Q&A document which is available on the Intranet, so if you have a question, it’s worth checking there to see if somebody else has already asked it, and a response has been given. Please take a few minutes to read it through, even if you don’t have a question, as it will help your understanding of Patient First. Here are a couple of questions that have been asked so far – don’t forget, there’s more in the full Q&A document, which is updated regularly.

Q: Isn’t Patient First just a rebranding of what we should already be doing for our patients? What’s new about the approach of Patient First, compared to what we have done in the past?

A: Patient First is the natural evolution of our previous Trust Improvement Plan. The approach and the improvement system that support Patient First, align the whole Trust, behind a series of evidence based focus areas so that we are all working towards the same vision, avoiding silo working and actions and projects that are unsustainable. Whether you are on the wards, or providing vital support services from a central team, Patient First means that we can improve overall performance by focusing on fewer but key priorities. It supports us all, wherever we work, with the tools, processes and behaviours to identify and make small changes that result in an overall culture of continuous improvement. Everyone across the Trust, in clinical and non-clinical area, will be using the same approach and methods every day, which brings consistency and sustainability to what we are each doing, making part of every working day and moving us steadily closer towards achieving our vision.

Q: I’m in a central team. Can we have assurance that this won’t just focus on clinical groups, and that we won’t be missed out or forgotten?

A: All teams in the Trust, clinical or non-clinical, are vital to the success of Patient First and will follow and use the approach, methodology and tools that it offers.

One of our breakthrough objectives for this first year is around staff well-being and appraisals, which directly affects every single member of staff, whatever your role.

However, all of us have a part to play, however distant it may seem, in helping the Trust achieve all five breakthrough objectives. As they cascade down through the organisation, it become clear what contribution you can make.