Patient feedback has been shown to be more crucial than ever as health services and care delivery is forced to change during the course of the pandemic, according to new data.
The research, undertaken by Healthcare Communications, revealed that 89% of NHS Trusts had delivered new digital appointment services as a direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the remaining 11% already had digital appointment services in place and further expanded their use. A YouGov survey of GB adults (18+) showed that 48% have a preference for digital communications for healthcare providers, which increases to 69% if you include telephone communications.
The figures were released in a white paper that analysed the trajectory of digital transformation across the NHS in England and looked at how it had affected patient experience. It also revealed the impact of restricted visiting arrangements and the role that digital technology can have in supporting patients and their loved ones.
Kenny Bloxham, Managing Director of Healthcare Communications, said: “Our original data and interviews reveal the extent of transformation across the NHS and demonstrate the innovation that is occurring up and down the country. One element that really came to the fore was the need to not make assumptions regarding how patients would like to receive their care. Patient choice is absolutely crucial and we would urge trusts to make full use of feedback technology available to monitor and deliver according to these preferences.”
Mark McKenna, Head of Patient and Family Experience, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was interviewed for the whitepaper. He admits to being surprised by some of the patient feedback his trust received during the pandemic. “It’s easy to have sweeping generalisations about older age groups and technology – such as that they wouldn’t be able to use digital solutions and that they may not have the equipment they need. We found this was not always the case.”
Meanwhile, Amanda Hynes, Family and Friends Test Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, explained: “This is the prime time to understand what our patients are experiencing. Feedback gives you some assurances, as staff members can sometimes be too close – it’s about seeing the care experience through the patient’s eyes.”
The whitepaper provides a series of recommendations for trusts to consider that are designed to optimise patient experience, which includes: the need provide choice around online or offline appointment methods; the need to monitor patient satisfaction levels over time; the benefits of sharing action taken as a result of patient feedback; and the benefits of sharing positive feedback with staff.
Commenting on the whitepaper findings, Digital Health Advisor Sam Shah said: “Digital health and modes of interacting with patients are evolving, depending on patient need they are increasingly likely to have a blended experience of online and offline healthcare. This raises the need to consider their experiences even more carefully and use a range of opportunities to obtain feedback and insights about their experiences. There is also a responsibility on all healthcare providers to recognise the heterogenous nature of the populations that we treat in terms of their digital literacy, their digital access and the digital penetration in the areas in which they live or work. Progressive trusts have built on existing feedback mechanisms such as FFT, and augmented these with more nuanced forms of obtaining insights about experiences. The evidence in this report highlights that a multi channel approach to feedback is just as important as the multichannel delivery of healthcare.”
Read the whitepaper, “Digital Transformation and the Patient Experience”, to find out more.