In November 2021, we developed a network with colleagues in our partnership with a passion to improve experience of care. The network is not only a forum for making sure that the voice of our communities influences the work of the partnership and creates positive change, but as a forum to bring colleagues and peers together across the partnership to share and learn.

The purpose of the Experience of Care network is to:

• Improve the experience of care and outcomes, and promote equitable access to health and care services for the people of Wakefield District.
• Collaborate and share information, insight, intelligence for the benefit of all partners.
• Utilise experience of care feedback to ensure the voice of local people and communities influences strategic priorities for the partnership.
• Utilise valuable insights to inform quality improvement in our key transformation programmes.
• Facilitate communication, data sharing, and engagement among all partners, ensuring a people-centric and collaborative approach to health and care services.
• Share multi-agency learning across partners using an appreciative approach
• Create a learning environment where continuous feedback, dialogue, and involvement initiatives lead to ongoing improvements in health and care services.
• Build the staff expertise, skills and resources across our partnership.
• Create a facilitative space for colleagues and be at the forefront of innovation relating to experience of care.
• Provide expertise and advice on experience of care to the Wakefield District Health & Care Partnership.

Our objectives are to:

• Bring together colleagues from across the diverse partnership to provide leadership and peer support.
• Ensure that shared experience of care feedback is utilised to identify opportunities for quality improvement and engagement, leading to the creation of positive change.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by actively engaging partners in quality improvement, encouraging innovation, feedback and collaboration.
• Align priorities for experience of care, explore new ways of gathering feedback and share learning between partners.
• Create a strong and cohesive team – greater than the sum of its parts.
• Develop a consistent approach to experience of care across broader pathways of care.
• Encompass wider determinants of health and trialling new approaches to improve experience of care.
• Use insight to address health inequalities, quality and safety.

Experience of Care infographic.

Previous Experience of Care Network sessions:

Below is a summary of our previous Experience of Care Network sessions:

February 2024

We looked back at two of our previous topics to see whether data was showing that experience of accessing GP services and experience of being discharged from hospital had improved. We heard from colleagues working to improve systems and processes, including Healthwatch sharing the positive outcome from Phase 2 of their engagement on experience of discharge.

We also heard about four fantastic and innovative initiatives which focus on experience for people in our district facing greater health inequalities – the health needs of people living in the gypsy and traveller community, supporting people with severe and complex mental health needs closer to home, the work of the new maternity befrienders with people newly arrived in the country or seeking asylum, and the Living with Lived Experience films which are helping to raise awareness around mental health in public/voluntary sector workforce.

October 2023

We discussed people’s experience of community mental health services. We heard from the Partnership’s programme lead for mental health transformation about how people’s experience of community mental health services is influencing service transformation tailoring services to the need of the population (with new roles working in GP practices, mental health services and the voluntary sector). We also looked at what was happening locally to support people, including the new Mental Health Community panel being setup by Healthwatch Wakefield to explore how lived experience can be embedded in the work of the Mental Health Alliance.

June 2023

In June 2023 we discussed people’s experience of waiting for planned care. We heard from the Partnership’s programme lead for planned care about national guidance, strategic actions and challenges in addressing the large and growing waiting lists. We also looked at what was happening locally to support people waiting the longest, and to empower people, wherever possible, to take charge of their own health whilst they wait.

March 2023

In  March 2023 we heard about The Big Conversation and what people who live and work in Wakefield have told us, particularly about what is great about living in the district and about people’s aspirations for the future.

We also finalised the different data sources and contacts for Experience of Care feedback and discussed the refreshed guidance published by the National Quality Board – Improving Experience of Care: A shared commitment for those working in health and care systems.

November 2022

In November 2022 the network celebrated its first anniversary with a Show and Tell session about how experience of care has been improved for particular groups of people across the district (people with a learning disability; people accessing maternity services; children and young people; and people living in a care home).

We also continued the discussion around sources of experience of care feedback.

September 2022

In September 2022 we discussed people’s experience of being discharged from hospital.  We heard from the Partnership’s strategic lead for transfer of care about national guidance, strategic actions and challenges to improving experience of discharge from hospital.  We also looked at what was happening locally within the hospital and what we could all do collectively to contribute to this work.

May and June 2022

At the May and June 2022 network we discussed people’s experience of accessing General Practice (GP) services. We heard from the Partnership’s primary care team about the local challenges, how Wakefield district GP services compare favourably to other areas and actions being taken to increase the number of appointments, and range of healthcare professionals working in GP practices.

February 2022

At the February 2022 network colleagues discussed what their current sources of feedback on experience of care were.  The network also tested an approach which focused on the topic of Urgent and Emergency Care Services and used insight from what people were telling us about their experiences of care.

November 2021

In November 2021 the network met for the first time for a development session to discuss the purpose of the network and what colleagues wanted to achieve.