Designing services informed

by the experiences of older adults

in Central and Eastern Cheshire

Bernadette Bailey COMMISSIONING MANAGER – CENTRAL AND EASTERN CHESHIRE PRIMARY CARE TRUST
Ken Clemens CAMPAIGNS AND POLICY MANAGER – AGE CONCERN CHESHIRE
Dr Corinne Thomason RESEARCH CONSULTANT – AGE CONCERN CHESHIRE

www.ageconcerncheshire.org.uk
www.ageconcerncheshire.org.uk
 Dignity a basic human right

“Human rights rests on human dignity.”

Human rights represent all the things that are important to us as human
beings, such as being abler to choose how to live our life and being
treated with dignity & respect.

Local and national context of this work

The most pertinent overall policy direction: Dignity and Quality.

• Dignity in Care Campaign - Launched 2006.

• Dignity Challenge - Social Movement of now over 5,500 dignity champions.

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 Dignity a basic human right

Campaign Aims
• Raise awareness of dignity in care
• Inspire local people to take action in support of the campaign.
• Share good practice and give impetus to innovation.
• Transform services by supporting people and organisations in commissioning
and providing dignified services.
• Reward and recognise those organisations, staff and teams that make a
difference and go the “extra mile”.
• Minister called for a dignity impact assessment, beginning April 09 and
reporting in Sept 09.
• Project underway in the DH to deliver a suite of Performance Indicators from
which the next iteration of the NIS and PSAs will be drawn.

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 Personalised care Privacy and dignity
Quality improving patient World class NHS must
Putting Experience give a new priority to
quality at the enhanced choice dignity and respect for
Engagement -
heart of all control and patients alongside high
Capturing the
we do autonomy quality medical care.’
voice of older
adults
User reported
experience

Drivers for
Dignity

Dignity is integral to all that we do not an optional extra.

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 What is the National Dignity Challenge?

The National Dignity Challenge is a clear statement of what

people can expect from a service that respects dignity. It is
backed up by a series of ‘dignity tests’ that can be used by
providers, commissioners and people who use services to see
how their local services are performing.

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 What is the National Dignity Challenge?

High quality services that respect people’s dignity should:-

• Have a zero tolerance to all forms of abuse.
• Support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a
member of your family.
• Treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service.
• Enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence,
choice & control.
• Listen & support people to express their needs and wants.
• Respect people’s right to privacy.
• Ensure people feel able to complain without retribution.
• Engage with family members & carers as partners.
• Assist people to maintain confidence & self esteem.
• Act to alleviate people’s loneliness & isolation.
• (SCIE 2006)

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 What we did and where we did it?
WHAT A Dignity Audit of Older Adult Beds

WHY To provide the necessary information to enable the PCT to meet its
“Dignity Challenge” of ensuring that only services which respect dignity
are commissioned, (as per the PCT quality schedule 7.6 and quality
standard 4A.

To inform and be incorporated into the contracting round.

WHEN Conducted September – December 2008

WHERE • Central and Eastern Cheshire

• A sample of Older Person’s Services were audited in four
different Trusts.
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust- Acute services
• East Cheshire NHS Trust-Acute services
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust -
Macclesfield and Leighton sites
• Cheshire East Community Health - Community team based at
Frederick House and Santune House.

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 Details of the audit
FOCUS • To examine the extent to which commissioned services are measuring
up to the National Dignity Challenge;
• To promote positive change by sharing and celebrating best practice

METHOD • Boundaries of the work prescribed by the National Dignity Challenge

• 10 challenges and 41 associated questions
• Audit comprised a series of smaller audits
• Environmental audit
• Practice audit
• Policy and procedures audit
• Lived experiences audit-1:1 interviews, focus groups, video diaries,
questionnaires.

SAMPLE SIZE • 228 respondents were involved in providing evidence for this work and
• environmental and observational audits in 9 service areas.

www.ageconcerncheshire.org.uk
 Defining Dignity

“ I think of myself, wanting care, preferably in my own

home. A carer who listens and does not try to
persuade me to do things I do not want to do.
I prefer a carer who has had some training and
respects my home and my independence ”
and has a sense of humour…
”
Female aged 65-74 at Age Concern Cheshire AGM

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 Defining Dignity

“ Care, gentleness and respect on the part of carers

when handling / touching the body.

”
Real effort to communicate - time listening and talking.
Female patient aged 65 Mid Cheshire

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 Defining Dignity

“ It was too noisy and confusing on the bay

but she is isolated in the side room.
She is at risk of infection and has already had one.
She is very frail and weak but I don’t like
the thought of her calling out, nurse, nurse
when I am not here to help.
”
Relative talking about the care of her 98 year old Mother, East Cheshire

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 Defining Dignity

“ Not pigeon-holing people,

not treating them as all the same;
asking them what is important for them
and how they would like to be cared for.
Senior administrator- Acute setting
”

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 Barriers to Dignity in Care

“ Time is a major problem. We have good education but

we need smarter ways of learning.
We are tied up in bureaucracy. We say, ‘ I haven’t
done all my washes’. We have to start saying no
matter, we can do them in the evening.
We are also getting better at telling people when they
have done something well.
”
Senior Nurse Educator-Acute setting

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 Barriers to Dignity in Care

“ There is a constant staff shortage. We often stay over

and take our hours back another time.
Team spirit is unbelievable and it can get very stressful
because we do a lot of bed baths.

Health care assistant, acute setting

”

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 Barriers to Dignity in Care

“ Targets force us into decisions which we wouldn’t want

to make. It often comes down to targets
versus local situations - you’ve got to meet targets -
if you don’t have the vision you get your P45.
Senior Discharge Nurse-Acute setting
”

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 Barriers to Dignity in Care

“ Customer care is really important.

It’s no good having a sister at the desk writing notes
who never looks up.
It’s a caring job you need the right attitude

”
and you need to be doing it by choice.
Senior Nurse-Community setting

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 Factors which promote dignity in care

TRAINING
“ Bank staff are a hindrance to permanent staff as they
are much slower. It’s hard to work as a team, they
need to be C&R trained, it is a scary environment if
you are not trained. We can spot things, there are
signs and we are de-escalation trained. If staff are not
permanent they may not know the triggers and this is
very important. Permanent staff are very good and
would not want to put you in a difficult position.
Senior Nurse Manager-Mental Health setting
”
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 Factors which promote dignity in care

ATTITUDE
“ The age and facilities (good or not) of a hospital can be

”
over-ridden by kind, friendly, professional staff.
Female patient 71. Mid Cheshire

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 Factors which promote dignity in care

“ When staff get moved around you can end up with

people who don’t really want to work with older people.
If that is the case that member of staff shouldn’t be
forced to come.
”
Ward sister, Mid Cheshire, Mental Health

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 Factors which promote dignity in care

“ She is a pivotal personality - she has clout and is

passionate and very fair with everyone.
She can spearhead new initiatives and troubleshoot,
mediating between non medical staff and consultants.
She listens, takes on board concerns and works
to resolve them.
”
Social Worker-Community setting

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 Factors which promote dignity in care

“ Lots has been done to support staff

to ensure we get things right.
Leadership and the role of matrons are very important.
Senior Nurse Manager-Acute Hospital setting
”

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 Celebrating services in
Central and Eastern Cheshire

“ We do a really good job here, our Health Commission

scores have gone up to fair to good on management and quality
this year.
”
Senior Administrator-Acute setting

“ The trust has picked itself up from being slated in the national

”
and local press. It is now in the limelight for good practice.
Middle manager-Acute setting

“ Patient care is improving, we are more patient- focused and

more quality – focused but it is an ongoing project.
Senior Nurse manager- Acute setting
”
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 Celebrating services in
Central and Eastern Cheshire

Some people described it in terms of better communication,

awareness, involvement and openness.

“ We are better at listening and responding.

We welcome the involvement of volunteers which makes
things more transparent because they see what we do
and tell us if something is wrong.

Consultation event-Acute setting

”

www.ageconcerncheshire.org.uk
 Celebrating services in
Central and Eastern Cheshire

Others described the achievement of changing perceptions:-

“ Reading back the words of service users to staff so that

they own what happened is a really powerful tool for change.
Some people get really upset when they know what the patient
and carer went through.
”
Patient Experience Manager- Acute setting

“ I would like to celebrate multi-disciplinary working because it

helps when we all sing from the same hymn sheet because we
are working closer together – we can pool resources and
understand each others roles and problems?
Social Worker- Acute Hospital setting ”
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 Measuring up to the Dignity Challenge
What was good
A commitment to individualised care
A willingness to report abuse
Cleanliness
Innovative training
A willingness to engage with the public
Clearer priorities disseminated throughout the organisation
Dignity champions and dignity leads
Protected mealtimes and the red tray scheme
No secrets campaign
Emphasis on quality
Shared training

www.ageconcerncheshire.org.uk
 Measuring up to the Dignity Challenge
Where further work needs to take place
Robust care management
systems
Dignity in death
The impact of competing priorities
Sufficient daily occupation/social contacts
The impact of multiple ward moves
Discharge policies/seamless services
Better mechanisms for capturing the patient voice
Empowering older adults to raise their expectations
All staff need training which focuses on issues round
the care of older adults

www.ageconcerncheshire.org.uk
 Recommendations for change
Information, help and • Respect for individuals
advice • Focus on the person
• customer care • Getting the basics right
• service development • the importance of training
• Building confidence and
• Knowledge about patients self-esteem
• Personalised care • Competing priorities
• Helping people to express • Being involved and having
themselves choices

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 The relevance and importance of this work

The importance of independence

• National Nursing Review of metrics and practice.
• Essence of care data.
• Darzi Clinical Pathway dignity and quality findings.

Capturing the authentic voice of older adults

• So that dignity is embedded in all implementation activity and
the profile of dignity is raised,(Commissioning, next stage
review, Ageing Strategy, Personalisation, Dementia Care,
End of Life Care, Mental Health etc.)

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 A start to the process not the end
• Utilise this to embed across all services, turning all user reported experience into
“intelligence”.
• Discuss these findings with providers to make clear your expectations on the
dignity standards.
• Use financial incentives to drive up quality.
• Support training and incorporate it into main workforce development.
• The importance of listening to people who use the services.
• Dispersed Leadership, Strong vleadership at all levels…from floor to board.
• Maintain and grow a supportive environment….enabling and supporting change.
• Show and share what is good and innovative….building a wider perception.

Conducting your own audit - introducing our dignity tool

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