The title Ideal Ward Round (I.W.R.) is in no way explanatory, in it’s present form it isn’t ideal and it isn’t a ward round, well not as experienced in a medical or surgical setting but it is an opportunity for service users and carers to meet with staff on a regular basis to discuss all aspects of a service users’ care and plan for eventual discharge.
It became apparent around three years ago that there were concerns across the board surrounding the management of the I.W.R. so, led by Jonathan Wright, Involvement and Experience Lead, there began collaborative working to improve the I.W.R. experience.
A team consisting of Involvement volunteers, carers, service users and professionals set about gaining people’s experiences, opinions and more importantly their thoughts on how things could be improved. This was done by working together to produce a questionnaire which was widely circulated across the Trust. Focus groups were then held to bring people together to share their experiences and to try and find a way forward.
All of this information was collated and trends identified. Twelve areas were highlighted which have the potential to improve the I.W.R. experience. An event is being held at Highbury Hospital on Tuesday 8th May to launch this exciting new project.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who has contributed in any way to this co- produced project. We hope it will make a difference.
Ann Parkes – Involvement Volunteer
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