Trust Patient Experience team are National PENNA Award finalists
Our Trust’s Patient Experience team have been announced as finalists in the prestigious Patient Experience Network National Awards (PENNA).
The team’s ‘Cultural Competencies’ project was shortlisted for not one, but three categories in the PENNA awards, including the “Using Insight for Improvement” category.
The ground-breaking project saw the team deliver unique Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training alongside national organisations and individuals with lived experience. The webinars aimed to break down barriers to healthcare and improve patient experience.
Following feedback from staff and patient groups, the training focused on important equality and diversity topics, including Disabilities, LGBTQ and Transgender specific awareness, Cultural Awareness, Refugee and Asylum Seekers and Mental Health.
Mark Hillier, Senior Patient Experience Manager, said: “The team have worked incredibly hard to put together this unique training with our community organisations.
“The webinars were co-delivered with individuals with lived experience. Our most recent course on Transgender Awareness was run alongside members of the Birmingham LGBT centre, which has seen huge interest amongst staff. We’ve also led training on Autism Awareness alongside autistic children, which our staff found really insightful."
Mark added: “Having experts by experience and someone whose been through it gives the training that extra depth. It helps staff to understand their mindset and perspective and know what it is like for them. It helps us to keep the patient experience at the heart of everything.”
The project team work closely with local and national organisations to deliver the webinars, such as Ambitious about Autism, Communication Plus and Mind.
Mark said: “I think what is special about this project is that it is homegrown. The team went to staff and asked them what education they felt they needed and what we needed to improve on. As a result, we created training that is bespoke to our staff members.”
Ela Ortega is an Interpreting and Cultural Insight Coordinator who was involved in the project. She said: “We have been so pleased that staff attending the webinars have found them useful and have resources to take back and teach others in their team.
“We have enjoyed working with such a variety of organisations to bring patient's lived experiences to staff in a way that continues to encourage conversation about inclusion and diversity.”
The Patient Experience team will attend the ceremony on Wednesday 28 September at the University of Birmingham, where they will be hoping for the grand prize.
Caron Eyre, Director of Nursing for Quality and Governance, said: “As part of the Trust's commitment to widening participation in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, we were pleased to offer staff the opportunity to learn more about Cultural Awareness through the Patient Experience Cultural Competencies project.
“Working with external partners from across the UK and Experts by Experience, the project has been an innovative platform for improving understanding about health inequalities and the importance of putting inclusion at the heart of a patient’s journey”
Mark added: “A massive congratulations and thank you to the team for working so hard and taking this project to heart.”