The team has adapted some of their methodologies to meet the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. These now include using video calls, Face Time, Zoom and MS Teams or telephone calls to safely conduct the interviews.
The Patient Experience team’s most often used methodology is face-to-face interviews (also known as a ‘Discovery interview’), often conducted in the patient’s home or a neutral community space. This gives the person an opportunity to share their personal experiences in a more comfortable atmosphere and enables them to focus on the issues or parts of their journey as a patient or carer that are important to them.
For those who prefer not to engage on a one-to-one basis, there are opportunities to participate in focus groups. The team commonly visit groups or facilitate focus groups in community settings where people feel most comfortable. This includes visits to centres such as Sonali Gardens, where there are a large number of Bengali and South Asian service users and the ‘Create’ Adult Day Centre for people with learning disabilities.
The team also regularly visit other centres on a regular basis such as the Zacchaeus Project, Older Peoples Reference Group, Neighbours in Poplar, Caxton Hall, LinkAge to get feedback and give updates on previous reviews. We are also developing and strengthening our links with youth organisations, LGBTQ and global majority and cultural groups across Tower Hamlets through the Equalities Forums facilitated by Council for Voluntary Services (CVS).
The PET team’s aim is to reach as many communities as possible to capture views and ensure the best quality healthcare is provided to our service users.
