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Your search has returned 594 resultsPatient Partnership Week - Contributing to Better, Safer Care
Patient Partnership Week (2nd – 6th September) is an initiative created by the Patients Association to improve healthcare through better patient engagement.
There is a focus during the week on shared decision making in healthcare. Shared decision means involving patients and their families in decisions about their clinical care.
Not only do health professional codes of conduct state that patients should be told of any risks with recommended treatment, it is also a legal requirement.
Shared decision making enhances both quality of care and fosters more compassionate, effective healthcare. It is also vital for patient safety, because by listening to and working with patients a service is more likely to understand and meet their needs and be responsive when safety problems arise.
At the Public Services Ombudsman for Northern Ireland we receive complaints from patients (predominantly in a hospital setting) that they would have liked greater involvement in their care. While our investigations may find that health care staff treated patients appropriately, we also find occasions in which staff have not involved and listened to patients and their families.
You can read more about these cases here.
Bank Holiday Monday
We will be closed to the public on Monday 26 August. If you wish to make a complaint about a provider of a public service you can still do so via our online complaint form.
Our office will be open again on Tuesday 27 August, between the hours of 10.00am and 12 noon.
Complaint about decision not to place patient on waiting list for hip surgery
The Southern Trust should have carried out further tests on a patient to see if she was suitable for hip surgery.
Investigation into treatment of patient’s fibromyalgia
We found that a patient with fibromyalgia was treated appropriately by the Northern Trust.
Although the Trust failed to keep proper records of her treatment, we did not consider this impacted on her care.
Improving healthcare through better patient engagement
Shared decision making in a healthcare setting is about involving patients and their families in decisions about their clinical care.
Not only does this foster a more compassionate, effective healthcare service, it is vital for patient safety. By listening to and working with patients, a service is more likely to understand and meet their needs, and be responsive when safety problems are raised.
We often receive complaints from patients and their families that they should have had more involvement in their care. Click on the headings to read summaries of some of our investigations into these complaints:
Care home was inadequately prepared for arrival of resident
We found that a pre-admission assessment for a care home resident did not accurately record her mobility, meaning that the home was ill-prepared for her arrival.
Complaint about Trust’s delay in ADHD assessment
The Belfast Trust told a woman it would not assess her son for ADHD until he was six years old.
We found the Trust should have explained its reasons for not doing so more clearly, but acknowledged its timescale was a symptom of the wider demands currently placed on the health service.
Investigation against the Southern Health & Social Care Trust
A complainant believed that the surgery she received in Craigavon Area Hospital caused her injury and led to ongoing symptoms which were not properly treated.
Care and treatment of a cancer patient by the Belfast Trust
We found the Belfast Trust’s failure to ensure a patient was fit for surgery, and to consider other forms of treatment for his cancer, may have led to his untimely death.
Investigation into care of a child with Down’s Syndrome
A woman claimed that her daughter’s development was held back by the South Eastern Trust. We upheld parts of the complaint, finding that the Trust's failings led to a loss of opportunity for the child and caused her mother upset and distress.