Portfolio – a client blog for The One Question

Purpose: To write a series of client blogs for The One Question to promote its service areas

Blogging and content strategy is a key service I offer. Here is an example of a client blog I wrote for the SAAS start-up The One Question

Introduction

In his best-selling book ‘This is Going to Hurt’ author and former junior doctor Adam Kay delivers an eye-opening insight into how the National Health Service operates in the United Kingdom.

Not surprisingly the book has topped the charts – with its ability to both make you laugh out loud and cry when detailing his experiences.
Yet one section caught the eye. In a note on page 45, Adam writes of ‘something very unsatisfying about house-officer jobs was the way you never found out the end of the story’
“Extreme nosiness aside, it always felt like it might have been useful to find out if our management plans were any use,” he adds.

Discovering how patients really feel

But Imagine the power to this NHS employee if he knew how his patients feel about their experience. All of a sudden he would have a direct insight into what was working and what could be improved.
Yet when was the last time your doctor asked you how you feel beyond trying to establish a diagnosis?
We’re not talking about in the course of establishing a diagnosis – but how you feel about the service you received?
As a country, the UK spent £191.7bn on NHS services in 2016/17 and by 2020 spending is likely to account for 7% of UK GDP.

So given the enormous sums spent, you would be right in thinking that there is a lot of interest in patient feedback about the services – both to deliver improvements in services and to give assurances about quality.
In fact, the NHS England website states:
“We believe it is important to hear patients’ views on services they have received”
“The information we gather is key to helping people working in the NHS to make improvements where necessary. Positive feedback helps too because it provides a morale boost for hard-working NHS staff.”
And in fact there is a lot of number crunching going on to establish data on the patient experience.
Typically, they will ask for patient experiences on the following:

Access & waiting
safe high-quality coordinated care
better information, more choice
building closer relationships
clean friendly comfortable place to be

But how does that help managers organise clinicians’ time more effectively or improve care pathways?
And, confusingly, there are myriad ways patients can leave feedback about services either nationally or locally such as the Friends and Family Test, posting online on the NHS website, or taking part in a patient survey.

Concluding the client blog for The One Question  –  to show that happier patients mean better services

A blog written by Niamh Coghlan on the NHS Innovators website hits the nail on the head.
“Putting patients back at the heart of what the NHS does, can seem altruistic but…happier patients means better services which means better savings. It, of course, results in a win for all involved”
The NHS is a monolithic organisation and like many large entities has generated hugely complex processes and procedures as a result.
But imagine the prize if one question asking how patients feel could deliver better and more effective solutions.
We have seen that solution deliver results for business and we’re convinced it could work for our NHS too.

The call to action bit: Custom dictates at this point that I ask you to get in touch if this is the sort of thing you are looking for in your business and organisation. Very happy to have a chat at least so why not call me on 07708 855 486 or email shaun@contentconnective.com

One last favour to ask. If you enjoyed this client blog for The One Question why not share it below!