Scots expertslead study into patient care in NHS

A SCOTTISH university is to lead the UK’s largest ever study into the experience of patients and the delivery of healthcare, in an effort to improve standards.

Stirling University will question 6,000 patients and 1,000 medical staff over two years. The aim of the research, which will start in NHS Tayside, is to help improve frontline care and the experiences of patients.

Improving Patient Experience of Care (IPEC) will also involve academics at Stirling, Dundee and Glasgow Caledonian universities. The principal researcher, Professor Brian Williams, said: “There have been a number of major initiatives in recent years designed to help frontline healthcare staff improve the care experience.

“Our study aims to evaluate whether these initiatives are working for nurses and patients, and importantly, what can be done by the NHS to support staff in improving the experience.”

The study will start with hospital patients on 30 surgical and medical wards in NHS Tayside being asked to fill out questionnaires.

Questions will cover issues such as standards of care, ward environment, pain control and wellbeing.

The study will also ask nurses about their own wellbeing, their perceptions of the standard of care on wards and whether they think their working culture supports good caring.