Big Conversation: what does good care look like to local people?

Healthwatch Barking and Dagenham, Healthwatch City of London; Healthwatch Hackney; Healthwatch Havering; Healthwatch Redbridge; Healthwatch Tower Hamlets and Healthwatch Waltham Forest undertook a survey and qualitative research with particular groups to come up with a Good Care Framework.  They spoke to 1,578 people.

The Framework has four principles.  Good care is Accessible, Person-Centred, Competent and Trustworthy.

In this framework:

• Barriers to accessing care are understood and addressed
• Patients get to make appointments and be seen in a way that works for them
• Services are inter-connected around the patient
• Services work well with each other at community level
• There is continuity of care between services and within services
• There is consistency of care
• Patients understand how care decisions are taken and believe that professionals are providing good treatment
• Appointments for acute issues AND routine check-ups are available within a reasonable timeframe
• Health and care services both respond to and anticipate people’s needs
• Patients get reassurance that they are well
• Health and care services are accountable to patients and local people
• Patients' worries and concerns are understood and addressed.
• Cultural differences in expectations of what care should look like are taken into account

The report identifies success indicators for each pillar of the framework and how they can be measured.