Evaluation of Knowledge and Experience of Purple Points Initiative Provided by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

Healthwatch Sandwell evaluated the Purple Points Initiative (PPI) at Sandwell General Hospital, Rowley Regis Hospital and City Hospital to assess patients’ and carers’ awareness of the scheme and its effectiveness in resolving concerns about inpatient care. The initiative was introduced by Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust in February 2018 in response to earlier Healthwatch investigations that had identified weaknesses in the complaints process and concerns about aspects of patient care. 

The Purple Points Initiative provides dedicated telephones located outside ward areas that allow patients and their families to raise concerns about care while the patient is still in hospital. The service aims to address issues quickly, before discharge, and includes support in several languages, including Urdu, Bengali, Polish, Romanian and Punjabi. 

Healthwatch surveyed 130 people across the three hospital sites between August and September 2018. The results showed that awareness of the initiative was very low. Only 8% of respondents knew what the Purple Points Initiative was, while 92% did not. Many respondents incorrectly guessed its purpose, with some associating it with financial products, fire safety procedures or other unrelated services. 

Despite the low level of awareness, feedback from the two respondents who had used the service was very positive. Both had used Purple Points at Sandwell General Hospital after becoming dissatisfied with aspects of their care. They reported that their concerns were communicated to ward staff through the service and resolved within a few days. As a result, both patients were satisfied with the outcomes and did not need to pursue formal complaints. 

Two additional respondents said they had noticed the purple telephones but did not know what they were for. More generally, once the initiative was explained during the survey, patients and relatives responded positively and felt it was a useful way of raising concerns and improving patient care.

Healthwatch also collected feedback through social media. While one respondent questioned whether resources should be spent on promoting the initiative, another commented that it provided an important opportunity for patients to raise concerns about care while they were still receiving treatment.

The survey participants were drawn from a range of communities across the Black Country. Most respondents were patients rather than relatives, and the largest age group was people aged 50 to 74 years. 

Healthwatch concluded that the Purple Points Initiative appeared to be a valuable and effective tool for resolving concerns quickly when it was used, but that public awareness of the service was extremely low.

The report recommended that Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust undertake a renewed publicity campaign to raise awareness of the initiative and provide information leaflets to all patients on admission so that they understand how to raise concerns during their hospital stay.

Overall, the evaluation found that while the Purple Points Initiative had been successful in resolving concerns for those who used it, its impact was limited by a lack of patient and carer awareness across the Trust’s hospital sites.