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06
Oct
Harrogate NHS trust to receive patient feedback through app
Harrogate District and Foundation Trust (HDFT) is looking at new ways it can receive patient feedback.
The trust, which runs Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, revealed plans to digitalise its patient feedback system at this year's annual members' meeting on September 22.
It aims to receive patient feedback directly through the NHS app.
It comes after the government published its 10-year plan for healthcare in England, which outlines three ways in which it hopes to "reinvent" the NHS.
The government wants to expand community-based services, rather than healthcare being "hospital-centric", encourage patients to use the NHS app to access health records, and halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.
Previously, patients would receive a text message asking them how their service was and asking for feedback.
The government's new plan ha sprompted HDFT to propose changes under the 'analogue to digital' section of the 10-year plan.
Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at HDFT, told the meeting:
We all know that health is the most important thing. We all use the health services.
Many of the questions raised by members of the trust and the public over the past year have been regarding appointment systems, services for older people, and reducing health inequalities.
One of the ways HDFT intends to improve the Harrogate system for these issues is through digitalisation. This will hopefully help with engagement and feedback from patient voice.
Several members of the public including Rene Dziabas, 77, from the Harlow Hill, area raised concerns about the plans, saying they wouldn’t be "sustainable".
He questioned whether, with an ageing population and the use of ‘sophisticated’ technology, the plan was possible at all.
The issue with digital practices was echoed in roundtable discussions at Monday evening's meeting.
Jordan McKie, director of finance at HDFT, cited a 10% decrease in waiting lists since the covid pandemic, and a plan to spend £35 million on buildings and infrastructure.
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