Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is the first NHS trust on the English mainland to provide Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities and Acute hospital services across a county.
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust employs over 9000 colleagues in various roles, including therapists, nurses, doctors, researchers, scientists, porters, cleaners, kitchen and administration staff to deliver and support its patient services.
The contribution and feedback from all of its colleagues are invaluable in creating thriving and vibrant workplaces and high-quality patient services.
THE CHALLENGE
With a successful Freedom to Speak Up Guardian Service already in place, the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust wanted to add additional digital feedback and communication channels to increase efficiency and move away from paper feedback forms and un-recorded telephone calls.
Tash Khan-Davis, the Leadership and Organisational Development Lead for the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, sought a solution that provided greater access and met the Trust’s IT governance and GDPR requirements.
“Working with WorkInConfidence has been more of a partnership they have liaised with our IT and workforce data teams and other managers to find the best way to find and implement a solution that met our requirements.”
THE SOLUTION
The primary requirement was to add email as an available channel for the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Freedom to Speak Up Guardians to receive feedback. WorkInConfidence was selected thanks to its cloud-based holistic digital employee involvement platform.
WorkInConfidence started by listening to the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s challenges to provide the best solution. The implementation was supported with a comprehensive launch plan, communications plan and a host of communications material and templates.
In addition to a new electronic communications channel for their Freedom to Speak Up Guardians service, the Trust also use the survey module. Users of the survey tool attend a one-hour training session and then use the system to send and collate feedback in a GDPR compliant manner.
Tash adds: “The WorkInConfidence team have been great work with and super-responsive in terms of taking on board or feedback about features that we would like to see added.
“Their concern is not just implementing a solution for the client’s needs but understanding and implementing it in a way that provides the utility to the end-user,” explains Tash.
THE RESULTS
WorkInConfidence has integrated traditional and new means of communication and feedback in a way that is respectful of tech-literate users and those who prefer other methods of providing feedback.
