Staff on the Children’s Ward wanted to form a better relationship with parents/carers of the children who use the services. We had tried questionnaires and other feedback forms to get feedback on how we could improve the service but these were not very informative.
On further discussion we felt a service user group would be the best way to achieve this goal. On our first attempt to engage parents we sent invitations out to a number of parents and also those currently in the ward. We had a very poor turnout for this. We tried again and this time we invited a small group of parents who were regular users of the service and chose them based on the diversity of their child’s needs. From this small group one parent reached out and offered to help set up the group.
This parent enlisted the help of another parent she knew as their children both had similar medical conditions. They first organised social events for children and their parents to attend which was a great way of networking with other families. They also set up a private group on social media for parents of children with lifelong and life-limiting conditions so they could get feedback on how improvements could be made on the ward. From this they took the feedback and fundraised for foldaway beds for parents so they could get a good night sleep. They fed back to the ward and a room was identified for parents and the Parents Group provided a microwave, fridge, kettle and other items so parents could go and make a hot drink or heat some food for themselves.
The Parents Group continued to grow and they have gone on to provide televisions, bravery baskets, toiletries for parents, artwork, balloon displays, a bench outside the ward for parents to get a breather and a fabulous Christmas display outside the 2 wards. They have brought together the families and staff at various events including the Christmas party, yoga, wreath making and afternoon teas. They have also organised separate events including providing starter packs for families with a child newly diagnosed with diabetes and social events for children with epilepsy or asthma.
The Altnagelvin Parents Group has provided much needed equipment and items to make a stay on the ward a bit easier for parents/carers. They feedback to staff regularly and a are a great resource for information and advice from the people who use the service. The staff on the ward take all the feedback and use this to improve the service where possible. On the ward families regularly comment on their appreciation of the beds, parents’ room and tv’s.
We feel that the Parents Group has given the parents of the children who use the service a voice, it’s like a direct line to the ward!!
The relationship between the parents and the staff has also been enhanced thanks to the social events the group has arranged.
