SAFIRE 6CS IN ACTIONAIMS

1. Improve and develop service user experience.2. Improve team morale 3. Identify and highlight areas of good practise.4. Identify areas for development and further training

The 6Cs Action Board On SafireThis board highlights the numerous pledges that the team have already made. The

aim is for staff to evidence the work done on these pledges every 3 months.

Making the 6Cs have meaning to our team

Pledges were asked from all members of the team from the ward manager, nurses, support workers, students and pharmacist.The aim was to use the 6Cs as a means of not only improving and developing service users experiences on the unit but also ensuring that this has meaning for the team and does not end up a task dictated to but led by the team.

Examples of 6C pledges made by the SAFIRE team

“ I will develop the role of Physical Health Nurse on SAFIRE. Developing a resource area and a package of resource care plans and information. This will have the aim of promoting health promotion within our client group “

Katrina Kernaghan ( Staff Nurse )

Promoting the physical health of SAFIRE Clients. This board is part of the development of the units physical health area

and can be seen to highlight and action all of the 6C’s

Another SAFIRE 6C pledge

“With the assistance of team members, clients and carers I will participate in the ‘15 Steps Challenge ‘ in 2013/14. The aim of this challenge is to improve and expand on the quality of care provided from a service users perspective .”Nigel Hird ( Ward Manager )

This pledge was decided upon following meeting with a family and hearing their experiences on the unit. The family want to participate in this challenge to help the team develop the quality of care a client receives . This has also had the outcome of

changing what was a negative outcome into a positive.

What is the 15 step challenge • In 2010-11 the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement held a

series of focus groups with patients and relatives; these groups included ethnic minority groups, older people and parents. Several also included staff from different teams and service areas. The focus groups discussed what "good" looks like to patients. Do first impressions count? What is it staff do that makes patients feel confident and valued?

• During one of these workshops a mother who often had to take her daughter to a hospital ward told us: "I can tell what kind of care my daughter is going to get within 15 steps of walking on to a ward". This led us to ask "how did she know?", and sparked the development of the 15 Steps Challenge toolkit, which was launched last year for acute organisations.

• While this mother's statement referred to her acute hospital experience, many service users and relatives told us the principle was also true for mental health inpatient settings and community care.

What is the aim of the 15 step challenge on SAFIRE

• A way of understanding service users first impressions more clearly

• A method for service users, staff and others to work together to identify improvements.

• Help to develop the overall quality of practice • Support for continuous improvement • Conversation starter about what is working well

and what can be done to improve the service user experience

First steps in the challenge Development of a welcome area at the front of the unit. This area will include a staff photo board and a client welcome board that explains the functions and roles of the

unit in a client friendly manner.

Improving the clients bed spaces with welcome packs and lockable space has already received positive feedback and helped to enhance the SAFIRE service

user experience.

Other examples

• Communication and Courage: redevelopment of the patient forum meetings. Enable clients to feel that they have a voice and that it is being heard Camilla Smith ( Staff Nurse )

• Competence: The development of a student training pack looking at physical observations Chris Leigh ( Student Nurse )

Staff feedback so far....

• Initially staff were sceptical about pledging with comments such as why and what's the point raised during the first team meeting. However 3 months later here is a couple of examples of staff feedback and how they have felt about our team pledges“ The 6c pledges have made myself as an individual and the team as a whole focus on what we get right and on what we get wrong. It challenges us to think , reflect and evaluate the care we give . It makes the team work together to improve the service we provide “

“ The pledges ensure that the 6c experience on the unit has meaning “

Client feedback

• This following feedback was received from a client and can correlate with the pledge the staff nurse had made. It is also evidence of how the team embrace the true meaning of the 6Cs in our everyday practise.I've been admitted to Safire 5 times in the last year, and I find the staff there fantastic. Despite me being a very difficult patient at times and making their jobs hard they never once judged me and only cared for me. My most recent stay especially, a staff nurse spoke to me for over an hour when I was distressed and calmed me down, in a professional and brilliant manner. I literally have nothing bad to say about Safire, the staff are amazing and fantastic at their jobs and deserve every acknowledgement of their, for lack of a better word, awesomeness!!