What is the positive change that has emerged through new collaborations or partnerships during Covid-19 that your project is going to embed?

Pilot ward didn’t have a service that ensured regular communication between families because ward capacity was limited to make calls. No  virtualcalls were made to date.

We called NOK/families to ask ‘What matters to them?’. Our qualitative data showed that all patients liked the idea of a virtual call. No preference to type of device/call was shown.

The change was to ensure that every patient had the opportunity to speak to their loved ones, be that through a virtual call/telephone conversation. Staff have to engage in identifying a patient that does not have a technical means of communication and outline general purpose of the call. Response volunteers then facilitated calls.

We have demonstrated that communication is effective with loved ones even through this challenging time. Ability to partner and maintain relationship with volunteer team and work as a team has been a key positive change for us.

What does your project aim to achieve?

Our AIM: To improve patient and carer experience through better virtual communication by implementing a virtual visiting service to 100% of our patients that meet the service criteria by December 2020 on ward 5B

Our Plan: Through the collaboration between clinical ward staff and the Response Volunteer programme within the hospital, clinical staff will identify appropriate patients who would like to connect with their family and friends. A Response Volunteer will then be requested and they will visit the patient to help facilitate the ‘Virtual Visit’ call using hospital devices.Once successful we aim to scale and spread this idea across other acute wards and would need funding to buy more devices.

How will the project be delivered?

Our QI project team Involves

•QIP Project LEAD:  5b ward manager
•Ward 5b  ward clerk, staff nurses and CSW (care support workers)
•Volunteers service manager & co-ordinator
•Carers Lead
•IT Lead to provide devices to make virtual calls
•QI Coach

Our change ideas:

1.Response volunteers to make virtual calls
2.Butterfly stickers for documentation following the call

3.Script for virtual calls prepared by Volunteers Manger and Carers Lead is ready
4.Ward clerk to manage patient list and pass onto Volunteers team daily.
5.Service renamed as ‘Here4U’ service

6.Bitesize 10 mins sessions forward staff to raise awareness re new service

Our Data collection Plan and Measures:

Outcome measure: Total No of patients meeting selection criteria receive a virtual call
•Patient/carer feedback re experience of service

•Total no of patients receiving a virtual call/day (By volunteers)
•Total no of staff trained on 5B ward through awareness sessions about the new service ( By ward manager)

How is your project going to share learning?

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate how  communication is  still possible and effective with loved ones even through this challenging time. Ability to partner with our patients to understand what they matters to them most  and  for ward staff to build and maintain relationships with volunteer team and work as a team collectively has been a key positive change for us . Our shared purpose identified that we wanted to Improve the Patient experience and  communication for families during this pandemic.

‘Here4you’ virtual visiting has demonstrated that the impact on patient wellbeing and experience has been very positive. Volunteers have felt connected and been able to make a difference through their own contributions. We believe that our  shared learning can be transferable to other acute ward settings  who currently do not have any such  service or plans in place.