What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme of 'How can we improve across system boundaries?​

The ‘Easy Watch’ toolkit addresses the challenge of inequitable communication and engagement in healthcare. It focuses on individuals with learning disabilities and developmental disabilities, low literacy skills, and limited English proficiency.

Creating a platform with accessible, user-friendly video content will provide additional support for these groups often facing delays in accessing healthcare due to communication barriers.

The toolkit promotes a person-centered approach, aiming to integrate community health care with acute services. By emphasising effective communication and early engagement, it aims to maximise resource utilisation and improve health literacy. Demographics in the Borough of Croydon highlight high levels of low literacy skills and diverse languages spoken, contributing to health inequalities. The project seeks to enhance patient experience and trust by overcoming these barriers.

The challenge is ensuring that our videos cater to the diverse audiences while maintaining simplicity and clarity?  By addressing these boundaries we ensure equitable access to information.

What does your project aim to achieve?

The main objective of our project is to enhance the communication and information provided to individuals at the outset of their interaction with Croydon Healthcare Services, whether in a primary acute or community setting. Our aim is to remove obstacles to accessing services, establish rapport with individuals, restore trust in healthcare service delivery, and foster better interactions with patients, their families, and friends as they navigate through the healthcare system in a positive manner.

In particular the project aims to improve staff capabilities by developing an ‘Easy Watch’ Toolkit that can act as a one-stop-shop for staff to facilitate seamless communication with those that present with communication needs. In doing so, the toolkit has a dual purpose of removing barriers such as health illiteracy and improving patient experience through having a better understanding of treatment provided.

How will the project be delivered?

The ‘Easy Watch’ project dedicated to enhancing communication methods within CHS to cater to the diverse communication needs of individuals using our services. Collaborating with key partners including CHS Learning Disabilities and Patient Engagement Teams and Patients, their family and advocates.

·         Co-Producing and collaborating with individuals who face communication difficulties, creating an Easy Watch content that genuinely reflects their perspectives and needs.

·         We will engage videography services to produce informative Easy Watch content across various topics related to transitioning through services. These topics include discharge from acute hospitals, wayfinding within services, and explanations of treatments provided in primary, secondary, and community services.

·         Trust-Wide Implementation will include staff training and promotion of ‘Easy Watch’ content across the entire trust. This includes external communication and internal guidance for staff on when to direct service users to relevant Easy Watch resources. This will be using the PDSA approach, with ongoing evaluation and feedback.

How is your project going to share learning?

·         Reflect on the project experience. What went well? What challenges we faced? Identify key insights, both positive and negative to identify lessons learned.

·         Involve project team members, stakeholders, and other relevant parties in this process. Seeking feedback and resolutions, patient experience in particular

Ensuring the details of the Lessons is captured by:

·         Creating a robust tracker/document and report capturing the lessons learned. Include details. Capture poor practice and share and celebrate best practice and areas for improvement

Communicate and Share with key stakeholders and the wider Q Community by:

·         Regularly revisit the lessons learned during project reviews or team meetings.

·         Share the knowledge with other project managers, teams, or departments.

·         Encourage a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

·         Co-producing future products/systems

Considering how we adopt and share the concept for community services, and partner agencies to ensure consistency in our approach.