This means partnership in the widest possible sense. Most importantly, it means working with our patients. We try to truly empower them to allow them to take as much control of their care as they can, and make the right decisions for themselves about what healthcare support they access.
It also means working as a team within the Trust. We understand that every role at the hospital is a challenge but, by working together, we can make each other’s jobs a little easier and more productive. We will continue to promote better teamwork to reduce stress in the organisation, particularly at times of peak demand.
Thirdly, it means partnership with other organisations – influencing, but just as important – listening. For most of our patients, their involvement with us is only a brief moment in a much longer pathway of healthcare. As a hospital, we always see our meeting with the patient in the context of their wider experience of NHS services. Working effectively with the providers of these services and the organisations that purchase care will help us be better at what we do.
We aim to be an active and flexible partner within the local health and social care economy. As a Trust, we will collaborate to ensure that care pathways are transformed as part of our continuing drive to improve quality, safety and productivity.