The challenges facing health and care services in Cumbria are often discussed in the news; we hear stories of struggle, high workload and high pressures.
What we hear a lot less are the successes of the service, the day to day satisfaction of patients who experience compassion and professionalism in spite of the challenges.
At a time of merriment and good cheer, we’d like to highlight these successes. Through the feedback collected by our feedback centre, we can tell a different story, one that captures the warmth and the resilience of healthcare staff who, despite the season, work hard to deliver an exceptional service.
Among the many hundreds of reviews collected by the Healthwatch Cumbria Feedback Centre, we are continually struck by the number of people who want to tell the story of great and compassionate care. We know that people would want to say a massive thank you for this and for us to reassure health and care staff that their efforts to go the extra mile are appreciated.
About the hospital staff, patients highlight the quality and the warmth of the service. Using words such as ‘lovely’, ‘enthusiastic’, ‘always excellent’ and ‘supportive’.
The positive feedback also extends to the hospital facilities themselves, which are described as ‘spotless’, ‘quality’ and ‘really good’.
These examples demonstrate a level of commitment and quality that is often overlooked and should be celebrated.
Helen Horne, Chair of HWC, said: “I would like to offer our sincere thanks to all the health and care staff who work tirelessly all year round to ensure people are well cared for, especially when they are most vulnerable. We know from our engagement work that this is often the first thing people mention”
David Blacklock, CEO, of HWC agreed and said: “The feedback we gather is just as important for highlighting what is going well as well as providing insight into what could be improved. Despite the many challenges facing the health and care system right now, we know that people often want to say thank you for being well looked after”.
About the feedback and the services in general, Jane Smith, Lead Governor and Associate Director Of Development and Care for North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our staff are the most caring and dedicated to be found the length and breadth of the country. They deserve gold medals as they run marathon after marathon of care.
"I’m sure we all join our Governors’ in thanking them from the bottom of hearts. I wish Santa could come along and improve the health and wellbeing of those suffering in our communities. I wish that people with illness and heartache could find something or someone who makes them feel like smiling and taking a first step on the road to hopefulness."