Patient Experience

We believe in true partnership. That’s why patients and carers are now at the heart of every decision we make — from policy to practice.

We’ve reimagined patient information with our SUM (Simple, Understandable, and Meaningful) initiative, making healthcare communication clearer and more inclusive for everyone.

Our Lived Experience Ambassadors help co-create policies, lead meetings, and drive improvements on vital issues like end-of-life care and tackling health inequalities.

Thanks to the success of our pilot program, over 50 Peer Support Workers who’ve walked in your shoes are now full-time members of our team.

We celebrate and recognise the incredible impact of those with lived experience through our dedicated Reward and Recognition Policy.

Your voice is shaping the future of healthcare technology — our People Participation Group ensures patient input is central to the new electronic patient record system.

Thanks to your voices through iWantGreatCare, we’re uncovering what works best and tackling concerns faster than ever. Your insights don’t just help us listen—they inspire action.

Our lived experience team plays a vital role in recruitment, helping us bring on board staff who truly understand and value patient partnership.

PLACE assessments results, powered by your feedback, are now featured in national reports, directly influencing improvements across our facilities.

At the top of our Trust, leadership is listening closely to lived experience voices:

Our brand-new lived experience leadership group ensures every project and team includes someone with first-hand experience, making sure patient perspectives drive real decisions.

The experience executive oversight group, led by our Executive Director of Strategy, brings together senior leaders and people with lived experience to chart a better future for care.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come—but our journey continues. Here’s what we’re committed to next:

Building a culture where every staff member values your voice as a vital part of care

Growing diverse representation across all our services

Deepening true co-production with patients and carers

Our volunteer team reflects the beautiful diversity of Essex’s communities — and it’s only growing stronger.

• In 2021, Essex was home to 19 different ethnic groups.
• By March 2023, our Lived Experience Ambassadors represented 2 ethnicities.
• By March 2024, that number jumped to 12.
• And by March 2025, our volunteers proudly represent 20 different ethnic backgrounds!

This incredible growth shows our commitment to building a truly inclusive team — because diverse voices lead to better care for everyone.

Our Lived Experience Leadership Committee makes sure patients and carers can share their ideas to help improve our services. It brings together people from important projects like Time to Care, PCREF, and SUM.

The group now focuses on making real changes based on feedback. They share what they hear directly with our leaders to help make care better for everyone.

In 2024, we hosted our Co-production Conference, bringing together over 120 patients, carers, staff, volunteers, and leaders from across Essex. Guest speakers Lady Julie Jay Charles CBE and Jan Hutchinson shared powerful insights on building stronger, more inclusive partnerships in healthcare.

Building on last year’s success, our iWantGreatCare (IWGC) volunteers are now actively supporting patients, families, and carers across inpatient units.

They help people in our hospitals share how they feel about their care. These volunteers are health and social care students from nearby universities.

They help by:

• Filling in forms and surveys with patients
• Making sure everyone understands the questions
• Using simple words when needed
• Being friendly and easy to talk to on the wards

Because of their help, more patients are sharing their thoughts, and they feel happier doing so.

Your feedback matters, and our volunteers make it easier than ever to share it. Whether it’s through digital or paper forms, our volunteers offer friendly, personalised help by:

• Assisting with filling out surveys or feedback forms
• Overcoming barriers like language, literacy, or physical challenges
• Rephrasing questions to make them simple and clear
• Providing a warm, relatable presence on the wards

Thanks to their support, feedback rates have soared by 76% in wards with IWGC volunteers. Patients tell us they feel more confident and comfortable sharing their experiences, knowing someone is there to help every step of the way.

Our volunteers don’t just support patients—they make sure every voice can be heard. By being present on the wards, they raise awareness about how important patient feedback is, creating a welcoming and accessible environment where sharing your experience feels natural and supported.

And this is just the beginning. We’re excited to expand this volunteer model to new roles and areas, deepening our partnerships with local universities and communities to bring even more support directly to you.

Time to Care helps staff spend more time looking after patients. A dedicated lived experience co-production lead helps shape this programme by strengthening teams with the right skills and support.

Trauma Buddy
Trauma Buddy is a pocket-sized booklet co-created with patients, carers, and staff. Patients and their family/carer, fill in the booklet together. This information helps staff understand what upsets the patient and how they like to be cared for.

There’s also a handy Trauma Buddy Guide for staff, with tips to make care safer and more understanding.

We’re driving real change to make sure everyone receives fair, respectful care—no matter their background. The PCREF is central to this mission, focusing on reducing disparities faced by racialized communities.

Our dedicated Lived Experience Leaders, Tola Gisanrin and Julie Jay Charles CBE, co-chair our “Reducing Health Inequalities” group. Their leadership ensures that issues like spiritual, cultural, and mental health needs are front and centre.

Julie Jay Charles CBE, founder of Startchange, champion’s social justice and intersectionality, bringing innovative mental health support programs like “Men Moving Forward” to better serve Black men.

Tola has worked closely with patients to develop a unique faith and spirituality care assessment tool that helps tailor care in partnership with chaplaincy teams.