Success factor 6: Serving the person better

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, specialist cancer centre.

They make services more inclusive by:

• modifying buildings and producing easy-read information on cancer treatments.
• working with the LGBT Cancer Alliance, taking part in Manchester Pride and running staff sessions with a Macmillan LGBT project worker
• upgrading the chapel, prayer room and multi-faith room – they are well-used and feedback is positive.

Herstmonceux Integrative Health Centre, rural health care centre with 4,200 registered patients.

Facilities include a free patient library, sensory garden, singing workshops and healthy walks.

Schemes focusing on specific groups include:

• monthly coffee morning for older people
• promoting recreational activities, for example for men aged 20-25 who are the biggest users of the local food bank and vulnerable to poor wellbeing.

All staff are trained dementia friends.

Dr John Simmons: The health centre is considered the hub of the village and rural community. By bringing health services to the practice our rural patients can receive health care in the community."

"The practice choir is more a social than a singing event; members with health issues such as bereavement have reported incredible health improvements having joined the choir."

Herstmonceux Integrative Health Centre, rural health care centre with 4,200 registered patients.

Integrative medicine is based on treating the whole person rather than just the illness and symptoms. The centre's ethos is based on empowering patients to achieve their health goals and services include:

• health curiosity talks
• complementary medicine practitioners operate alongside NHS clinics
• classes (tai chi, yoga, pilates, meditation) available
• a council-funded health coach works with patients with long-term conditions.

Dr John Simmons: "By designing a Health Centre that is patient centric we have created an environment where patients and staff alike feel safe, honoured and empowered."

The Doc's Surgery, city centre practice with 7,500 registered patients.

HIV patients are often stigmatised and at risk of not accessing care. The Docs has the highest number of HIV patients in the UK and has designed specific services:

• a specialist sexual health nurse and community outreach clinics for people who are HIV+
• HPV vaccinations to counter emerging sexual health risks
• a visiting HIV consultant.

Dr Matt Joslin: "Our patients get their results and treatment faster than at the local hospital clinic. They can also utilise the expertise of practice nurses and GPs to get truly holistic care, rather than being identified as a sexual health patient."

"Our sexual health project matches the needs of our patients and the service, in the form we offer it, is not available elsewhere."

The Doc's Surgery, city-centre practice with 7,500 registered patients.

The practice welcomes the local Chinese community - reception staff have learned basic Cantonese and there are good links to interpreting services. This has proved popular - people who have moved away from the area continue to attend the practice.

Shadon House Dementia Resource Centre, care home specialising in dementia care, respite and assessment.

• Staff assess each resident's capacity when they arrive
• For planned assessments, the duty manager visits the person before admission then tells staff about them and their needs.
• Families are involved in their loved ones care.

Joanne Matthewson, registered manager: Our emphasis is on wellbeing and building on positives. When people come here they learn what they are capable of – they are revived and ready to live at home again with new found confidence.

First Community Health and Care CIC provides services in a hospital and in the community to 178,000 people in south east England. It is a staff-owned social enterprise employing 450 people.

They adapt feedback methods to capture as many diverse views on services as possible:

• posters encouraging people to give feedback
• specific feedback forms for children
• engagement with young carers’ and youth groups
• encouraging staff to reach out to groups who are less likely to get their needs met, for example taking time to build trusting relationships with the Gypsy, Roma and traveller community
• email, text and social media invitations to give feedback and to courses and events
• a proactive community forum with over 200 members which holds specific focus groups, e.g. on care for people with dementia
• referring low scoring feedback from online feedback sites to the complaints manager for follow up

Cygnet Elms, hospital for people with a learning disability and additional mental health needs.

Staff are committed to making sure people using the service actively participated in society beyond daily functional living. Staff set up a workshop for people to learn about their rights to vote in elections and held a mock ballot. They supported those who wanted to vote in the general election to register and acquired easy read manifestos and leaflets. 75% of the people using the service voted; some for the first time in their life.

Staff also supported people to take part in other activities such as community volunteering and in clinical audits in the service.