It takes a lot of trust for Luke, who lives in Warrington, to let people come near him. This is especially the case with health professionals. It’s really difficult because Luke has some health issues which mean he needs his bloods checked regularly, and unfortunately he has to go in as a day case and have general anaesthetic for the majority of his health appointments.
Connecting in advance
Luke has had some really bad experiences with appointments and we didn’t even know if staff would be able to support him to get there. We connected with the Head of Safeguarding at the hospital and explained ahead of Luke's admission how difficult it would be if he had to wait around or wait in the waiting room. Together, we worked out a plan for what Luke's appointment could look like.
Zero by mouth was really difficult for Luke as well, as breakfast is an important part of his routine. His staff team were understandably nervous about the potential for what could happen if things went wrong that were outside their control and we didn’t know if we would be able to encourage him to leave the house at all, as it was early and he wouldn’t be able to have his breakfast.
A great result
The appointment went amazingly well. Luke felt safe and supported going straight through, and all the staff knew what to expect. The team at the hospital had clearly read about him and were friendly and attentive but also gave Luke his space.
Giving good feedback
It’s easy to complain when things aren’t right so we emailed the hospital and explained all the things that had worked to make sure the appointment and experience was a success.
A few weeks later the Head of Safeguarding at the hospital asked if we could go to a meeting with hospital bosses and governors and if we could talk about Luke’s appointment, the planning, the information shared, and what happened. The hospital don’t always get a lot of positive feedback so it's important we take the time to say when things go well as well as learning when they don’t. There were really influential people at the meeting so it was a bit nerve-wracking, but it felt really good to share what had worked for Luke.
Making opportunities for sharing good practice
Reaching out and making a connection resulted in an opportunity to share good practice. And it will hopefully mean that others will have that good experience too.
