Patient Experience Week
This week (27 April – 1 May) we’re celebrating Patient Experience Week – a chance to recognise how important it is to listen to the voices of people who use our services, their families and carers.
At our Trust, patient experience is at the heart of everything we do. We believe the best mental health care is shaped by the people who use it, and by listening, learning and improving together.
Why patient experience matters
Every experience shared helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we can make improvements. Whether it’s a small detail that made a big difference, a member of staff who went the extra mile, or something that didn’t feel right, your feedback helps us learn and improve our services.
You can share your experience by speaking directly to the team who looked after you or your loved one, or by using one of the options below.
Ways to share your feedback:
- Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Call 020 3513 6150 (Monday-Friday, 9.30am-4.30pm) or email pals@swlstg.nhs.uk. - Feedback Live! survey
Complete our anonymous Feedback Live! survey. The questions have been co‑produced with service users, carers, and staff, and feedback is reviewed in real time. - Care Opinion
Leave feedback on Care Opinion, a public website where others can see your comments. We will always respond, although we’re unable to discuss clinical issues in a public forum.
Listening to lived experience
We work closely with people who have lived experience of our services to help shape improvements across the Trust. Members of our lived experience network work alongside staff on a wide range of projects, including:
- Sitting on interview panels to recruit new staff
- Supporting staff training
- Developing patient and carer information
- Reviewing and shaping policies, procedures, and ways of working
What our lived experience members have said:
“It made me feel better about services, that what I said made a difference for other people who might need to go into hospital.”
“Being involved in the recruitment panels has really made a difference. The people on the panel really listened and for the first time since I became unwell, I felt validated. I am even thinking that returning to work may now be a reality.”
You can find out more about our lived experience network, and how to get involved, on our website.
Celebrating what’s working well
Patient Experience Week is also a time to celebrate the compassion, kindness and dedication shown every day by our staff.
If you’d like to share a compliment or positive feedback about any aspect of our services, you can email: complimentsandpositivefeedback@swlstg.nhs.uk
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to share their experiences. Your feedback helps us make our services better – together.
