Building capacity for patient-centered care

Here's a nice idea, supported by The King's Fund and the Health Foundation, to help build capability for more patient-centered care in the United Kingdom.

We are inviting applications from NHS provider organisations that have demonstrated commitment to transforming patient experience.

The King's Fund and the Health Foundation would like to invite your organisation to consider applying for the Patient and Family Centred Care programme. This is a development and support programme, using tried and tested techniques to help NHS organisations make significant improvements in patients' experiences.

It's breaking new ground in improving the experience of care for patients and their families, and the working lives of staff. We are currently looking for NHS provider organisations to participate in the next phase of this exciting work.

Our goal is to develop a small number of exemplary NHS provider organisations and a team of professional staff and managers who can demonstrate their achievements to others, and bring sustainable improvement in patients' experience.

We want to allow patients to:

• feel confident that the care they receive will be consistently high quality
• participate in their own care and feel confident working in collaboration with healthcare professionals
• feel that their care has been designed in a way that acknowledges its place within their broader lives.

The programme will provide leadership development and on-site support for your teams, and include a series of learning events and rapid improvement days, supported by expert coaching and mentoring.

The programme offers you the opportunity to:

• make a reality of policy commitments to improve patient-centred care
• build your organisation's reputation for high-quality, compassionate care
• receive ongoing support from the Health Foundation and The King's Fund, with input from our experts
• access expertise on how to bring about successful change, with an emphasis on sustainability and reach
• showcase your work and become a leader in the field.

Your contribution

Successful applicants will be expected to commit to the programme for two years and have active sponsorship from your board to support your participation.

The cost to participating trusts is £5,000 (+VAT) per year. This will help to pay for learning events and support for your teams.

Applications now open

For an informal discussion about the programme please call Bev Fitzsimons, Programme Manager at The King’s Fund, on 020 7307 266 or email b [dot] fitzsimons [at] kingsfund [dot] org [dot] uk.

The deadline for applications is 30 April 2012. For more information and to download the application form, please visit our website: www.health.org.uk