“What Matters to You” - a quality improvement initiative to enhance compassionate person-centred care
Care, Compassion, Trust and Learning are core tenets of healthcare values in Ireland and yet one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare delivery is an absence of compassion. Recent studies (Listening to older people report, 2015 and 2016 ) in Ireland found that older people feel invisible and regard health services to be lacking in dignity, respect, and compassion. This finding is similar to the Mid-Staffordshire Enquiry, 2013, which noted older people were viewed as a nuisance, rather than adults who should be partners in their care.
“What Matters to You” is an initiative that supports person-centeredness in care. It is a simple approach to capturing issues that are important to the individual in the hospital and when known by staff can improve patient experiences. The National Clinical Programme for Older People (NCPOP), in collaboration with the National Quality Improvement Team (National QIT) and the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF), partnered with two acute hospitals in Ireland, as part of a pilot project to inform the national roll-out of “What Matters to You”.
The suite of documents provides an overview of the concept “What Matters to You (WMTY), the education programme and the tools developed to support its implementation, along with the findings of a pilot programme which was undertaken in two acute hospitals in Ireland. The below tools can be used to support the roll-out of this important initiative in your local area.
