PATIENT-LEDASSESSMENTSOF THECAREENVIRONMENTPREPARATION FOR
PATIENT ASSESSORS
Contents
Who should attend training/preparation?3
How long should the training/preparation be?3
Who should deliver the training/preparation?4
Any tips or hints?4
Checking that training/preparation has beeneffective4
After the training/preparation4
Conclusion4
Suggested training/preparation plan – two hours5
Suggested training/preparation plan – three hours5
Suggested training/preparation plan – whole day6
The quality of local training/preparationis fundamental to the success ofpatient-led assessments of the care environment(PLACE). Good training/preparation not only ensuresgood assessors, it also demonstrates that youvalueyour volunteers and intend to take theirviewsseriously.
Who shouldattendtraining/preparation?
This depends very much on yourpatient assessors and their previous experience.All assessors (staff and patients) will needsome preparation, but people who werepreviouslyinvolved in PLACE may require adifferent approach from those who are assessing forthefirsttime.
You may wish to deliver jointtraining/preparation with staff – this has the advantage ofbuilding strong relationships before theassessment,thoughitcanberepetitiveforsometeammembers.Even if you don’t include staff assessors inthe fulltraining/preparation,itcanbehelpfultoinvite them for coffee to meet theirteam-mates.
How long should thetraining/ preparationbe?
The time needed will vary locally. You willneed to take intoaccount:
•who your patient assessors are, including:
–any previous experience;
–any particular skills or knowledge gaps;
–any special training/preparation needs (eg disabilities);
•the amount of time patient assessorscan reasonably be expected togive:
–at home (reading the documentation plus any local guidance you produce);
–in advance of the assessment (in a training/preparation session at the site);
–on the day of the assessment (before or during the assessment);
•any particular features of the sitebeing assessed:
–infection prevention and control;
–what to do in an emergency;
–patient population and how to interact with them;
–specific areas for assessment;
–who will be delivering the training/ preparation the organisation or with other bodies such as local Healthwatch).
For multi-site organisations, you will needto decide how to cover general,trust/organisationwide issues and specific, site-related ones.Youmay wish to hold a singletraining/preparation session in advance for all the generalissues,with short, site-specific information on the dayoftheassessment.
On pages five and six are somesuggested running orders for a two-hour, three-hourand full-day training/preparation programme.These are suggestions only – it is important thatwhatyou do meets the needs of yourassessors.
Who should deliverthe training/preparation?
Again, it’s up to you. Arranging jointtraining/ preparation with local Healthwatch can bea good way of developing strong relationships,but others can also contribute, eg trustvolunteer
co-ordinator, infection prevention staff,local patient representative organisations.Arranging for an executive or non-executive director tocall in for a few minutes to open the sessionand thank patients for attending is an excellentway of demonstrating how much yourorganisationvalues theirinput.
Any tips orhints?
Many patient assessors are not in full-timework and may be unaccustomed to spendinglong periods of time in a classroom.Training/ preparation can be very tiring – thefollowing tips mayhelp:
•don’t spend more than 30 minutes on any single ‘chalk-and-talk’session;
•don’t run two ‘chalk-and-talk’sessions together–splitthemupwithquestionsoran activity;
•the longer the event, the more interactiveworkyou should include (eg tablediscussions, mock assessmentsetc);
•build in plenty ofbreaks;
•make sure no-one is isolated –consider invitingotherstafftojoininatlunchtomeet patient assessors and introduce themtoothers;
•provide handouts or notes to back upthe sessions.
Checking thattraining/ preparation has beeneffective
It’s important to ensure that patientassessorshave fully understood thetraining/preparation and are aware of their roles. Formal testingis inappropriate,buttrytobuildinenoughquestion and answer sessions to clear up any areasof confusion. It can be helpful to ‘buddy-up’new assessors with some of your existingPLACE assessors forsupport.
Many people are reluctant to ask questions ina large group, for fear of looking foolish.Make sure you offer plenty of opportunity forone-to- one discussions with experiencedassessors (staff or patient), eg over coffee breaks orduring table discussions. Alternatively, askparticipants to jot down on paper the things that areworrying them and drop them in a box. These canthen be addressed anonymously with thewholegroup – the chances are that more thanone person has the sameconcern.
After thetraining/preparation
Sending out further information after theevent helps people feel fully involved and offersan opportunity for them to refresh what theyhave learned. Some handouts need to be givenout on the day, but think about whether thereis anything you can send separately, betweenthetraining/preparationandtheassessmentvisit.
Suggested training/preparation plan – twohours
Item / Time(min)Arrival and coffee – networking1
Welcome andintroduction / 10
PowerPoint presentation – There’s a PLACE forus / 30
Questions / 15
Break / 10
Understanding theforms / 15
Questions / 10
Information about the site/organisation, (layout, what to do in emergencyetc) / 20
Finalquestions / 10
Thanksandclose–reimbursementofexpenses
1Arrival (with refreshments) should be planned for up to half an hour before the training/preparation starts, toallow everyone to get a drink and get to know each other. It can be helpful to use a ‘buddy’ system between staffand patient assessors so that everyone feels fully involved right from the start. It’s also useful to have severalstaffavailable after the session for half an hour or so to answer specificqueries.
Suggested training/preparation plan – threehours
Item / Time(min)Arrival and coffee – networking2
Welcome andintroduction / 10
Ice-breakerexercise / 15
PowerPoint presentation – There’s a PLACE forus / 30
Questions / 15
Information about the site/organisation, (layout, what to do in emergencyetc) / 20
Break / 15
Understanding theforms / 15
Questions / 10
Mockassessment(maybeinapatientareaorinthetraining/preparationroom) / 30
Feedback from mockassessment / 10
Finalquestionsandplanningforassessment / 10
Thanksandclose–reimbursementofexpenses
2Arrival (with refreshments) should be planned for up to half an hour before the training/preparation starts, toallow everyone to get a drink and get to know each other. It can be helpful to use a ‘buddy’ system between staffand patient assessors so that everyone feels fully involved right from the start. It’s also useful to have severalstaffavailable after the session for half an hour or so to answer specificqueries.
Suggested training/preparation plan – wholeday
Item / Time(min)Arrival and coffee – networking3
Welcomeandintroduction–thenationalpicture / 10
Ice-breakerexercise / 15
The localenvironment / 30
Questions anddiscussion / 20
Break / 15
PowerPoint presentation – There’s a PLACE forus / 30
Table discussion, followed by generalquestions / 30
Lunch andnetworking / 60
Information about the site/organisation, (layout, what to do in emergencyetc) / 20
Understanding theforms / 15
Questions / 10
Mockassessment(maybeinapatientareaorinthetraining/preparationroom) / 30
Break / 15
Feedback from mockassessment / 20
Finalquestionsandplanningforassessment / 10
Thanksandclose–reimbursementofexpenses
3Arrival (with refreshments) should be planned for up to half an hour before the training/preparation starts, toallow everyone to get a drink and get to know each other. It can be helpful to use a ‘buddy’ system between staffand patient assessors so that everyone feels fully involved right from the start. It’s also useful to have severalstaffavailable for half an hour or so after the session to answer specificqueries.