DORSET County Hospital is using staff knowledge to improve patients experience and implement new ideas.

The Dorchester hospital is using innovative ‘crowdsourcing’ methods that give staff of all levels the chance to act as patient ambassadors.

Ideas are submitted anonymously using a social media style website called Patient and Family Echo and the best are voted to the top.

The method was engaged when the hospital in partnership with the Local Involvement Network (LINks) in Dorset identified that patients in side rooms often felt isolated and disorientated. A campaign was launched on the Patient and Family Echo network to get feedback from all staff members serving in side rooms including cleaners, porters, doctors and nurses.

Staff made 125 contributions suggesting changes and several have now been implemented by the hospital while it has also engaged a volunteer to monitor improvements.

Clocks have now been put in every room while the League of Friends of Dorset County Hospital deliver free newspapers and more imaginative colour schemes are being planned when side rooms are redecorated.

A communication has also been sent to staff on how to request free television for patients based on clinical need.

The communication given to patients is also being reassessed to help them understand the reasons for their stay in side rooms.

Sarah Silverton, patient and public experience lead at Dorset County Hospital, said: “We needed to address the feelings of isolation and disorientation felt by patients in our side rooms. We didn’t have a budget to spend on expensive consultants.

“We also know that very often the solution can be found from the patients and staff themselves, but it can be difficult to capture this insight.

“We wanted to find a way that staff could give ideas but also rate the best ones based on their experience.

“By using the Patient and Family Echo website invented by Clever Together, we got to collect loads of great ideas and our staff rated which ones they thought were the best and most achievable.”

Dr Peter Thomond, founder of Clever Together, said: “Allowing everyone to present their ideas anonymously means that all staff, rather than just senior managers or consultants, were able to drive improvements.

“The work done by the trust has been fantastic – it’s a pace setter and a new model for delivering service improvement in health and care organisations across the rest of the UK.”