Employ patient-focused staff
Staff in patient-facing positions should have certain key skills. Look for people who are proactive, patient and friendly. Employing staff that are reflective of the local community may also help in providing a more personalised patient experience.
Establish high standards of patient care
Identify examples of good service behaviour and include them in your protocols and policies. Set targets for your staff, monitor their performance and hold yourself and your team accountable. Winning staff support for any changes in advance will help with motivation.
Listen to patient feedback
Invite feedback from your patients and share it with staff in a positive and supportive manner. Encourage your team to remember the patients’ perspective and take it into account when making decisions that will affect them.
Remove barriers to good service
The practice environment should always be as comfortable and attractive as possible. Your staff procedures and policies should be clear and any rules well explained. In a large practice, removing the incoming calls from the front desk will enable receptionists to focus on face-to-face contacts.
Reduce patient anxiety to increase satisfaction
Minimise your patients’ anxiety by creating a welcoming and supportive environment. Ensure that all relevant information is clearly available and regularly look for ways to improve and personalise your services.
Help staff cope better with stress
If your staff are stressed, they will find it more difficult to be friendly and welcoming. Try to establish policies that enable them to recognise and deal with stress. Regular occupational health assessments may also help.
Always maintain the focus on service
Staff meetings are a good opportunity to talk about the importance of providing personalised and patient-focused services. Encouraging members of staff to be service ‘champions’ or changing the title of some jobs to be more patient focused may help reinforce the message.
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