Patient First is our long-term approach to transforming hospital services for the better.
It’s a process of continuous improvement. It starts by asking frontline staff to identify opportunities for positive, sustainable change. Then it gives them the skills and support to make that change happen.
We use the Patient First Triangle to explain how this approach works.
Our purpose, mission and values
These describe our core focus: the patient first and foremost. They summarise what we strive to achieve: excellent care every time. And they set out the ideals that guide everything we do.
We asked our staff, patients and public to agree our values, based on the sort of organisation they want University Hospitals Sussex to be. These are:
- Compassion
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Respect
- Professionalism
- Inclusion
Strategic themes
Patient First’s strategic themes are the components of excellent care every time. These are the things we need to prioritise to keep moving towards that goal:
- The patient
- Sustainability
- Our people
- Quality
- Systems and partnerships
- Research and innovation
So the patient has to be at the heart of everything we do.
Our services must be sustainable.
We need to attract and keep the best people.
We have to strive for the very highest quality.
We must work with the wider health system and our partners.
And we should invest in research so we can use innovation to drive our improvement.
Strong foundations
Finally, the triangle highlights the programmes that underpin improvement across our strategic themes:
- Our environmental strategy
- Leadership, culture and development
- Our Patient First Improvement Programme
- Our Clinical Strategy
- Our 3Ts hospital development programme
It’s a proven fact that patients get better care in hospitals where staff feel able to make a difference.
That’s why University Hospitals Sussex will keep investing in Patient First. We want to empower our people. And we want to support them in making the changes they know will improve services for patients.
Would you like to know more about Patient First?
Then join us as a member to receive our newsletter and invitations to special events where you can hear from staff about the improvements they are making.