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The University of Southampton
Health Sciences

The University of Southampton contributes to latest NICE guidance

Published: 1 March 2012

An award-winning Health Sciences academic has contributed to new guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on patient experience in adult NHS services.

Professional lead for Occupational Therapy at the University of Southampton, Dr Jo Adams, was part of the development group of experts and patient representatives involved in writing NICE’s national guidance and quality standard on patient experience in adult NHS services.

Dr Adams contributed to the guidance using her experience in patient and client care in the NHS and social services which she champions within the University’s faculty.

The guidance and accompanying quality standard aim to ensure that patients have an excellent experience of care from the NHS, and will aid healthcare professionals in helping to deliver this.

The guidance promotes care that takes into account a patient’s needs, concerns and preferences. It acknowledges the value patients place on healthcare professionals acknowledging their individuality and the unique way in which each person experiences a condition and its impact on their life. It includes recommendations to enable patients to actively participate in their care.

The guidance and standard also underline the importance of ensuring patients are treated with compassion, dignity and respect, within a well-managed environment.

Dr Jo Adams commented: “It has been a real honour to have been part of the development group behind this guidance and quality standard. They are aimed at supporting healthcare professionals across the UK and will hopefully improve patients’ experience of the NHS.

“I am particularly pleased that the research our team is currently carrying out into patients’ self management and health literacy skills is supporting this national guidance in promoting patients active participation in their NHS care. This demonstrates how applied research can meaningfully contribute to improvements in healthcare.”


The NICE clinical guidance and quality standard on patient experience in adult NHS services can be found at: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG138
and, http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qualitystandards/patientexperience/home.jsp

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