It's National Experience of Care Week, and a time to celebrate the difference we all make to how care is experienced by patients, carers and families. This year, it also marks an important milestone for CHFT as we officially launch our new Patient and Carer Experience and Involvement Strategy (2026–2029).
Head of Patient Experience, Lynsey Nicholson, said: "Our strategy sets out how we will continue to put people at the heart of everything we do by listening to patients and carers, involving them in decisions about their care, and using feedback to make meaningful improvements. It builds on our One Culture of Care and focuses on what matters most to people: feeling listened to, respected, involved and supported.
"Experience of Care Week gives us the opportunity to reflect on this, share learning and explore how we can strengthen person‑centred, compassionate care across our services.
"The strategy is in our Policies and Documents Library. To find out more about patient experience and involvement, visit our intranet page or contact us by email patientexperience@cht.nhs.uk"
There are also a series of webinar events throughout Experience of Care Week that you can get involved in – see the details below.
CHFT Experience of Care Week sessions
Tuesday 28 April 2026, 13:00 - 13:30 Personal Information Boards
Come to this session to hear about the roll out of our new person-centred care ‘behind the bed’ boards. They are designed to help patients and carers share what matters to them, such as communication needs, preferences, and questions. They make key information visible to all colleagues, supporting involvement, safety, and person‑centred care.
To attend the session, join the MS Teams link.
Wednesday 30 April 2026, 12:00 -12:30 Introduction to the Chaplaincy Service
This session will focus on another of the patient experience objectives within our trust strategy, exploring the role of chaplaincy, spiritual and pastoral care as a key part of person‑centred, compassionate care.
To attend the session, join the MS Teams link.
National Experience of Care Week events (hosted by the Heads of Patient Experience network, NHS England)
Tuesday 28 April 2026, 12:00 - 13:30 - Improving experience in neighbourhood health.
This session will consider building the foundations of experience and give information on improving experience in neighbourhood health.
Wednesday 29 April 2026, 12:00 -13:30 - Learning from national patient surveys: Qualitative insights Discover what thousands of voices are telling us.
Join this engaging webinar to explore fresh insights from national qualitative analysis of NHS patient experience surveys.
Thursday 30 April 2026, 12:00 - 13:00 - Unpicking public satisfaction: What can we learn from the British Social Attitudes survey and polling on NHS admin issues?
Focusing on two recent pieces of work from The King’s Fund, this session will look at public polling on the NHS including what this approach can be used for, how to interpret poll findings, factors that can drive results and the key lessons from our work.