It’s not a Fantasi-a. Our matron Karen Melling and ward manager Fran Howland recently heard how core customer service principles used by Disney can be transferred into a hospital setting.
Karen said “As we sat there I was wondering how we could apply what I was hearing into our hospital setting. We learned that the principles are all the same in every single Disney setting, whether it’s one of their shops in Japan or at Disneyland in Florida.
“So I thought if they can do the same worldwide, then maybe it could maybe transfer to patient experience at CHFT”.
A couple of the principles really hit home with Karen:
- If not me, who? It’s all about personal responsibility. Put simply - if you know you can do something for someone then do it – don’t pass it on to someone else
- The size 10 rule – which is about openness. If you are 10 feet away from someone – smile at them. If you are five feet away then say hi or introduce yourself
Karen, who represents Surgical and Anaesthetics division in our Patient Experience and Caring Group heard about the event through the Surgical and Ambulatory Care Network.
Motivational speaker Chris Blackmore, used to work for Disney, and his ideas really hit home.
Karen said “We were totally buzzing and couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home. I sent Brendan Brown a message from the train to say we had to meet him to talk about what we’d heard.
“Interestingly when we were asked who we thought our competitors might be many in the room said other Trusts or private providers.
“Chris disagreed saying it was Disney and John Lewis and other brands linked to quality, because they’d really set the bar high with public expectations. Our patients expect the same quality and have the same expectations in our caring setting."