Improving Strategy at Events and Team Meetings

Introduction

South Birmingham PCT commissions local health services for a population of 383,000. Its primary care services include 64 GP practices, 70 general dental practitioners, 85 local pharmacists and 51 local opticians.

Penny Coxon, Communications Assistant at South Birmingham PCT, uses Qwizdom for events and team meetings. The PCT purchased the system 12 months ago to educate staff and patients and encourage interactivity through group discussions.

Solution

Monthly team meetings: approximately 50 staff attend and a major focus is learning about each others’ roles as the PCT recently split into two so the organisation is relatively new. Qwizdom is a good ice-breaker and the quizzes help familiarise people with each others’ roles. It is also used to obtain results for reports based on staff feedback. Questions posed include: ‘What do you think is the best resource at the PCT?’ The results can be displayed on graphs instantly and can be acted upon to make improvements.

PIAG: At a recent Public Information Action Group, the PCT posed questions such as: ‘How would you prefer to be contacted by us?’ The multiple choice answers included: ‘a) letter b) email c) telephone. More than one option could be selected and this provoked group discussion as people debated which they would prefer. The PCT plans to use such information for reports to establish the preferred contact methods and would then act upon it to ensure public satisfaction.

AGM, September: The PCT decided to do something a bit more fun and interactive this time so Qwizdom was used to pose questions such as ‘What is the biggest cause of death in South Birmingham?’ Answers: a) Stroke b) Coronary Heart Disease c) Lung Disease. This encouraged group interaction as people discussed their thoughts and reactions.

“We believe that every NHS organisation has a duty to obtain feedback from staff and patients about their experiences. Qwizdom is a very easy and fun way of achieving this and it provides useful information for us to act upon to continually improve services. Technology is evolving so fast and if you’re going to use it in public there is sometimes a worry that people might be apprehensive about technical aspects but Qwizdom is as easy to use as a mobile phone!”
Penny Coxon / Communications Assistant, South Birmingham PCT