The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Northern Care Alliance is scheduled to meet to elect a chair and vice-chair for the 2025/26 municipal year, note the Integrated Performance Report August 2025, and discuss patient experience and the work programme for the year.

Patient Experience

The committee is scheduled to discuss a report on patient experience, including both qualitative and quantitative performance data and feedback opportunities.

The report pack includes detail on how the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) is aiming to move from simply collecting patient experience data to actively improving care. It outlines a multi-faceted approach to gathering feedback, encompassing national programmes like the Care Quality Commission (CQC), NHS England (NHSE), and Healthwatch England, alongside the NCA's own feedback systems. These include the Friends & Family Test, PALS/Complaints, Care Opinion/Social Media, Public & Patient Engagement, Locality Feedback Systems, Patient Stories, Healthwatch reports, Patient & Public Voice Partners Group, and real-time feedback via Observe, Learn and Act (OLA).

The report pack highlights results from the NCA Friends & Family Test (FFT) survey from August 2024 to August 2025, based on approximately 90,000 responses.

It also details actions taken in response to national CQC surveys, such as:

• A reduction in noise at night campaign, introduction of a new visitor's charter, and a focus on reducing times to be admitted and waiting list reduction following inpatient surveys.
• Action planning to review maternity survey results, with previous results informing the maternity improvement programme.
• Ongoing work on patient pathways to improve patient flow, informed by urgent and emergency care surveys.
• Action planning with clinical teams, addressing waiting times, food and drink, wi-fi, and age-related activities, based on children and young people surveys.
• Reviewing the lowest scoring questions in cancer surveys with a Patient User Group, developing a generic action plan monitored via the Patient Experience Group, and cascading results to Cancer MDTs¹.
• A new neonatal survey is expected in 2025.

The report pack details the Observe, Learn and Act (OLA) tool, explaining that:

The purpose of Observe, Learn and Act (OLA) is to look at a person's total experience of a service from the service user/carer perspective, learn from it, share good practice and, where necessary, act to make improvements.

The OLA tool was co-produced by service users at Shropshire Community Healthcare Trust and is designed for use in various settings. It is not an inspection, but rather a way to identify supportive issues around a service that can make a big difference to patients' experiences. The OLA process captures observations from a non-clinical viewpoint, allowing service users, volunteers, and non-clinical staff to participate in the improvement model.

The report pack states that 320 OLAs have been carried out across the NCA, with no areas currently scoring red. It lists the themes and questions used in the OLA review tool, which include:

• Environment: Easy access, clear signage, cleanliness, call bell response, accessible resources.
• Communication: Patients listened to and involved in decision-making, effective communication, clear treatment plans, range of communication methods.
• Person-Centred Care: Dignity and respect, service users sat out of bed, activities, visitors welcomed.
• Food & Drink: Choices offered, varied menu, warm and timely food, water readily available, assistance available.
• Safety: Patients feel safe, comfortable and well cared for, know how to give feedback and raise concerns.

The report pack notes that 180 people have been trained to undertake OLAs, with 47 training events and 5 development days held. It states that the OLA programme enables volunteers, service users, and carers to engage and work with the NCA, offers a framework for medical students to gain on-site experience, encourages skills development, and improves wellbeing.

The report pack includes a summary slide from an OLA visit to Ward 18 at Bury Care Organisation (BCO) on 18 February 2025. The ward, which specialises in dementia and frailty, was found to be calm and warm, with a spacious activity room. Families reported feeling welcome and safe, rating care 10/10. Key points identified for improvement included displaying patient experience posters, reviewing information boards, developing a programme of daily activities with volunteer support, reviewing communication with families, and updating the patient experience folder.

The report pack provides examples of how patient feedback has been used for improvement, including:

• Co-producing training videos with Hopwood Hall College media students and patients to raise awareness and improve support for those with hearing loss.
• Partnering with Thomas Pocklington Trust to deliver staff workshops and strategic guidance, improving accessibility for blind and partially sighted patients.
• Approving a business case for the NCA to use Sign Live, a video relay service for d/Deaf individuals.
• Creating a video led by the Salford Deaf community, featuring NHS senior leaders demonstrating key BSL signs.
• Introducing patient experience certificates to recognise staff praised by patients.
• Launching a pilot with Oldham College Hair & Beauty students, offering pampering services on Royal Oldham wards.
• Introducing a volunteer forum to share concerns and ideas.
• Volunteers now visit inpatient areas offering books and activity packs.

The report pack highlights the NCA's commitment to the d/Deaf community and the implementation of a NCA d/Deaf Strategy.

The report pack references Lord Darzi's Independent Investigation of the National Health Service in England, which stated that the patient voice is not loud enough . It also references the NHS 10 Year Plan, which stated that The NHS does not take patient feedback seriously enough , and the Dash Review of Patient Safety across the Health and Care Landscape, which noted that The system for managing and learning from concerns and complaints is highly fragmented .

The report pack concludes by outlining key priorities for patient-centred transformation, including:

• Driving transformational change with the patient voice at the core.
• Providing resources to equip staff for confident, collaborative engagement.
• Building lasting relationships with service users.
• Demonstrating how patient input leads to meaningful change.
• Focusing on prevention by understanding patients' lives.
• Fostering equal partnerships and inclusive service design.
• Triangulating data across experience, outcomes, and assurance.

Integrated Performance Report

The committee is scheduled to note the Integrated Performance Report for August 2025.

Work Programme

The committee is scheduled to consider and note items for the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Northern Care Alliance's Work Programme for 2025/26.

Election of Chair and Vice Chair

The committee is asked to elect a Chair and Vice Chair for the 2025/26 Municipal Year.