Coventry, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2015 -- Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has found a creative way to engage its patients. In a move which has yielded some surprising benefits, the trust personalised its survey tablets by giving them nicknames.

Research expert CRT has worked with the trust for four years and caught up with its Clinical Audit Lead - Leanne Singleton, to hear the story. Singleton explained: "Personalising CRT's feedback tablets has proven popular. They are no longer seen as merely computers; our service users connect with them in ways they didn't before."

Improved service user interactions in a unique care setting

The devices are used for patient satisfaction surveys and clinical audits in a challenging environment. Singleton said: "We conduct a range of surveys to measure patient satisfaction with our care. We measure their views on treatment, privacy and dignity, available activities and how safe they feel. "

Calderstones is the only NHS trust caring exclusively for people with learning disabilities. The majority of the trust's patients are detained under the Mental Health Act.

The touchscreen tablets are labelled with five boys and five girls' names: Alfie, Bertie, Charlie, Dougie, Ernie and Gilly, Holly, Izzy, Jenny and Kitty. Amusingly, the docking station is called Freddie.

Richard Farrell, CRT's Director of Business Development added: "Calderstones had some negative press following a CQC inspection report, which overshadowed much of the good work happening in this trust. I've visited Calderstones and see how committed the staff are to providing good care.

"Nicknaming the tablets started as a bit of fun but has delivered some tangible advantages. I can see lots of uses, not just in mental health, but in geriatric and paediatric care settings too.

"It will be interesting to see how the idea is developed. I can envisage patient surveys along the lines of 'Tell Izzy how you are feeling today' and creating characters and images which are woven through the questionnaires. Our feedback software can support this now."

Building rapport with patients with learning disabilities

Singleton added: ""Originally the devices were always assigned to ward managers to manage. Now, there are occasions when our patients enjoy taking them around the wards. We've shown our trust in them, and it's been repaid.

"There's a sense that our service-users feel responsible for the tablets, which have become an aid to conversation. Patients now routinely refer to the tablets by their names – 'I've brought Dougie back for you' for example."

Zero equipment damage

The health professional continued: "We've had a lot of issues in the past with trust property abused or going missing. Incidents of misuse - such as throwing the tablets, were not uncommon. Since they've been named we haven't had a single instance or loss or damage.

"As the popularity of the feedback tablets has grown, other services are asking to borrow them, for example occupational therapy and our HR team for running staff surveys."

Singleton finished the story: "The idea grew from the fact that we name our pets, and PET is short for 'Patient Experience Tracker'. Cilla Black was on the radio singing Alfie and somehow the name attached itself to one of the tablets and grew from there.

"CRT's survey solutions are absolutely fantastic, not least because they save us so much time. A simple change has helped us to embed service-user feedback even more deeply."

About CRT
Insight specialist CRT is one of the UK's leading providers of real-time patient feedback solutions and services. CRT enables health professionals to connect with their patients via engaging and interactive mediums at the point-of-experience, 24/7. CRT's award-winning software – ViewPoint – analyses the data and relays it in multiple ways, including interactive dashboards and live alerts. The intelligence informs tactical and strategic decisions, leading to improved patient satisfaction.

For more information, visit http://www.crtviewpoint.com or engage on Twitter @CRTViewPoint