NHH reports on inaugural Experience Symposium

Photo courtesy of Northumberland Hills Hospital.

By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland Hills Hospital was pleased to host its first Experience Symposium Sept. 16 at the Best Western Plus Cobourg Inn and Convention Centre.

Attendance was drawn from a mix of small and medium-sized hospitals and health-care organizations, bringing together professionals and volunteers from throughout the county with provincial and international leaders for a chance to “celebrate achievements, examine common challenges and identify opportunities and tools to enhance the human experience in health care.”

“For a long time, health-care organizations were much better at measuring what we did to and for patients than understanding what care actually felt like for them,” NHH President and Chief Executive Officer (and Ontario Health Team-Northumberland Co-Chair) Susasn Walsh said in her opening remarks.

“The Excellent Care for All Act helped open the door in Ontario to make patient experience more visible and connect patient, care giver and provider voice closer to the places where decisions are made – but the legislation is only a beginning.”

Walsh referenced the hospital's shared purpose, People First.

“We are so pleased with the interest shown in this inaugural event, which was designed to help us learn, adapt and grow together so that we can find ways to expand this work and keep people at the centre of every decision.”

Guest speakers Health Care Safety and Risk Management Specialist Claudette Moulton and HIROC General Counsel Gordon Slemko explored Canada's Apology Act.

NHH Quality and Safety Physician Lead and family physician Dr. Emma Smith facilitated a panel discussion on the growing use of experience data to drive meaningful improvements, with a second panel discussion moderated by Graeme Bakker on the role of volunteers in patient, provider and community experience.

Ontario Caregiver Organization Acting Executive Lead, Strategic Partners and Innovation Alison Kilbourn concluded the event with the latest research into the critical role of caregivers in health care.

Addressing NHH's own journey, Vice-President Patient Experience, Public Affairs and Strategic Partnerships Jennifer Gillard spoke of the work done to include patient, caregiver, provider and volunteer voices – including the steady growth of NHH's own Patient and Family Advisory Council, now celebrating 10 years of active contribution – and more recently, the co-design of the NHH Experience Framework to help guide experience priorities and monitor progress.

“What we've learned along the way is that human experience is not a project with a finish line,” Gillard shared.

“It's an on-going commitment, an infinity loop. It's built one interaction, one conversation, one relationship and one act of trust at a time.”

Similarly, she continued, “progress won't be determined by a single metric or initiative. In a health-care environment that faces significant pressures and competing demands, human experience is a source of inspiration for system transformation. We've made important progress, but we are still early in the journey. And that journey continues, every day, together.”

NHH extends gratitude to all the speakers and panelists who so generously participated in this event, with special thanks to participating regional partners organizations. This list includes the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland, Community Care Northumberland, the Northumberland Family Health Team, the Community Health Centres of Northumberland, and attendees from hospitals and health-system partners in Toronto, Oshawa, Quinte, Campbellford, Lindsay, Brockville and Cornwall.