Our commitment to you

All patients have the right to privacy and dignity and these are particularly important to those staying in hospital. One way we help them feel more comfortable is by providing same-sex accommodation. That means that the whole ward will be either women only or men only, or if it is a mixed ward, patients will either be in single rooms, or men and women will be in separate bays with access to same-sex toilet and washing facilities.

Sometimes where a patient needs urgent, highly specialised care, such as acute intensive care, then this will take priority but staff will move them into same sex accommodation as quickly as possible.

Confidentiality is paramount. All NHS staff have a legal duty to keep your information confidential and records are held securely. They are only available to those who have a right to see them, and they can only access the information they need to see. Patient identifiable information is only used if absolutely necessary and, for uses other than your care, all details that could identify you will be removed or your permission will be sought.

If you have concerns about privacy or dignity, please discuss these with the matron on your ward or contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 0161 276 8686 (Central and Trafford Hospitals) or 0161 291 5600 (Wythenshawe or Withington Hospitals or email pals@mft.nhs.uk.

Preventing and controlling infections is a top priority for the Trust. We maintain strict hand hygiene standards, carry out regular audits and have a dedicated infection prevention team working across our hospitals. It is important that staff, patients and visitors work together to support the fight against healthcare-acquired infections. You can find out more about the most common infections and how to prevent them by following the links below.

Clostridium difficile (C Diff) is the major cause of antibiotic–associated diarrhoea and colitis, an intestinal infection that mostly affects elderly patients with other diseases.

Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a common bacteria which people may carry on their skin or nose without any ill effects and without being aware of it. However it can cause an infection which is difficult to treat. All patients being admitted to hospital are now screened for MRSA.

Norovirus or ‘winter vomiting bug’ causes sickness and diarrhoea. If you have symptoms, please stay away from the hospital for at least 48 hours to 72 hours after they disappear, and if you have an appointment, contact us to see if it can be re-scheduled.

Hand hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent germs spreading. Hospital staff, patients and visitors should clean their hands regularly and use the hand get provided on all wards. Don’t be afraid to ask a member of staff if they have cleaned their hands!

Safeguarding is fundamental to providing high-quality care. We recognise our duty to protect people’s health, wellbeing and human rights and enable them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. Effective safeguarding depends on a culture where people can raise any concerns with confidence and any response is effective and sensitive to the needs of those involved.

Children and young people are amongst those most in need of protection, as well as vulnerable adults such as those receiving care at home, people with physical, sensory and mental impairments and learning disabilities. Our safeguarding children team provides advice and training to staff about how to recognise those at risk and support those in need. We also work with other agencies such as social services and the police to promote patient safety.

If you have a concern about the safety or well-being of a child in our care, contact our safeguarding children team 0161 274 4981 or speak to a member of staff on the ward.

• Manchester Safeguarding Children’s Board
• Manchester City Council Safeguarding information
• Trafford Safeguarding Children’s Board
• Trafford Council Safeguarding information

Everyone in our hospitals should receive the treatment that is right for them and we offer extra help to people with learning disabilities as part of our commitment to safeguarding patients. We recognise that patients may have varied needs – while some can live and make decisions independently, others need help with day to day tasks – and we ensure that each individual receives the right support for their needs.

In some cases we might ask you for information to complete a patient passport which can help staff understand their needs so we can look after them better. If a patient has filled in a similar passport from a different hospital, we can use that instead.

If you have concerns about an adult with learning disabilities who is in our care, contact the safeguarding team on [tel] or speak to a member of staff on the ward.

• South Manchester Community Learning Disability Service: 0161 219 6377
• Central Manchester Community Learning Disability Service: 0161 226 8131
• Trafford Community Learning Disability Service: 0161 912 2810
• North Manchester Community Learning Disability Service: 0161 861 2958

Should you have any problems making contact with the community teams, then please ring Manchester Contact Service 0161 234 5001

• Manchester Learning Disability Partnership
• ‘Good healthcare for all’ document
• Foundation for people with learning disabilities
• Mencap Direct
• Mencap Mental Capacity Act resource pack
• Manchester People First
• Easy read publications on many topics for health
• Government Disability Website
• HIMMAT support for Asian carers
• Manchester Carers forum
• Manchester Disabled People’s Access Group
• Change accessible resources

Staying in an unfamiliar hospital ward can be a daunting experience and for people with symptoms of dementia, it can be particularly anxious time. The Trust recognises the challenges that they and their carers face and is committed to providing a high standard of care.

All our staff receive dementia awareness training and we have network of dementia champions who are helping to find ways to improve their experience. With the introduction of dementia specialist nurses, we aim to encourage early diagnosis of dementia, which can help to prevent hospital re-admissions and enhance a patient’s quality of life. Our psychiatry team are also available to support those patients with more complex needs or who may require further assessment.

If you have been affected by dementia and would like to join our patient and carer engagement group, please contact the dementia team on 0161 276 6795.

• Dementia Strategy 2014-2017
• Forget Me Not’
• Alzheimer’s Society
• Dementia UK
• Admiral Nurses

Domestic violence not only causes physical damage, it also leaves psychological scars. It is important that our staff make time to listen, are sensitive in asking people if they are experiencing abuse at home and have the right experience to be able to help. All our healthcare professionals receive training on how to safeguard victims of domestic violence, how to ‘enquire safely’ and the process for referring a patient for support.

Our safeguarding team have a robust process in place to support staff in responding to a disclosure or with concerns about domestic abuse. We also have good relationships with organisations including Greater Manchester Police and engage with its Multi Agency Risk Assessment Committee which brings together different agencies to discuss the needs of people at risk.

If you have concerns about domestic violence, you can also contact the free 24 hour National Domestic Violence Helpline on 0808 2000 227.

• Manchester Women’s Aid
• GMP Domestic Abuse
• Claire’s Law
• DV Protection Order Leaflet
• UHSM Domestic Violence Policy

Our number one priority will always be the safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff. We are committed to meeting national standards for safer staffing, ensuring that we have the right staff with the right capabilities on our wards. This enables us to provide the safe effective and compassionate care that our patients and their relatives expect

Every hospital must now display details of staffing levels on its wards. We embrace this open and honest approach. Daily staffing levels are displayed on all wards so you can see who is on duty and we have clear action plans should staffing levels not meet requirements.

Data about staffing levels is reported to NHS England on a monthly basis. Full details are also reported to public meetings of our Board of Directors.

We believe modern NHS organisations should be open and accountable to the public and patients, and always driving improvements in care. As a member of the ‘Open and honest care: driving improvement’ programme, we work with patients and staff to implement quality improvements and further reduce the harm that patients sometimes experience when they are in our care.

We publish patient outcomes, patient experience and staff experience measures so that everyone can see how we are performing. The Open and Honest Care report includes data such as infection rates, pressure ulcers and patient experience surveys. Each month we collaborate with other care providers and share what we have learned, using the information to identify where changes can be made.

Equality, diversity and inclusion will be fundamental to delivering our vision to be leaders in healthcare and excel in everything we do. As an inclusive organisation, we will benefit greatly from the creativity and talents of all our people – staff, patients, carers, visitors, governor, volunteers and communities. To deliver the best patient care we need to work together, listen to and respect each other. We aim to:

• Be accessible to all – to ensure our services and sites are accessible so that everyone can easily use them and people have equal access to the best care possible.
• Listen and respond to all our people – through the channels that we already have in place and by providing new ones.
• Benefit from the diverse skills and knowledge of our people – to use diversity as a strength and harness the power of different skills, knowledge, experience and backgrounds.
• Work in partnership to provide opportunities for our communities to live healthy lives – to work with local communities to provide opportunities to work, volunteer and to visit us, and to understand and reduce health inequalities.

You can download our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. If you want to help deliver this vision please contact us on equality@mft.nhs.uk.