Discharge facilitator thanked for improving patient experience

Discharge facilitator Julie Millar has been thanked for helping to improve patient experience. Julie, who works on respiratory ward 222 at Royal Stoke University Hospital, has implemented new ideas which have enhanced working practices on the ward and have been shared throughout the trust. Her initiative is helping to maintain safe, efficient and timely patient discharges and has prevented delays and increased length of stay.

Gail Knowles, Senior Sister, said: “Since joining our team Julie has gone above and beyond expectations to improve the quality of the discharge service we provide for our patients. Julie is passionate about ensuring the patient journey is a positive one even beyond discharge and she is proactive in identifying any potential issues which may prevent a timely discharge.

“Julie is extremely positive and she demonstrates compassion and empathy for patients and their situations and is determined to provide the best outcome she can. Patient feedback is very good and we have received comments about Julie that she is understanding, efficient, professional and thorough.

“Julie took it upon herself to develop a discharge folder which clearly explains the different steps to an effective discharge. This resource has been invaluable as a reference and support guide for colleagues in Julie's absence. Julie has also developed a discharge sheet with all the information required to ensure an efficient and positive discharge process. This has improved early identification of potential issues and improved communication on the ward rounds around discharge planning. Both of these initiatives are being shared and rolled out trust-wide to further improve patient service and experience. Julie is a fantastic advocate for our Trust values and an outstanding role model.”

Julie has been given the Employee of the Month award in recognition of her hard work and dedication.

Julie said: “When I first started this role it became clear to me that not all staff fully understand the discharge process. I started the ‘yellow folder initiative’ and this made a big difference. I would really like to thank Gail for her support and encouragement. She listened to my idea and just told me to go ahead with it. The whole team have embraced the idea and this makes a better experience for everyone involved.”