BRADFORD hospital chiefs are looking for volunteers to help establish safer practices and improve patients' care as part of an innovative pilot scheme.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals is one of ten centres nationally which have started rolling out customised projects as part of The Health Foundation charity's £4 million improvement programme.

The Foundation Trust is now seeking volunteers who will go on to its wards to interview patients about their experiences and opinions on how safe they feel their care is as part of the Bradford Patient Reporting and Action for a Safe Environment (PRASE) trial.

The PRASE patient safety intervention has been developed by researchers at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, who will also be evaluating the study. Patients had told researchers they would prefer giving feedback to independent people rather than hospital staff.

Chioma Obasi, PRASE project manager, said: “Patient feedback is vital as it helps us identify trends and provides a detailed and immediate insight into the care that people receive in our hospitals.

"We hope that by using hospital volunteers to conduct face-to-face interviews, we will get timely feedback which will help us make improvements to the environment, safety, and the patient experience.”

PRASE volunteers will work in partnership with patient safety teams across the Foundation Trust’s hospitals which include Bradford Royal Infirmary, St Luke’s Hospital and its community hospitals.

They will be given robust training, survey patients via questionnaires and collect their views on important factors such as staff communication, equipment availability, organisation and care planning, areas often associated with patient safety issues.

Volunteers will also receive free car parking, out-of-pocket expenses and discounts in the staff restaurant.

Medical director, Dr Robin Jeffrey, said: “This feedback will provide hospital staff with the opportunity to continually learn from the patient's perspective and make real improvements to care and the environment.

"Early data suggests that PRASE will make a real difference to patients’ safety and their experiences within our hospitals, and this means it has the potential for use within both the wider NHS and health services internationally,”

Anyone interested in becoming a PRASE volunteer should contact Christine Heaton, voluntary services nurse manager, on 01274 364309 or e-mail volunteer.information@bthft.nhs.uk