Mia revelling in making a difference to patients in role as Patient Experience Facilitator
“I like coming to work and knowing that I’m cheering patients up.”
Mia Metcalfe has recently taken on a new position on Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital’s Andrew Ward as Patient Experience Facilitator, helping to provide patients with more activities and things to do during their stay on the ward.
After working on the ward as a Modern Housekeeper for seven years, Mia started to become more involved with the patients, doing small things such as playing card games with them and spending free time chatting to them. Then in March, she took up the full time post of Patient Experience Facilitator and hasn’t looked back since.
Mia said: “The role is all about making sure that patients are having as good a time as possible while they’re with us. We do lots of activities including chair exercises with physiotherapy colleagues, seasonal activities and generally finding the little things that make it less like being in a hospital for patients.
“It is a fulfilling role. Even if it’s something as simple as helping someone to have a shave or bringing them a newspaper, it is really nice to know that I’m helping them in that way.”
Andrew Ward cares for patients with complex discharge needs, meaning that patients can often spend a number of weeks on the ward while arrangements are made for their return home or to their next place of care.
One of those patients is 79-year-old Malcom Peach, who recently spent several weeks on the ward. During his time there, Mia worked closely with him to help him start growing flowers and vegetables, which Malcolm said has been a huge benefit to him:
“I’ve found all of the activities great – they help to take your mind of things and really help break the day up.
“I head over to the window to tend to the plants in the morning and I can spend hours over there – often until dinner time!”
It is this interaction and involvement with the patients that Mia finds so rewarding about the role and is what she says she enjoys the most about it:
“It’s lovely to see the patients getting involved. No week is the same and every patient is unique so it is a really interesting role.”
Senior Sister on Andrew Ward, Hollie Shields, has praised Mia’s work and can see the positive effects it is having on patients: “I can see first-hand that Mia’s work is having a big impact. It is so worthwhile having this post for our patients, and I’m sure Mia is going to continue to do great things in the long term.”